GETTYSBURG, Pa. — United Lutheran Seminary has received a $1.97 million state grant to support a $4 million renovation project at its historic Seminary Ridge campus in Gettysburg.
The funding, awarded through Pennsylvania’s Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program, will cover nearly half the project’s cost. The seminary said the remaining funds will come from institutional and private sources.
The project will focus on restoring and improving the Refectory, the campus’s communal dining hall. Plans also call for upgrades to visitor lodging, conference spaces, campus infrastructure and accessibility.
“This award represents an important investment in the future of Seminary Ridge,” the Rev. R. Guy Erwin, president of United Lutheran Seminary, said in a statement.
“For generations, our Gettysburg campus has been a place of learning, hospitality, reflection and community gathering,” Erwin said. “These improvements will preserve historic facilities while ensuring they remain welcoming, accessible and useful for generations to come.”
The 52-acre Seminary Ridge campus holds a prominent place in Civil War history. It served as a key location during the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863. The seminary property and Seminary Ridge Museum draw about three million visitors annually, according to the seminary.
United Lutheran Seminary worked with the Adams County Industrial Development Authority to pursue the grant.
The renovation is part of a broader effort to preserve the seminary’s historic campuses in Gettysburg and Philadelphia as the institution marks its bicentennial this year. United Lutheran Seminary is the nation’s oldest Lutheran seminary.
