Bethabara Moravian Church

Bethabara Moravian Church

Winston-Salem North Carolina

Begun: 1788

Completed: 1788

Architect: Frederic William Marshall

Architect: Abraham Loesch

18th century German Colonial

36.15270418805049, -80.29455856130483

Stone, brick and wood

Area: 8 acres

Religious

German Colonial religious type

The structure is considerably sound with a firm rectangular form, as it hails as one of the last structures to represent the German Colonial church structure. It includes two levels, two chimneys, and a belfry at the top. While it does feature a second level, it does appear that there is more space on the main lower level. It is also worth noting that it appears there were initial plans to have a basement level, however ultimately was not added. The structure presents a multitude of windows and doors. There are two front entrances on the North-East side of the structure that one may enter through. From there to the immediate left is the Structure’s auditorium. To the right of these entrances lies two bedrooms, a living room, and a kitchen toward the back right of the structure (facing from the front). There are similarly two exits through the back that leads directly to what appears to be a well. The second level also features a smaller auditorium, which is considered a part of the main one on the lower level, and another bedroom. The structure has an angled roof which does present in its interior design as well as the exterior design. Its patterns are quite simplistic in its exterior, with the majority of the building possessing a stone masonry wall into brick pattern. On its interior, its patterns are also simplistic, as they follow a simple white color into a more natural wood color on objects like window arches and doors. Its structural process and build deliver on the structure's signaling of religious context. It establishes an iconicity when we think of an old, colonial, well-established church in the United States.

Image1:
Bethabara_Moravian_Church
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/61/Bethabara_Moravian_Church.JPG

Image 2:

Bethabara_Moravian_Church,_2147_Bethabara_Road_(State_Route_1681),_Old_Town,_Forsyth_County,_NC_HABS_NC,34-OLTO,1-_(sheet_1_of_6)

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2f/Bethabara_Moravian_Church%2C_2147_Bethabara_Road_%28State_Route_1681%29%2C_Old_Town%2C_Forsyth_County%2C_NC_HABS_NC%2C34-OLTO%2C1-_%28sheet_1_of_6%29.png

Image 3:

Bethabara_Moravian_Church,_2147_Bethabara_Road_(State_Route_1681),_Old_Town,_Forsyth_County,_NC_HABS_NC,34-OLTO,1-_(sheet_2_of_6)

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/47/Bethabara_Moravian_Church%2C_2147_Bethabara_Road_%28State_Route_1681%29%2C_Old_Town%2C_Forsyth_County%2C_NC_HABS_NC%2C34-OLTO%2C1-_%28sheet_2_of_6%29.png

Image1: Creative Commons

Image 2: Creative Commons

Image 3: Creative Commons

Julian Forster

https://historicbethabara.org/historic-building-grounds/the-gemeinhaus/

https://www.bethabara.org/

Worth Alexander Younts, "Bethabara Moravian Church", [Winston-Salem, North Carolina], SAH Archipedia, eds. Gabrielle Esperdy and Karen Kingsley, Charlottesville: UVaP, 2012—, http://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/NC-01-067-0077.

The church has been added to the Historic Bethabara Park. This may partly impacts its lack of documentation of its dimensions.