From The Morning Call
January 29, 2007
Chips piling in stacks' favor
Once they were deemed an eyesore; now Steel's towering furnaces are a must to preserve.
By Matt Assad Of The Morning Call
Las Vegas Sands knows exactly how it plans to transform the former Bethlehem Steel ore pit into a casino — ArtsQuest
has detailed designs for Steel's old electric furnace shop, and the National Museum of Industrial History has
reams of blueprints to remake the electric repair shop.
Yet, the one Steel remnant that no one seems to have laid claim to is what one historian calls ''the skyscrapers of steelmaking'': the blast furnaces.
That mystery could be solved soon by a deal involving several players who could share what figures to be the multimillion-dollar cost of restoring the massive Steel icons, Bethlehem Mayor John Callahan said.
For the first time, Callahan said, the city will almost certainly be one of those players willing to put its money where its history is.
Callahan said it remains unclear how the furnaces will be refurbished or how much the city's share will be, but he said some money could come from the $8.7 million in casino taxes Bethlehem is scheduled to get annually; the additional property taxes the city will collect once the Steel property is developed into a nearly $700 million gambling, shopping and cultural district; or grants.
''The city will play a role in what happens there,'' Callahan said last week. ''The furnaces are not just a key part of that project, they are an integral part of the city skyline. They must be preserved.''
That belief appears universal among those redeveloping 124 acres of former plant land in south Bethlehem.
Although plans probably won't be discussed for several weeks, Callahan said, he expects the partnership that could share of the cost of furbishing furnaces to include Las Vegas Sands Inc. development partner BethWorks Now, Musikfest parent ArtsQuest and the city.
The first order of business will be determining exactly how the furnaces will be restored, Callahan said. Restoration could range from painting and lighting them to stabilizing and restoring them so they can host walking tours, and the costs tossed around start at $5 million.
There are many reasons the furnaces issue remained unanswered while developers devised detailed plans of how to handle the rest of the site. For one, unlike the rest of the project, the blast furnaces will not generate revenue, so there was no need to conduct studies for review by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board. Second, the costs are big, and no one has stepped forward to shoulder them.
Only a few years ago, developers looking to buy the former Steel land considered the furnaces — and the cost of removing them — an insurance liability and eyesore marring an otherwise developable property.
Now, developers and city officials agree they are key to elevating the site from being merely one of 14 casino sites statewide to perhaps the only one in the state capable of drawing customers from across the Northeast.
They seem to agree that ''the stacks,'' as the furnaces are known, would be a fitting backdrop for a development including a casino, shopping mall, ArtsQuest concert hall and performing arts center, Lehigh Valley PBS studios and the National Museum of Industrial History.
''I think it's premature to discuss what might happen until a plan is more clear,'' said Ron Reese, spokesman for Las Vegas Sands. ''But it's clear that everyone is committed to making [the furnaces] a centerpiece on the property.''
ArtsQuest President Jeff Parks agreed, saying the furnaces are vital, but it's too early to determine what role ArtsQuest will play in restoring them.
The stacks may well make the site a unique draw for tourists, but Lance Metz, a historian with the National Canal Museum in Easton, says there are more important reasons to restore them. Five of the seven built by Bethlehem Steel remain, and some of them date back to 1903. Once used to transform iron ore, coke and limestone into iron that could be refined into steel, they rise more than 200 feet above the banks of the Lehigh River. Together, they once churned out as much as 10,000 tons of iron a day.
Quite simply, Metz said, there is nothing else like them.
''You can't find blast furnaces of this age, that are this big, anywhere else,'' Metz said. ''No other structure on that property says 'steelmaking' like they do. They are iconic. They are the skyscrapers of steelmaking.''
Callahan said many questions remain. How will they be restored? How will the costs be divided? And who will maintain them?
He hopes the questions will be answered in the coming month, but with the approval of the gaming license, what was once considered a liability is now considered a linchpin to making the property a unique attraction.
