Bethlehem builds steel-and-glass bridge to reconnect historic industrial quarter

Bethlehem has always been known for its history, but with the recent designation of Historic Moravian Bethlehem as a National Historic Landmark District as part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it has been investing in that history to boost tourism. 

Since 2018, when the Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites began seeking the designation, more than $7.6 million has been raised towards a $10 million goal of enhancing historical sites. 

One of the latest projects, the construction of “Overlook on History” a steel and glass bridge giving tourists a 360-degree view of the city’s historic industrial quarter, has reached a major milestone. 

A beam signing was held in May for the roughly $2 million project that will be a highlight of the historical area. 

According to LoriAnn Wukitsch, president & CEO of Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites, the steel and glass overlook will open a continuous path from Bethlehem’s historic Main Street into the heart of the Colonial Industrial Quarter, home to the oldest industrial park in America.  

The enclosed bridge will cross above the Antes Mill ruins and re-connect the recently restored 1782/1834 Grist Miller’s House to the 1869 Luckenbach Mill.  

She explained that during the 19th century, the two buildings were linked so the miller could easily travel between his home and work.  

“It’s a very exciting piece of history we discovered when we were researching these structures,” Wukitsch said. 

While the original bridge was lost to history, Wukitsch said the new connection, which is scheduled to open this fall, will be fully ADA accessible and provide an unobstructed view across the Colonial Industrial Quarter. 

 “The Moravians who founded this city were innovators,” said Wukitsch. “They built the first Industrial Park in Northern America, and they did it together masterfully.” 

The bridge is being built by Allied construction and was designed by an architect familiar with the industrial quarter. Earlier in his career, Architect David Scott Parker worked on a number of restoration projects in the quarter. 

Today, his design portfolio includes the U.S. Treasury building in Washington D.C., and the Mark Twain House in Connecticut.  

For the bridge, Parker had to design a structure that stood over but did not disturb the Antes Flour Mill ruins below.  

“We wanted to build a structure that hovered above an archeological site. We wanted to reconnect these buildings without copying them and doing something that is a statement of our own time,” Parker said. 

There were many features of his design that were aimed at improving the experience of walking across the bridge. 

Parker worked with Brombal Glass to source highly specialized low-iron glass from Italy for the project.  

The low iron content means that in summer the Overlook won’t get too hot and in winter it will retain heat.  

The walkway will be constructed from a slender steel frame and eight 9’x10′ Brombal Glass panels.   

The design also incorporates some of the Bethlehem steel that was used to stabilize the historic Grist Miller’s House during renovations.  

“There’s a continuity of ingenuity in Bethlehem when it comes to materials,” said Parker. 

The HBMS Taking the World Stage Campaign is part of the organization’s efforts to fund essential infrastructure and capital improvements at the 20 historic buildings and properties under HBMS’s care.  

The campaign has supported years of preservation work across Bethlehem’s historic district.  

They include restored windows and doors at the 1761 Tannery, restored floors and shutters at the 1741 Gemeinhaus, which houses the Moravian Museum, renovations to the 1810 Goundie House Welcome Center, and the opening of the Schropp Dry Goods Shoppe on Main Street.