Workers and ArtsQuest officials gathered on the SouthSide of Bethlehem recently to sign a steel beam marking the latest milestone in turning a 155-year-old Bethlehem Steel Corp. building into a year-round arts and events venue. The ceremony, held for the historic Turn & Grind Shop project, came as the effort moves toward an anticipated 2027 opening.
Built in the 1860s, the Turn & Grind Shop was part of Bethlehem Steel’s industrial operations, according to ArtsQuest. The building earned its name from its original purpose: workers used it to turn and grind steel beams to increase their appearance and durability, ArtsQuest explains on its capital campaign page. As Lehigh Valley Press reports, the project team is working to balance preservation of the building's legacy with the infrastructure needed for a modern public venue that will host programming throughout the year.
A Beam-Signing Marks Progress Toward a New Chapter
The beam-signing ceremony represented the second of three major construction milestones in the building's transformation, following a brick-breaking ceremony in May, according to ArtsQuest. Speakers addressed attendees before guests signed a beam representing the next phase of construction, Lehigh Valley Press reports. Among those who signed the beam was Jeff Parks, ArtsQuest's former president and CEO, per the outlet's account of the event.
Other figures connected to the project include Curt Mosel, identified as operating officer; Patrick Browne, Pennsylvania's secretary of revenue; Tara Zrinski, Northampton County executive; Laura Collins, affiliated with the City of Bethlehem and Mayor J. William Reynolds' office; and Bob Begliomini, executive vice president of Jefferson Health-Lehigh Valley region, according to Lehigh Valley Press. ArtsQuest CEO Kassie Hilgert said the building's future was taking shape, and that the project preserves the Turn & Grind Shop's past while preparing it for a new generation of events, per the same report.
Keeping the Steel Bones While Building Something New
ArtsQuest says it is retaining 100 percent of the primary structural steel along with all three original overhead crane rails, with two original movable cranes remaining as feature elements inside the finished venue. The project team plans to introduce new independent steel systems to support modern building and event infrastructure, so those additional loads do not fall on the historic steel frame or masonry, ArtsQuest says. The approach preserves steel, masonry, cranes and other historic elements while preparing the building for concerts, festivals, exhibitions and community experiences, Lehigh Valley Press notes.
The building's area has been described differently across sources: Lehigh Valley Public Media has reported it as a 26,000-square-foot structure, while ArtsQuest's own capital campaign materials describe it as a 27,000-square-foot historic building. Similarly, accounts of ArtsQuest's acquisition of the property diverge — the station has reported ArtsQuest acquired the building in 2019 and initially used it for storage, while Lehigh Valley News has reported that Sands Casino donated the building to ArtsQuest in 2009.
From Storage Space to Festival Hub
The push to convert the building grew out of a space crunch on ArtsQuest's existing campus. Hilgert told the station that organizers were running out of space on the campus for some programming, and that for the first quarter of each year, they are looking at traveling exhibits as one use for the renovated building. She has also pointed to the scale of demand during major events, noting that Christkindlmarkt alone can draw 14,000 people through the gates on a Saturday.
Once complete, the restored building is intended to become a dynamic, multipurpose event venue, according to ArtsQuest, supporting major festivals like Musikfest, Oktoberfest and Christkindlmarkt alongside traveling exhibits and private and corporate rentals. Lehigh Valley Press describes the finished space as a venue for arts and cultural programming, festivals, exhibitions, private and corporate events, hospitality and community gatherings. ArtsQuest anticipates the venue opening in summer 2027, though officials have previously said it could open as soon as that year, per Lehigh Valley Public Media's reporting.
Public Funding Behind the Restoration
The project has drawn new investment through Pennsylvania's Statewide Local Share Account grant program, approved by the Commonwealth Financing Authority with support from State Rep. Steve Samuelson and State Sen. Lisa Boscola, according to ArtsQuest. That funding builds on earlier state support: Pennsylvania previously gave ArtsQuest $7 million through the Redevelopment Capital Assistance Program to convert the Turn and Grind Shop, WFMZ reported.
ArtsQuest says the Turn & Grind Shop project, together with its Creative Factory initiative, represents more than $80 million in investment in public arts infrastructure in Bethlehem's SouthSide Arts District. For a building that once turned and ground steel beams for one of the nation's largest steelmakers, the project marks an attempt to keep that industrial history visible even as the space takes on an entirely new role — remaining, as ArtsQuest puts it, a physical link to Bethlehem's manufacturing history.
