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Goerz House
Goerz House was the first private residence built on the Bethel College campus, in 1893, by Rev. David and Helene Goerz. David Goerz was a Bethel founder and one of the chief promoters of higher education among U.S. Mennonites and he served as Bethel’s business manager until 1910. Bethel College bought the house (located directly south of Bethel College Mennonite Church) from the Goerz family in 1921 and has used it as a student residence, a faculty residence and a guest house. At various times, it has hosted study rooms, the college infirmary, the YMCA (in the parlor), a social meeting place for the Kansas Institute of International Relations (in the living room) and the offices of a local Mennonite conference. One famous resident of Goerz House was Joseph Kesselring, a New York actor and singer who served as choral instructor at Bethel from 1921-1923. It is believed by many that Kesselring modeled the set of his play, Arsenic and Old Lace, after the home's living room, which boasts a very distinctive window seat, much like the one in the play. Bethel began a thorough restoration of the house in 1993, restoring original woodwork, re-creating the original floor plan and adding furniture and dishes that belonged to the Goerz family. There has also been restoration on the outside, including replanting of the semi-circle of “12 apostle” trees (12 different trees), building a new pergola and putting in a new Adelphian fountain. Goerz House became the president’s residence and campus reception center when E. LaVerne Epp took office in 2002.