''Everything we're doing on that property presupposes that those furnaces will stand for another 100 years,'' said Andrew Stern, a project executive for BethWorks Now. ''How we get it done is irrelevant. The bottom line is the blast furnaces will be preserved. Period.''
matthew.assad@mcall.com
610-861-3617
Yet, the one Steel remnant that no one seems to have laid claim to is what one historian calls ''the skyscrapers of steelmaking'': the blast furnaces.
That mystery could be solved soon by a deal involving several players who could share what figures to be the multimillion-dollar cost of restoring the massive Steel icons, Bethlehem Mayor John Callahan said.
For the first time, Callahan said, the city will almost certainly be one of those players willing to put its money where its history is.
Callahan said it remains unclear how the furnaces will be refurbished or how much the city's share will be, but he said some money could come from the $8.7 million in casino taxes Bethlehem is scheduled to get annually; the additional property taxes the city will collect once the Steel property is developed into a nearly $700 million gambling, shopping and cultural district; or grants.
''The city will play a role in what happens there,'' Callahan said last week. ''The furnaces are not just a key part of that project, they are an integral part of the city skyline. They must be preserved.''
That belief appears universal among those redeveloping 124 acres of former plant land in south Bethlehem.
Although plans probably won't be discussed for several weeks, Callahan said, he expects the partnership that could share of the cost of furbishing furnaces to include Las Vegas Sands Inc. development partner BethWorks Now, Musikfest parent ArtsQuest and the city.
The first order of business will be determining exactly how the furnaces will be restored, Callahan said. Restoration could range from painting and lighting them to stabilizing and restoring them so they can host walking tours, and the costs tossed around start at $5 million.
There are many reasons the furnaces issue remained unanswered while developers devised detailed plans of how to handle the rest of the site. For one, unlike the rest of the project, the blast furnaces will not generate revenue, so there was no need to conduct studies for review by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board. Second, the costs are big, and no one has stepped forward to shoulder them.
Only a few years ago, developers looking to buy the former Steel land considered the furnaces — and the cost of removing them — an insurance liability and eyesore marring an otherwise developable property.
Now, developers and city officials agree they are key to elevating the site from being merely one of 14 casino sites statewide to perhaps the only one in the state capable of drawing customers from across the Northeast.
They seem to agree that ''the stacks,'' as the furnaces are known, would be a fitting backdrop for a development including a casino, shopping mall, ArtsQuest concert hall and performing arts center, Lehigh Valley PBS studios and the National Museum of Industrial History.
''I think it's premature to discuss what might happen until a plan is more clear,'' said Ron Reese, spokesman for Las Vegas Sands. ''But it's clear that everyone is committed to making [the furnaces] a centerpiece on the property.''
ArtsQuest President Jeff Parks agreed, saying the furnaces are vital, but it's too early to determine what role ArtsQuest will play in restoring them.
The stacks may well make the site a unique draw for tourists, but Lance Metz, a historian with the National Canal Museum in Easton, says there are more important reasons to restore them. Five of the seven built by Bethlehem Steel remain, and some of them date back to 1903. Once used to transform iron ore, coke and limestone into iron that could be refined into steel, they rise more than 200 feet above the banks of the Lehigh River. Together, they once churned out as much as 10,000 tons of iron a day.
Quite simply, Metz said, there is nothing else like them.
''You can't find blast furnaces of this age, that are this big, anywhere else,'' Metz said. ''No other structure on that property says 'steelmaking' like they do. They are iconic. They are the skyscrapers of steelmaking.''
Callahan said many questions remain. How will they be restored? How will the costs be divided? And who will maintain them?
He hopes the questions will be answered in the coming month, but with the approval of the gaming license, what was once considered a liability is now considered a linchpin to making the property a unique attraction.
''Everything we're doing on that property presupposes that those furnaces will stand for another 100 years,'' said Andrew Stern, a project executive for BethWorks Now. ''How we get it done is irrelevant. The bottom line is the blast furnaces will be preserved. Period.''
matthew.assad@mcall.com
610-861-3617
Copyright © 2007, The Morning Call