SOS In The News

Vacant steel land deserves a new, ambitious plan

From The Morning Call -- April 9, 2004

In light of the recent Morning Call article, ''Industrial museum far from opening,'' it is important to recognize that the National Museum of Industrial History is only one component of a historical reuse of the former Bethlehem Steel site in south Bethlehem. In fact, a new effort to create a mixed-use redevelopment plan that respects and interprets the site's history is already under way, as the article ''New panel considering mixed uses is suggested for Steel property'' in the same paper reported.

On March 27, the Mid-Atlantic Regional Center for the Humanities (MARCH) and Historic Bethlehem Partnership held a workshop titled ''Back to Work at the Steel.'' Representatives from a wide range of cultural, historic, community, economic development and educational groups discussed creating a unique ''historic industrial district'' to anchor regional industrial heritage tourism and study.

Bethlehem's Mayor John Callahan opened the workshop with an enthusiastic commitment to a fresh planning process for reuse of the site and the preservation of all five blast furnaces as critical features of the city skyline. The landowner, International Steel Group, is open to new proposals, and the coalition will create a new plan through an open, inclusive process. The stage is set to move beyond the frustrations and delays and create a great future for Bethlehem and the region.

The greatest value of this site is in the context of the historic industrial structures. Maintaining this context by rehabilitating and interpreting the existing structures for new uses, rather than razing them for nondescript, big-box construction, will allow Bethlehem to market its most outstanding asset: four centuries of America's industrial heritage.

The site could include businesses, museums, shops, arts venues, restaurants, learning institutions and residences, all housed in and among the historic structures. Imagine living, working and learning amid the fascinating textures of brick and iron, with reminders of the industrial age waiting for discovery around every corner. A sensitive redevelopment of the site that capitalizes on its history would help make Bethlehem the most exciting small city in the region.

The most significant aspect of this new process is the commitment to inclusiveness that has been missing from previous plans. The mission of MARCH includes conversations among groups with disparate views, with the goal of finding a compromise that benefits all. Recent success with Philadelphia's renewal of the Liberty Bell exhibits demonstrates the skill it brings to Bethlehem.

A workshop on April 3 included representatives from the city economic development office, Lehigh University, Steelworkers' Archives, Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor, Save Our Steel, South Bethlehem Historical Society, National Museum of Industrial History and the Mayor's South Side Task Force. In addition, they funded the attendance of Peter Neill, director of New York's South Street Seaport Museum and Robert Rathburn, director of Birmingham's Sloss Furnace National Historic Landmark.

To create a planning document that will allow Bethlehem to control its own destiny, the coalition will hold a series of public meetings. The first of these will be offered by Save Our Steel in the Sinclair Auditorium at Lehigh University at 7 p.m. on Tuesday.

Mayor Callahan's presentation to the Mayor's Institute of City Design Conference in February was a hit because no other city in the country has an opportunity with such potential. Here in our midst is a treasure of international significance that can make the city an exciting and prosperous place, one that will enlighten visitors and residents alike and transform pride in our shared past into prosperity for us and our children and grandchildren as well. Bethlehem's post-industrial renaissance is right at our fingertips. Let's embrace this new process and make the city the envy of the region.

Please visit www.saveoursteel.org and www.march.rutgers.edu for more information and to keep abreast of the latest happenings.

Amey Senape and Michael Kramer of Haycock Township formed the grassroots group Save Our Steel last August to encourage the historically sensitive reuse of the former Bethlehem Steel site.

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