A Changing Landscape
Looking Forward to Bethlehem's Future
The sprawling steel plant once occupied close to 1800 acres between South Bethlehem and the Lehigh River. After it shut down, the company took on a major environmental clean-up, leaving the site safe for future use. In the years that followed, citizens, city government, company executives, and developers worked to create a plan to redevelop this location. They faced the challenge of using the site for economic development while preserving its historical significance.
The hope is that the combination of historic preservation and economic development here today will strike that balance. The Bethlehem Steel buildings that remain can stay standing for a long time. They are relics of over 130 years of industrial history-both its triumphs and its failures. These structures are an ongoing reminder of the people who labored here and what they produced: the steel that built America.
"When I started here, I said, 'This place will be here long after I'm gone.' Well, that's not so. We just have to go on with our lives."
- Steve Williams
Motor Inspector
[Photo captions, from left to right, read]
A view of Bethlehem Iron, captured by William Herman Rau around 1896.
This photograph by Jeffrey Totaro was taken in 2012 during a summer concert.
Erected by SteelStacks.
this page online
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Industry & Commerce • Man-Made Features. A significant historical year for this entry is 1800.
Location. 40° 36.901′ N, 75° 21.854′ W. Marker is in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in Northampton County. It can be reached from East 1st Street. Marker is on the Hoover-Mason Trestle at SteelStacks. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 711 East 1st Street, Bethlehem PA 18015, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Southeast Pennsylvania and in Lehigh Valley. It is also in the American Northeast and in the Mid-Atlantic. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy and also one of the original Thirteen Colonies.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Heat Treating (here, next to this marker); The No. 2 Machine Shop (a few steps from this marker); Wartime Steel (a few steps from this
Also see . . .
1. Bethlehem Steel. Wikipedia entry (Submitted on January 2, 2025, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)
2. Steelworkers' Archives. Website homepage (Submitted on February 24, 2018, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.)
3. What is SteelStacks?. (Submitted on February 24, 2018, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.)
Credits. This page was last revised on January 3, 2025. It was originally submitted on February 24, 2018, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. This page has been viewed 302 times since then and 12 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on February 24, 2018, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.
