Lehigh County plans to restore and rehabilitate the Coplay Cement Company Kilns, known as the Saylor Cement Kilns, in 2014.

Glenn Solt, Lehigh County director of government services, acknowledged the work was to be done in 2013, but due to a large number of projects, including the demolition and construction of the new Hokendauqua-North Catasauqua Bridge, the restoration project was delayed.

Solt said there are still some technical and engineering issues that must be ironed out before bidding on the restoration project occurs. Solt was instrumental in leading the effort for the construction and development of Coca Cola Park, home of the Lehigh Valley IronPigs.

Solt said funding for the project has not been sought yet. He said, however, the county has $300,000 earmarked for the project.

Earlier, Solt said the four kilns must be removed before restoration efforts begin.

The history of the kilns dates back to 1871, when the Coplay Cement Company manufactured the first Portland cement in America. In 1892, as demand for cement grew, there were eleven 93-foot tall Schoefer brick kilns erected; a Danish modification of a kiln originally developed in Germany. The kilns operated from 1893 to 1904 and were later replaced by the rotary kiln, a technology offering cheaper operating costs.

It wasn't until 1980 that the idled Saylor kilns, named after the cement company's founder, were placed on the National Register of Historic Places. The kilns stand as the only ones of that type in the United States.

For decades the kilns, located on the north side of the borough and east of Second Street, were protected from the elements by an outer building. Thc structure was removed in the 1920s, causing the brick kilns to slowly deteriorate.

In recent years, an earlier county administration threatened to tear down the kilns, offering them to Coplay Borough. The borough declined such a massive undertaking. Later, a second group was established, after the first group led the way in restoring four of the kilns.

Five kilns have never been capped or restored, including one which remains in only part of its original state and may have to be demolished.

Visitors from abroad and the region toured the Saylor kilns, which for several years included a small museum. Its artifacts were damaged by seepage and the museum with its Plexiglas rounded roof was removed.