The Col. John Siegfried homestead, at 21st and Canal streets, will have a new use after a March 14 decision by Northampton Borough Zoning Hearing Board of Appeals.

The decadeslong vacant building, whose history dates back to the Revolutionary War, will house offices for Opportunity Behavioral Health, whose clients are primarily seniors and those with multiple disorders.

The appeal to the zoning board followed denial of the application presented by Robert Carvajal, owner and program director of the Reading-based company. The rejection was based on the property being in a zoned conservation district.

At the hearing held in council chambers at the municipal building, Carvajal testified there will be no clients coming to the property. He stated the use is strictly for offices. There will be seven employees and the program developer on site.

The caseworkers meet with the clients at their homes. The center receives a client base from referrals from the county and agencies.

“I want to be part of the community,” Carvajal said, mentioning he is impressed with the borough and the people.

Carvajal stated his first impression on seeing the building was a bit misleading since the interior and the rooms were splendid.

“I intend for some cosmetic improvements to the exterior and parking lot,” he mentioned.

With 100 clients as the present base, Opportunity Behavioral Health expects to move in and be operational within the next few months.

Ed Pany, borough historian and Atlas Cement Company Memorial Museum curator, received a commitment from Carvajal to have a historic plaque citing Siegfried’s legacy affixed to the building’s facade, similar to several other structures in the borough with historic significance.

Although the structure has had additions and ownership changes over the years, the 1760s Siegfried homestead occupying the rear of the building is intact.

Siegfried led the Northampton County Militia in 1763 and fought in several Revolutionary War battles, such as Brandywine. He had a personal bond with George Washington.

He operated a ferry from his homestead across the Lehigh River to Cementon.

Among his enterprises was a general store. The building is near the Norfolk Southern Railroad tracks and west of the Northampton Area Historical Society’s headquarters at the train station. The property was a tavern during the Great Depression; later, it was Kaiser Steak House, then Romano’s, Michael’s and, in more recent years, Bridals by Carol.