ArtsQuest celebrates Turn & Grind Shop construction milestone at SteelStacks in Bethlehem

BETHLEHEM, Pa. — ArtsQuest gathered state and local officials, donors and project partners Thursday for a ceremonial brick-breaking at the former Bethlehem Steel Turn & Grind Shop, marking the next phase of construction on the SteelStacks campus venue that the nonprofit says will open as early as next year.

The event, held at 711 E. 1st St. in south Bethlehem, celebrated progress on a cornerstone project in ArtsQuest’s Re-Imagine That! Capital Campaign.

The 27,000-square-foot brick structure is being converted into a year-round venue for arts programming, festivals, traveling exhibits and private events under the name Lehigh Valley Health Network, part of Jefferson Health Turn & Grind Shop. ArtsQuest President and CEO Kassie Hilgert said the venue is expected to open in May 2027.

Despite the event’s name, no bricks were actually broken. Guests instead tapped bricks with ceremonial mini sledgehammers inside the remediated building, a symbolic nod to the structure’s industrial past.

A steel-era building reimagined

The building, which ArtsQuest says dates to the 1860s, was part of Bethlehem Steel’s tool steel operations. It was used to “turn and grind” steel beams in a cold-finishing process that improved the bars’ appearance, durability, and ductility, producing finely polished surfaces used for the nation’s naval ships.

ArtsQuest has owned the structure for years and has used it for storage. Before construction could advance, crews had to remove asbestos, lead paint and other contaminants, an environmental cleanup ArtsQuest has said was supported in part by a $500,000 allocation from Northampton County’s share of federal brownfield revolving loan funding.

According to ArtsQuest, the renovated venue will expand capacity for signature events, including Musikfest, Christkindlmarkt and Oktoberfest.

“This building tells a powerful story,” Hilgert said. “The Turn & Grind Shop once helped build the machinery that powered our nation.”

Part of an $80 million campaign

The Turn & Grind Shop is one of two cornerstone projects in the Re-Imagine That! Capital Campaign, alongside the ArtsQuest Creative Factory powered by PPL. Together, the projects represent more than $80 million in investment in the SouthSide Arts District, according to ArtsQuest.

The redevelopment was designed by MKSD Architects and is being built by Boyle Construction.

“From an engineering and construction perspective, it’s been an incredibly rewarding and complex undertaking to work within a 155-year-old building while carefully preserving the integrity and character of the original Turn & Grind shop,” said Sean Boyle, the construction firm’s president.

The capital campaign is expected to conclude in 2027.

The Turn & Grind project’s progress follows earlier disruptions tied to construction at SteelStacks, including the cancellation of the 2026 Cars & Coffee Lehigh Valley season, which ArtsQuest attributed to construction activity and a reduced event footprint near the Bethlehem Visitor Center.