1768 Widows’ House

The Widows’ House is a two-story limestone structure (23.8 x 13.4 m) with brick segmental arches over windows, a two-story attic with pedimented dormers on the lower attic and shed dormers on the upper attic.  A two-story stone addition was constructed to the east in 1794-95 (6.1 m long). The length of the original section of the Widows’ House (23.8 m) is exactly the length of the space between the Gemeinhaus and the 1744 section of the Single Sisters’ House.  A two-story stone wing (24.4 x 12.2 m) was added to the south in 1889. Currently used by Moravian University as apartments for students, faculty, and guest rooms, it originally included a kitchen, common dining room, a chapel, and dormitory for the widows. This structure is a rare example of dedicated housing for elderly women in Colonial America. 

Quick Facts

• Built in 1768.
• Was the last Choir House built. 
• Remained in use by widows until the early 2000s.
• Now serves as apartments for faculty and staff of Moravian University.