ArtsQuest is pushing ahead with the adaptive reuse of the former Bethlehem Steel Turn & Grind Shop at SteelStacks, celebrating the project’s second major construction milestone with a ceremonial beam signing that brought together elected officials, community leaders, donors, and project partners.
The 155-year-old industrial building is being converted into a year-round venue for concerts, festivals, exhibitions, private events, hospitality, and community gatherings. ArtsQuest also highlighted new support through Pennsylvania’s Statewide Local Share Account grant program, approved by the Commonwealth Financing Authority, with backing cited from state lawmakers.
For restoration teams, the most notable throughline is what the project is choosing not to erase. ArtsQuest and the project team say they are preserving the building’s steel, masonry, cranes, and other original elements that tell the site’s story, even as the interior is reworked for a new use. Existing stone and brick masonry is being retained and restored where practical, and new design work is intended to complement the historic structure rather than compete with it.
As construction has progressed, investigations have surfaced hidden remnants from the building’s industrial past, including evidence of former rail infrastructure beneath the existing floor and an industrial cart. Instead of treating those finds as simple obstacles, the team says it is looking for safe ways to keep historic pieces as part of the visitor experience.
ArtsQuest says 100 percent of the primary structural steel is being retained, along with all three original overhead crane rails. Two original movable overhead cranes will remain as feature elements, and about 80 percent of the steel structure will remain visible.
One key challenge is that the original structure was not designed for the added loads that come with modern mechanical and electrical systems, sprinklers, lighting, and event rigging. The team’s solution is a “structure within a structure” approach that uses new independent steel systems to carry new loads without transferring them onto the historic steel frame or masonry walls.
The Turn & Grind Shop is part of ArtsQuest’s broader capital campaign and is expected to open in summer 2027.
Read the full, original article from ArtsQuest here.