'The MLK Center at Old Main' — A project to preserve and restore the former Crozer Theological Seminary
Old Main in Upland, PA, built in 1857 by John P. Crozer, was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973 and the PA Historical and Museum Commission's state marker program in 1992. In 1863, the teachers' college was converted to a Civil War hospital after the bloody battle of Gettysburg. Both Union and Confederate soldiers were treated there, and evidence of this still exists today — in the outlines of holes cut into doors to pass food to Confederates — as well as signatures and addresses of soldiers written on the walls of the building's main cupola.
In 1866, Old Main became Crozer Theological Seminary, where the future Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. spent three formative years studying how to combine his strong faith with the fight for social and economic justice for his fellow Black citizens. The vision for The MLK Center at Old Main is a multipurpose space for auxiliary health services, space for non-profit groups and community events, and a U.S. Civil Rights museum, study center, and library.
We believe historic spaces should remain active, accessible, and beneficial to the communities around them.
If restored, Old Main has the potential to serve as:
This is not solely a civil rights teaching site.
It is a community anchor with historical significance.
Our intention is to preserve historically significant areas of the building — including Civil War-era structural evidence and spaces associated with Dr. King's time at Crozer — while responsibly adapting portions of the building for modern community use.
We envision a space that respects the past and serves the present.
For many of us involved, this effort represents:
A commitment to protecting local history
A responsibility to preserve national heritage
An opportunity to create a meaningful community asset
A chance to activate a dormant landmark
A bridge between past leadership and future leadership
Old Main is not just architecture. It represents education, healing, diversity, and moral development.
Allowing it to deteriorate would mean losing more than a structure.
It would mean losing a tangible connection to history.
Every man lives in two realms: the internal and the external. The internal is that realm of spiritual ends expressed in art, literature, morals, and religion. The external is that complex of devices, techniques, mechanisms, and instrumentalities by means of which we live.
— Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.