{"id":168505,"date":"2026-04-17T12:51:19","date_gmt":"2026-04-17T12:51:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/168505\/"},"modified":"2026-04-17T12:51:19","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T12:51:19","slug":"ground-broken-for-project-to-adapt-and-reuse-part-of-old-bethlehem-steel-plant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/168505\/","title":{"rendered":"Ground broken for project to adapt and reuse part of old Bethlehem Steel plant"},"content":{"rendered":"

Groundbreaking took place Thursday morning for Lebanon Steel Works, a $3 million project that will adapt and reuse a vacant 30,000-square-foot building once part of Lebanon\u2019s former Bethlehem Steel plant.<\/p>\n

The property at 121 Schneider Drive, Lebanon, fronts on North Lincoln Avenue, just south of the Norfolk Southern railroad tracks.<\/p>\n

The project was first announced<\/a> in September 2024 when Evan Reinhardt of West Chester-based Common Craft Development<\/a> briefed Lebanon City Council on his concept for an \u201cartisan industrial space\u201d for 15 to 25 small businesses that would \u201cbenefit from co-location.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\t\tLebanon Steel Works developer Evan Reinhardt speaks at the April 16 groundbreaking event. (Will Trostel)<\/p>\n

Steel Works has drawn widespread support and been endorsed by local officials, including city Mayor Sherry Capello, state Sen. Chris Gebhard, and state Rep. John Schlegel, all of whom attended and spoke Thursday.<\/p>\n

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From top left clockwise, state Sen. Chris Gebhard, state Rep. John Schlegel, and Lebanon Mayor Sherry Capello spoke at a groundbreaking April 16 for Lebanon Steel Works. (Will Trostel)<\/p>\n

The work will be partly funded<\/a> by a grant and low interest financing from the state through the Commonwealth Financing Authority, an arm of the Department of Community and Economic Development.<\/p>\n

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\t\tConstruction of Lebanon Steel Works, under construction manager Funk Construction, is expected to be completed by October. (Will Trostel)<\/p>\n

Lebanon\u2019s Funk Construction<\/a> will act as construction manager and oversee the work, which is expected to be completed by October.<\/p>\n

Bethlehem Steel acquired Lebanon\u2019s American Iron & Steel Manufacturing Co. in 1916. Until its closing in 1985, the plant made nuts, bolts, and other industrial fasteners. <\/p>\n

At its peak, it was said to be one of the largest producers of steel fasteners in the world.<\/p>\n

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\t\tThe first-floor interior will contain work spaces for tenants. (Will Trostel)<\/p>\n

Reinhardt told attendees that honoring Lebanon\u2019s past as a steel town was important to him.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis building can be something to more people, impsact more people, and grow into something for this community,\u201d he said. \u201cYou know, since I started walking through with folks, whether it was the plumber to scope out the drain lines, prospective tenants, or the mayor herself, every person with a foot in this community had a father or an uncle or a grandfather with some point of contact to this site, and probably somebody who worked within these buildings.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to honor the heritage that this building holds.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\t\tOfficials broke ground Wednesday on Lebanon Steel Works, a $3 million project to convert a vacant 30,000-square-foot former Bethlehem Steel building into shared workspaces for up to 25 small businesses. (Will Trostel)<\/p>\n

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\t\tFunk Construction project manager Jessica Kosoff discusses plans for the site. (Will Trostel)<\/p>\n

Funk Construction\u2019s project manager Jessica Kosoff said Reinhardt\u2019s \u201cvision to bring this building back to life and strengthen Lebanon\u2019s culture through the arts caught my attention right away. \u2026 I saw quickly how closely his goals aligned with Funk Construction. We\u2019ve always been dedicated and devoted to Lebanon, helping clients improve the spaces where they live, work, and gather, whether it\u2019s a small or a large change.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\t\tGroundbreakers, from left: state Rep. John Schlegel, Steel Works developer Evan Reinhardt, Lebanon Mayor Sherry Capello, state Sen. Chris Gebhard, Funk Construction project manager Jessica Kosoff, and Funk Construction superintendent Greg Bishop. (Will Trostel)<\/p>\n

Speaking inside the building after gold shovels had turned over ceremonial dirt, Reinhardt said his idea for Steel Works is to divide the two-floor building into smaller spaces where tenants can work creatively and benefit from being close to one another.<\/p>\n

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Signs of the building\u2019s past as a Bethlehem Steel plant are all around the building. (Will Trostel)<\/p>\n

\u201cMy wife is an artist and a small business owner. And I came to know the rich craft heritage that exists in the city of Lebanon and the surrounding area,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd the thought was that if we put a bunch of those types of business owners together, that they\u2019d be able to benefit from some co-location, and kind of create a community that was greater than the sum of its parts.<\/p>\n

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\t\tSignatures, some over a century old, left by Bethlehem Steel employees in second floor room (Will Trostel)<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd so it\u2019s been a multi-year process to get to this point of breaking ground. We have a handful of tenants, about 75% of the first floor space is here, signed up to take spaces. And we\u2019re going to start leasing the spaces on the second floor after we get a bit farther into construction.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\t\tA floor plan on display showed ground floor tenants including Mudslingers, Essentially Haitos, and Martin Made LLC. (Will Trostel)<\/p>\n

<\/a>Trains and Bethlehem Steel: A Lebanon moment<\/p>\n

To locals above a certain age, few things are \u201cmore Lebanon\u201d than Bethlehem Steel and trains. So it might have been a good omen for Steel Works when the outdoor portion of the ceremony was suddenly drowned out by a westbound freight train roaring by just a few yards away.<\/p>\n

The train rolled through just as Gebhard was beginning his remarks. He stopped, smiled good-naturedly, waited until it passed, then picked up where he\u2019d left off.<\/p>\n

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\t\tLebanon Bethlehem Steel may once have been the world\u2019s largest producer of industrial fasteners. This carriage bolt is one of many left in the Steel Works building after the facility closed in 1985. (Will Trostel)<\/p>\n

Questions about this story? Suggestions for a future LebTown article? Reach our newsroom using this contact form and we\u2019ll do our best to get back to you.<\/p>\n

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