![]() Bethlehem Steel is an integral part of the 83,000 tons of steel used in the project. Bethlehem Steel’s wide-flange beams developed two decades earlier, made the skyscraper era possible. The Chrysler Building in New York (the world’s tallest building for 11 months) is completed. The Bethlehem Steel Corporation is officially formed.īethlehem Steel becomes the nation’s No. The Bethlehem Steel Company is established. In October, the first steel (for steel rails) is produced on the site. The Bethlehem Iron Company, originally founded as the Saucona Iron Company in 1857, opens on this site and makes the first iron rails for the local railroad. The History of Bethlehem Steel and SteelStacks 1863 Since its opening in spring 2011, more than one million people have visited SteelStacks to enjoy 1,750-plus musical performances, films, community celebrations and festivals including Musikfest, the largest free music festival in the nation! Today, the former steel plant is once again thriving, this time as one of the premier destinations in the Northeast for music, art and entertainment. Over the past several years, more than $70 million has been invested into the SteelStacks project through state and federal grants and generous contributions from corporate and private donors realizing the enormous benefits to redeveloping the property. Then, through a partnership involving the nonprofit ArtsQuest, the City of Bethlehem, the Bethlehem Redevelopment Authority, local public television station PBS 39 and Sands BethWorks Retail LLC, which donated the land for the project, plans were put in place to transform the site into an arts and entertainment district that would showcase music, art, festivals, educational programming and more throughout the year. ![]() In 1999, the City of Bethlehem, Bethlehem Area School District and County of Northampton – the three local taxing bodies – established a Tax Incremental Financing (TIF) district on the property, dedicating any future tax dollars generated from new business on the site to helping revitalize the former steel plant. Rather than demolish the historic mill or walk away and let it fall apart, the community rallied around the iconic plant, working hard to bring new life to the former industrial giant. In 1995, however, after a nearly 120-year history of steel production on the site, the plant closed its doors forever, leaving the region with a void that seemed impossible to fill. Navy, helping win two World Wars in the process. Source: National Museum of Industrial History, The Story Behind SteelStacksįor nearly a century, the Bethlehem Steel plant in Bethlehem served as the economic lifeblood of the community, employing tens of thousands of people while producing the steel that built our nation’s skyscrapers, bridges and even the U.S. Most of the iron was used in steelmaking, but a small percentage went to the iron and ingot mold foundries.Producing one ton of iron requires 3,366 pounds of ore, 1,676 pounds of coke and 724 pounds of limestone The furnaces each produced 2,600-3,000 tons of iron per day. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |