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Re: (rshsdepot) Bethlehem, PA

This sure is good news! I spent a few days back in February, 1974 riding
most of the Reading Railroad's passenger trains in the Philadelphia area. I
stayed overnight in Bethlehem, riding a Reading RDC train up to Bethlehem in
the evening, and then returning to Philly in the morning on one of Reading's
named trains, the "North Penn". Even then the station was closed, even
though it was still used by several Reading trains a day. I thought at the
time that the Union Station was in danger of being torn down, but not only
has it survived another 28 years, but it will be fixed up! Great!
Verne Brummel, Fitchburg,WI
- ----- Original Message -----
From: <jdent1_@_optonline.net>
To: <rshsdepot_@_lists.railfan.net>
Sent: Monday, August 26, 2002 12:47 PM
Subject: (rshsdepot) Bethlehem, PA


From the Lehigh Valley, PA Morning Call:

http://www.mcall.com/news/local/all-b3_4unionaug22.story

From The Morning Call


Union Station on the operating table
South Bethlehem site will be renovated as medical building.
By Kathy Lauer-Williams
Of The Morning Call

August 22, 2002

As a child, Kenneth Kraft remembered sneaking into the cavernous Union
Station in south Bethlehem after it had shut down.

''It was grand,'' the Bethlehem house painter recalled. ''Before it fell
apart, it was beautiful.''

Before that, he said his mother would ride the train from Union Station to
Philadelphia for work every day.

But the years have not been kind to the vine-covered 24,000-square-foot
former train depot.

Diane Donaher, Bethlehem's deputy director of economic development, said
she remembers peeking in the building 10 years ago when the floors were
piled high with debris and birds nested in the rafters.

Now the former depot will get a new lease on life as a medical building for
St. Luke's Hospital in neighboring Fountain Hill.

''They've done an incredible job,'' Donaher said Wednesday as she looked
around the cleaned and secured building during a groundbreaking ceremony.

Developer Lou Pektor of Ashley Development Corp. officially kicked off the
$4.5 million renovation of the historic station, which has been vacant
since trains stopped running there in the 1970s. The restored station,
slated for completion in May 2003, will become the home for St. Luke's new
health and wellness center.

''This will be a great restoration to a landmark property,'' Donaher said.
''This will really be the visual key for the area.''

Mayor Don Cunningham called the project ''long-awaited and much needed.''

''This grand old train station sat vacant for 30 years and now we will
bring back the glory of the structure,'' Cunningham said.

He said the city has committed $350,000 to extend Brodhead Street to the
station and to provide water and sewer service for the project, and the
county has promised $700,000 for a public parking lot.

''There's $1.2 million of public money to bring this building back to
life,'' he said.

Inside the spacious depot, white glazed bricks line the halls and the
remnants of terrazzo tile are still apparent. Arrows on the wall still
direct long-gone travelers to eastbound trains.

Bob Martin, St. Luke's senior vice president for network development, said
10 years ago a contractor tore tile off the wall and took the roof down,
then abandoned the project.

''It sat that way for 10 years,'' Martin said. ''Now sifting through the
rubble for artifacts and trying to put part of the tile back up.''

He said the main hall of the finished building will be dedicated to
railroad history and have a small museum.

Pektor said the biggest challenge has been restoring the structural
integrity of the building.

''It was in serious jeopardy, especially on the northwest corner where the
water damage was very serious,'' Pektor said. ''Another year and it would
have started to collapse.''
Copyright © 2002, The Morning Call


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===========
The Railroad Station Historical Society maintains a database of existing
railroad structures at: http://www.rrshs.org




=================================
The Railroad Station Historical Society maintains a database of existing
railroad structures at: http://www.rrshs.org

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End of RSHSDepot Digest V1 #458
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=================================
The Railroad Station Historical Society maintains a database of existing
railroad structures at: http://www.rrshs.org