BETHLEHEM, Pa. — The Allentown Diocese has a fresh $2 million vision for a 19th-century home in West Bethlehem’s Mt. Airy Neighborhood District.
You may recognize the 2 ½-story, Queen Anne-style structure that's said to be on its last leg at 1304 Spring St. It once was home to Bethlehem Steel President Eugene Grace’s head gardener, who lived on the lower end of his boss’ estate.
The diocese, which operates Holy Family Senior Living nearby, says it's time the home got a new life after it's sat empty for 15 years.
There are plans to tear it down to make room for a four-unit, 4,100-square-foot apartment complex for seniors.
Some residents spoke out in July about the home being irreplaceable because of its history.
Continued from the July 15 meeting after officials tabled the proposal, the Historic Conservation Commission will again weigh the home’s fate at 6 p.m. Monday at Bethlehem Town Hall Rotunda, 10 E. Church St.
The 2 ½-story, Queen Anne-style structure at 1304 Spring St. was once home to Bethlehem Steel President Eugene Grace’s head gardener, who lived on the lower end of his boss’ estate.
The historic panel is a recommending body that reviews potential modifications to building exteriors within both the Historic Conservation District in South Bethlehem and West Bethlehem’s Mt. Airy Neighborhood District.
The group sends its yea or nay to City Council for official approval. Only if city officials sign off on the proposal does the applicant get a permit for their project.
The home features 1,300 square feet of floor space and a basement of about 580 square feet.
Parts of the interior are “very damp,” with mold present in the building. The home also appears to need a new paint job, repairs to the chimney, new windows, foundation work and new ceilings on the second floor, according to project documents.
Officials have said the demolition would cost about $35,000, but at least $267,000 more will be required, not including costs for design fees and building permits.
Living big in West Bethlehem
Getting the current structure up to code for another wouldn't be the best move for the property, developers argue.
“Though the home is a structure that belongs to an historically significant style in the United States, the house itself is non-significant, not only to the Queen Anne style, but also to the surrounding Mt. Airy Historic District,” project documents read.
The proposed replacement structure appears to “align more with both the Queen Anne style and the Mt. Airy Historic District simultaneously.”
Its design features a tower element, decorative spindlework, projecting bay windows and pattern masonry at the base of the home.
“Though the home is a structure that belongs to an historically significant style in the United States, the house itself is non-significant, not only to the Queen Anne style, but also to the surrounding Mt. Airy Historic District."1304 Spring St. project documents
The current home appears to lack some of these key features, according to project officials.
The current structure at 1304 Spring St. is mostly shaped like a rectangle, while Queen Anne-style homes typically have layouts with a number of different shapes “that pull apart from one another.”
“Put simply, 1304 Spring Street is neither an exemplary structure of the Queen Anne style nor is it a structure that is entirely contextual,” the documents read.
