Representing The Southside Arts District, Missy Hartney and Mike DeCrosta were provided with positive input and a certificate of appropriateness from the Bethlehem Historic Conservation Commission regarding three mural proposals at the July 15 meeting in the Rotunda. Although it had been listed as “for discussion” and not as an “agenda item,” the commissioners decided that it still fell under their purview. As a “recommending board,” they recommended the project.

The arts organization is working with property and business owners to permanently install murals that were previously displayed on the South Bethlehem Greenway during the 2018 Southside Arts and Music Festival. Each 4-foot by 8-foot work of art, painted on parachute cloth is adhered to an Alumalite panel. Chairman Philip Roeder advised the panels should be attached with Tapcon fasteners to the mortar joints of brick walls.

Funded by a Northampton County CIPP capital improvement grant, the artwork is to be installed at three district businesses; a panel by Devyn Briggs at Lehigh Pizza on 13 W. Third St, a work by Amy Perdue at Bonn Place Brewing on 310 Taylor St., and a mural titled “Proud,” by Joseph Iacona, on the wall of Molly’s Irish Grille & Sports Pub at 4 E. Fourth St. A fourth mural, by Ramiro & Maltas Con Leche, is to be installed at the SouthSide Lofts at 435 Hayes St., which falls outside the historic district’s jurisdiction.

BHCC tabled a proposal from the Community Action Development Corporation of Bethlehem (CADCB) for new awnings and seating enclosure panels for Molly’s Irish Grille & Sports Pub at the 8 E. Fourth St. Representing the project were pub co-owner Charles Patrick and Lynn Holden from CADCB. The applicants were advised to return with drawings to scale of the two new awnings, an existing awning that is to be replaced, as well as the 36-inch-high fabric over pipe seating enclosure for the building.

The commissioners found the choice of black Sunbrella acrylic appropriate, but required greater details regarding logo size to be printed on it and construction of the supporting structures.

The upgrade is funded by a CADCB grant.

The contemporary commercial brick building is owned by WRC Rooney Limited Partnership.

As directed at the previous hearing, Bruce Campbell returned with more detailed plans for 601 E. Fourth St. He was given conditional permission to demolish a circa 1940s addition behind the circa 1895 building that once housed The Happy Tap Bar. Once a garage, it is now a deteriorating apartment unit and Campbell plans to use the space for outdoor dining.

With prior approval, Campbell peeled off the battered aluminum siding to expose the red-painted brick walls and wood trim of the older building. He said he was surprised many of the bricks were individually painted purple accent colors.

Campbell furnished a rendering of the project depicting the main building with the brick exposed and a back patio extending to the sidewalk behind it where the 1940s addition is. Short stone columns support wrought-iron fencing with gabled roofing over part of the dining area. The establishment would be renamed “The Nest.”

The board okayed his one-over-one double-hung, aluminum-clad, wood replacement windows. The existing windows are not original, except for the attic windows, which are being retained.

The entrepreneur was instructed to return with scale architectural drawings of the back patio dining area, which includes a flat roof to replace the gabled one and a suggested small refuse alcove built into the masonry foundation at the back. Campbell received advice on choosing replacement doors. The board discouraged him from shopping for shutters, as they surmised the building never had any.

All decisions were unanimous.