BETHLEHEM TWP., Pa. — A local nonprofit group planning a restoration of the historic home of Bethlehem’s first mayor is in line for a financial boost from the state.
Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program funding in the amount of $1 million has been allocated for the Archie Project and its interior renovation efforts at the Archibald Johnston Mansion in Bethlehem Township.
Though the township is acting as a pass-through for the money, the nonprofit is required to match half of that amount within a six-month deadline following its Nov. 6 notice of award.
Project members said donations can be mailed to PO Box 3405, 3232 Easton Ave., Bethlehem 18020. An online option is available through the nonprofit’s website.
“After the renovation, the mansion will be open for the public for some different purposes: exhibitions, business meetings, classes, workshops, reading room and use by nonprofits.”Archie Project spokesperson Lucia Leão
The Adam Colonial-style mansion has stood for more than a century at 3811 Christian Spring Hill Road, flaunting 22 rooms and a cellar across its three floors and 6,000 square feet.
And with some proper work on the inside — upwards of $2.5 million worth of plumbing, electrical, HVAC and paint considering inflation — the Archie Project has said it envisions the home being a “diverse and inclusive community engagement center,” with a special collaborative space on the first floor and surrounding outdoor amenities.
“The mansion has been open for scheduled tours, with some limitations because of the building conditions,” said group spokesperson Lucia Leão.
“After the renovation, the mansion will be open for the public for some different purposes: exhibitions, business meetings, classes, workshops, reading room and use by nonprofits.”
In the meantime, you can take a virtual look at the inside of the mansion.
Potential match in the works
In a Nov. 6 letter to Bethlehem Township Manager Doug Bruce regarding the award, State Budget Secretary Uri Monson wrote that “RACP funding is intended to provide much needed economic stimulus to the Pennsylvania economy and it is intended to assist in the immediate creation of quality, family-sustaining jobs for Pennsylvanians.”
Bruce said township commissioners have reached out to the Janet Johnston Housenick and William D. Housenick Memorial Foundation regarding a potential match for the RACP grant, though nothing has been finalized as of now.
“RACP funding is intended to provide much needed economic stimulus to the Pennsylvania economy and it is intended to assist in the immediate creation of quality, family-sustaining jobs for Pennsylvanians.”State Budget Secretary Uri Monson
The foundation, named for Johnston’s granddaughter and her husband, in 2005 donated the home and 55 acres to the township through a $2 million trust, funding some exterior renovations to the mansion in the meantime.
The outside got its final touches on a facelift in 2019, including a new roof, paint and waterproofing measures.
A look at the landscape
The mansion lies within Housenick Park, a passive recreational space featuring the 55-acre Janet Johnston Housenick and William D. Housenick Memorial Park. The passive park space and home are located alongside the 36-acre Archibald Johnston Conservation Area of Northampton County in Bethlehem Township.
Eventually totaling more than 600 acres, its origins were established during the Great Depression after Johnston moved to protect his neighbors’ land by buying surrounding mortgages and setting up trusts, giving nearby families two generations to earn back.
The area, named for its shape on a map, also was home to what became known as one of the first cooperative farms in the state: Camel’s Hump Farm. The 300-year-old farm these days features 47 acres across its nature education center and community garden.
Johnston married Estelle Stadiger Borhek — the daughter of a lumber company owner. After finishing his one and only term as Bethlehem’s mayor from 1918-1921, Johnston and Estelle moved out to the township in 1923.
Johnston's legacy
Johnston attended Lehigh University for mechanical engineering, though it's reported he had a knack for people and sales. Later rising through the ranks at Bethlehem Steel Co., he eventually had a hand in business deals with customers around the world in selling the company's munitions.
He was president of the Central Moravian Church congregation for some time, also serving as a trustee at Moravian College and becoming the namesake for the main campus athletics center.
Archibald Johnston married Estelle Stadiger Borhek — the daughter of a lumber company owner. After finishing his one and only term as Bethlehem’s mayor from 1918-1921, he and Estelle moved from Church Street in the city out to the township in 1923.archieproject.org
Among other achievements during his days as mayor and community notable, he was well known for leading the efforts in combining the three boroughs of Bethlehem, South Bethlehem and Northampton Heights into the city we know today — part of that was the development of the Hill-to-Hill Bridge that crossed the Lehigh River.
Joining North and South Bethlehem was monumental for the area, according to Archie Project spokesperson Charles Jaquish, who said it cost $3 million back then to build the bridge. That would be about $55 million these days, according to a Bureau of Labor Statistics inflation calculator.
Go figure: That same bridge is now set for nearly $80 million in renovations, with an estimated four years of construction potentially starting in 2026.
