BETHLEHEM, PA — Just after 7:30 p.m. on August 15th, 2024, Newsworking reported a fire at 143 W. Broad St in Bethlehem, PA, via their Facebook page.
The fire at this long-abandoned luxury home, suspected to have been caused by squatters, adds another layer of complexity to already strained circumstances surrounding the property’s future.
According to Lehigh County property records, the historic home was built over 140 years ago, in 1880.
The land first entered public conversation on August 1st, 2019, when the Bethlehem Redevelopment Authority voted to condemn the structures housed there to make way for a new development.
The property was last sold to Developer Skyline West LLC in September 2017 for $400,000.
The company planned to demolish the existing structures and construct a contemporary, 50-unit luxury apartment complex known as “Skyline West.”
Nevertheless, years of blockades, including objections from residents, the City Council’s overruling of the Bethlehem Historic Conservation Commission, and the inability to locate any heirs to the remaining land, have left the project in limbo.
Previously, there was concern that demolishing the Colonial Revival-era home could jeopardize Bethlehem’s bid for UNESCO World Heritage Site status.
However, UNESCO awarded the designation to the Moravian Church Settlements just under three weeks ago, on July 26th, 2024, after more than 20 years of effort, rendering this worry obsolete.
