Bethlehem Historic Conservation Commission approves demolition for New Bethany project | Bethelehm Area

BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Members of Bethlehem’s Historic Conservation Commission, on Monday, helped a project for New Bethany’s new annex building get closer to the finish line.

The body voted unanimously to approve the demolition of New Bethany’s current annex building at 335-339 W. Fourth St.

The move allows the non-profit to take the first steps in what will result in a bigger four-story replacement annex. The annex will allow for an expansion of New Bethany’s housing and community services for people in need.

Commission members supported the project.

Of the demolition, Commission member Todd Chambers said, “I’m thinking this building has to go.”

“There’s no historic integrity left. In my personal opinion, this replacement is stunning,” Chambers said.

The proposed roughly 15,000 square foot building would include community spaces, medical exam rooms, showers, restrooms and reception areas on the ground floor, with efficiency housing units containing private bathrooms and kitchenettes on the upper floors.

The current annex is about 5,550 square feet.

Chris Wharton, speaking on behalf of the applicant, said Monday that the existing building no longer meets code or accessibility standards.

Further, the current structure contains mostly dormitory-style rooms that are not suitable for families.

The annex is considered a “contributing structure” within the South Bethlehem Historic Conservation District because it was built during the district’s period of significance between about 1895 and 1950.

However, New Bethany the building has lost much of its historic integrity because of major alterations made between 1952 and 1987, including the addition of a third floor and installation of an exterior insulation finish system over the original brick façade.

The application to the commission cites site challenges, including a collapsed retaining wall, steep topography and limited construction access, as reasons the annex cannot feasibly be preserved while adding new space.

Geotechnical and engineering studies have informed site plans, a representative of the applicant said.

Architects said the new building is designed to fit with the surrounding historic streetscape by matching neighboring setbacks, proportions and window patterns. Plans also call for the fourth floor to be set back five feet from West Fourth Street to reduce its visual impact.

John Mark Riddle, executive director of New Bethany, said demand for services has surged in recent years.

“We’ve been in crisis for the last three years,” Riddle said. “There’s been a sharp increase in the number of people we serve.”

Riddle said the organization has doubled both the number of people it serves and its operating budget over the past three years and sees the project as an opportunity to better meet community needs.

Commission members praised the design, particularly its use of two-tone brick, window patterns and a stained-glass-inspired feature incorporated into the façade. Designers said the stained-glass element references the site’s history and New Bethany’s mission.

“When I saw this project initially, I was awestruck,” Chambers said, calling the project “a model of how to execute a project in the South Bethlehem Historic District.”

He also described the detailing of the proposed addition as a “home run.”

The commission voted unanimously to approve demolition. The applicant will return for project plan consideration and approval.

In other business, the commission members approved a Certificate of Appropriateness for the three-and-a-half-story mixed-use building at 330 E. 4th St.

The approval was specifically for size, scale and massing of the project and is pending approval of construction materials, and information related to aprons, gutters, downspouts and drawings.

The three-and-a-half-story mixed-use building will offer four residential dwellings and one commercial space. The owner/applicant is listed as Nabila Youssef/Factory39.

A vote on a previous project was tabled by the commission in April to allow the applicant the appropriate opportunity to obtain further information for clarification and to address changes recommended by the board, which included alterations to the façade and setbacks.

According to City Historic Officer Jeffrey Long, the three-and-a-half-story structure would measure 35 feet wide, 56 and a half feet deep, and 40 feet high at its tallest point.

The building, officials have said, is larger than 2-and-a-half-story historic structures along East Fourth Street.

The Historic Conservation Commission reviews proposed exterior changes, demolitions and new construction within Bethlehem’s South Bethlehem and Mount Airy historic districts. The commission makes recommendations on certificates of appropriateness, or COAs, which are then forwarded to Bethlehem City Council for final approval. Projects requiring a COA generally cannot move forward until the council acts on the commission’s recommendation.