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Welcome to ‘Putztown’: Miniature Christmas world comes to Historic Bethlehem
December 12th, 2022 | In The News
Written by Craig Larimer for The Morning Call
Have yourself a merry little, little, little Christmas in Historic Bethlehem.
In keeping with the holiday spirit of building a Moravian Putz — a miniature, detailed model of The Nativity scene — a Bethlehem architect, artist, and craftsman is presenting an expansion of that tiny world into an elaborate new exhibit called “Putztown.”
The two-floor, multiple-room extensive display can be experienced at The Bell House/Single Sisters House (56 West Church Street, Bethlehem), a few steps away from the Moravian Museum/1741 Gemeinhaus.
The exhibit is open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday-Sunday and Monday-Wednesday by appointment. Tours of the Moravian Museum and the Putztown Miniature World are $12 for adults and $6 for children.
“Putztown” is the amazing creation of Jim Whildin, a retired Spillmand Farmer architect and longtime Bethlehem resident. His creative vision and gifted hands built this wonderland over a few years.
It’s not easy to describe Whildin’s new presentation. There’s a bunch to take in and admire. Envision a traditional Putz, then re-imagine it as a miniature village and theme park super-developed with hotels, restaurants, shops, entertainment centers, schools, and much more. And then a bit more.
It’s as if hundreds of diminutive visitors and tourists have descended upon the make-believe town to witness the Putz miracle network. It happened around Disneyland in California, and now it’s happening in Bethlehem — in miniature form through mid-January.
“At some point, a Putz becomes just as large as it can, but you still want to build more buildings,” explains Whildin. “That happened to me. So I expanded my Putz to include scenes from the life and teachings of Christ. Still wanting to build, I asked the (late Central Moravian Church) reverend Douglas Caldwell what to do. He suggested including the spread of Christianity around the world and the settlement of Bethlehem by the Moravians.”
Whildin didn’t need much encouragement to begin building the imaginary mammoth metropolis. The master builder has enthusiasm and energy to spare. His wonderland project must be seen to be believed.
Downtown Putztown’s major buildings were modeled on those in Bethlehem, and include an Amusement Park and Circus. Another room reveals the Residential Area, the motel/campground/sports areas, the Wild West park, the Fairy Tale park, the historic area (replicating Bethlehem’s Historic Area), and the International Area.
For the past 10 years, Whildin worked with builder Mike Cox to construct Putzes Historic Bethlehem has displayed. Cox world with Whildin to created these theme rooms using 119 buildings Whildin has crafted over the last seven years
The large traditional Putz, built yearly in the Sisters’ House, features the Museum’s beautiful hand-carved wooden figures. The downtown model includes carriage rides, the Goundie House Advent Calendar, the holiday shopping huts from Bethlehem’s Main Street, and lighting of the City Christmas tree. Tiny carolers crowd the streets, Santa is available for children to share their Christmas wishes, and the young ones can feed Santa’s reindeer. You get the idea.
Whildin’s imagination knows no limits. His massive exhibit also pays homage to some legendary historic structures. So just for fun, he tossed in detailed models of Buckingham Palace, Tower Bridge, the Bauhaus (Dessau), Falling Water, Villa Savoie, the Sydney Opera House, and several buildings by Lecorbusier — including the Chapel at Romchamps (Whildin’s favorite).
As a bonus scavenger hunt, Whildin challenges visitors to find:
Ludwig Von Beethoven
Thomas Edison
Albert Einstein
Two brides with two grooms
The Lion Tamer
The Outlaw
Two Merriwethers
Morning Call Arts & Entertainment Editor Craig Larimer can be reached at 610-778-7993 or at clarimer@mcall.com
Follow Craig on Twitter @cklarimer and Instagram @larimerc
Visit Putztown
When: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday-Sunday and Monday-Wednesday by appointment
Where: The Bell House at 56 West Church Street, Bethlehem
How Much: Tours of Moravian Museum and Putztown Miniature World are $12 for adults and $6 for children
More info: historicbethlehem.org
