National Park Service Award Supports Landmark Preservation as Part of Semiquincentennial Celebration

Bethlehem, PA — September 16, 2025 — Today, Moravian University announced it has secured a $750,000 grant from the National Park Service to fund a vital preservation project at the Second Single Brethren’s House (99 West Church Street, Bethlehem, PA). The grant, awarded through the Semiquincentennial Grant Program, will support the replacement of all 91 windows with historically accurate, insulated glass and wood models to enhance the building’s energy efficiency while preserving its historical integrity. This project is supported in part by a Semiquincentennial grant from the Historic Preservation Fund, administered by the National Park Service, Department of the Interior.

The Second Single Brethren’s House is a key structure within the Moravian Church Settlements – Bethlehem World Heritage Site.

“This grant from the National Park Service is perfectly timed, following Moravian Church Settlements—Bethlehem recent World Heritage inscription and preceding the upcoming 250th Anniversary of the United States,” said Bryon Grigsby, president of Moravian University and member of the World Heritage Council and Commission. “The Second Single Brethren’s House is a living piece of history, still used by our students today, making its preservation as part of a World Heritage site critically important.”

Established in 2020, the Semiquincentennial Grant Program commemorates the 250th anniversary of the United States by supporting the restoration and preservation of historic sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Second Single Brethren’s House, built in 1748, stands as Bethlehem’s largest and most ambitious eighteenth-century building and a prime example of German Colonial architecture in the U.S.

Key aspects of the preservation project include:

  • Preservation of a National Historic Landmark (Second Single Brethren’s House) within the Historic Moravian Bethlehem Historic District.
  • Enhancement of one of nine structures included in the UNESCO-listed Moravian Church Settlements—Bethlehem World Heritage Site.

This announcement follows the recent appointment of Dr. Katherine Faull as the first Site Manager for the Moravian Church Settlements–Bethlehem World Heritage Site.

Project Inquiries
David Nonnemaker
Moravian University
Assistant Director of Grants & Foundations Relations
Email: nonnemakerd@moravian.edu
Phone: 610.861.1423

Media Contact
Michael Corr
Moravian University
PR & Communications
Email: corrm@moravian.edu
Phone: 610.861.1365

About Moravian University
Moravian University, located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, is the nation’s sixth-oldest university and offers undergraduate and graduate degrees and certificates. For more than 280 years, the university has been preparing students for reflective lives, fulfilling careers, and transformative leadership in a world of change. Moravian University is a member of The New American Colleges and Universities (NACU), a national consortium of private comprehensive colleges and universities working together to graduate extraordinary professionals for a global workforce and society.

In 2024, Moravian University became part of a World Heritage designation when Moravian Church Settlements — Bethlehem, Gracehill (Northern Ireland, UK), and Herrnhut (Saxony, Germany) joined Christiansfeld (Denmark) as a single World Heritage Site—Moravian Church Settlements. Moravian is just the second university in the United States to be part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site designation and only the eighth university in the world to have this recognition.

Visit moravian.edu to learn more about how Moravian University prepares its students for lifelong success.

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