Project Focus:
Ephrata Cloisters:
Ephrata, PA
Historic Structures Reports

As one of the country’s earliest and most influential religious communities, the Ephrata Cloister is a unique collection of mid-eighteenth century Germanic buildings that stand as a testament to the beliefs and convictions of its founder, Conrad Beissel. The surviving eighteenth century resource – a collection of eleven buildings ranging from the a 4-story communal dormitory to small solitary houses – are now owned and operated by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, and is considered one of the premiere historical sites in the state. Noble Preservation, as a consultant to the Marianna Thomas Architects/Perfido Weiskopf Architects Joint Venture, is currently working on completing a comprehensive, multi-volume HSR for nine of the site’s eleven historic buildings.

One of the most challenging aspects of this project has been determining the original appearances, configurations, and functions of these eighteenth century buildings. Over one hundred and fifty years of change and neglect, coupled with two extensive restoration campaigns, has obscured much of the original fabric in these buildings. As a result, one of the first steps in the HSR research was to identify surviving original fabric.

Researchers also located an invaluable collection of sketches and notes from G. Edwin Brumbaugh, the site’s earliest restoration architect, that documented the pre-restoration conditions of the Cloister. Using these sketches in conjunction with field investigations and laboratory analyses, investigators have been able to not only judge the quality of past restorations, but also, and more importantly, document the original floor plans.

Perhaps the most important component relating to the future interpretation and restoration of the Cloister rests on the question of original use. By recreating the eighteenth century floor plans, analyzing the original layout of the community, and understanding the typology of early Germanic buildings in Pennsylvania, we offered alternatives to the traditional interpretation of the Cloister buildings that challenge and re-define the conventional notions of how this religious community functioned. For example, the Almonry has historically been interpreted as a community bakery, hostel for visiting guests, and center for giving "alms" to the needy. Investigators have now suggested that, based on its design and highly specialized spaces, the Almonry was a community work center that was directly associated with the Saal/Saron complex.

Noble Preservation will continue its investigations and research at the Ephrata Cloister well into the year 2000.

The Almonry is one of the Cloister’s more unusual buildings, and was likely built in the early 1740s.

The building currently interpreted as Beissel’s final home is a three-room internal-chimney plan log house that was built after the adjacent timber-framed bake house.

The west section of the Print Shop is likely the earliest surviving building at the Cloister as one of the first solitary houses built along the Cocalico creek in the early 1730s.