BETHLEHEM, Pa. — ArtsQuest is about 80% of the way in funding its incoming $32 million Cultural Center to replace the beloved Banana Factory arts and education facility at 25. W Third St.
The nonprofit continues to seek financial contributions through public, private and individual sources, as the building’s demolition is right around the corner in early 2025, with the first “shovel-in-the-ground” to follow.
A tentative completion is currently set for the second quarter of 2026. Construction is expected to take 12-14 months, officials have said.
“The need is now. This expansion of the arts will play a key role within our education system, our diverse community and the local and regional economy. Your donation may also benefit from potential tax credits and other incentives.”ArtsQuest President and CEO Kassie Hilgert, on fundraiser for the new Cultural Center
“The need is now,” Artsquest President Kassie Hilgert said of the fundraising campaign thus far at an event Friday.
"This expansion of the arts will play a key role within our education system, our diverse community and the local and regional economy.
“Your donation may also benefit from potential tax credits and other incentives.”
Hilgert and a plethora of current supporters met Friday at the Banana Factory’s Crayola Gallery for an evening of cocktails, conversations and camaraderie.
Founding campaign partners for the project include Air Products, Boyle Construction, Capital Blue Cross, C.F. Martin & Co., Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Crayola, Fulton Bank and Northampton County, PNC Foundation and PPL Foundation.
The current list of Cultural Center supporters total more than 160.
'Visual, performing arts and educational hub'
The new Cultural Center will be on the same spot as the Banana Factory, and will serve the city, region and beyond as a “state-of-the-art visual, performing arts and educational hub.”
The building, designed to stand five stories high and total 78,500 square feet, is planned to offer:
- 11 classrooms compared to the Banana Factory’s five, predicted to serve 11,000 area youth
- 36 subsidized artist studio spaces compared to the Banana Factory’s 30, along with space for artists of all levels to display their work
- Programming for all ages, with some expanded offerings in the works
- A Communications Pathway partnership with the Bethlehem Area School District
- Meeting and hospitality spaces
- A black box comedy theater to seat 125
- An artist 3D makerspace
- An art educator lab
- Designated sensory spaces
“It will also serve as a community space where one can access art seven days a week, free of charge, regardless of socioeconomic background,” a newsrelease from ArtsQuest reads.
“Scholarships are available to individuals of all ages for classes and camps that require a fee.”
ArtsQuest said it will keep holding quarterly information sessions regarding the new facility and what it will represent for the betterment of South Bethlehem, the Lehigh Valley and beyond.
