Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites recognized Historic Hotel Bethlehem as its 2025 Business Honoree at the Dec. 6 Benefactor’s Reception.

“Historic Hotel Bethlehem, a cornerstone of the Main Street experience, has partnered with Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites and many community groups for more than 25 years, strengthening tourism and helping build the vibrant Historic District we know today. It is the prized jewel of Bethlehem’s Main Street, and this award is well deserved,” said HBMS President & CEO LoriAnn Wukitsch.

Bruce Haines, the hotel’s managing partner, accepted the award.

“It’s truly a privilege to partner with HBMS,” he said. “They work incredibly hard to preserve our important local history.”

Historic Hotel Bethlehem supports numerous community groups and organizations annually. Its recent contributions include support for Historic Bethlehem’s Checking In: Bethlehem’s Alluring Accommodations exhibition at the Kemerer and Moravian Museums and expanded family activities at the 1750 Smithy on Main Street throughout the holiday season.

The hotel, which opened in 1920, is itself a symbol of historic preservation. In 1996, the hotel entered bankruptcy. In January 1998, it closed. A group of local investors, many of them Lehigh University graduates, purchased it soon after to save the building from conversion into senior apartments or a women’s dormitory for Moravian University. Their work restored the hotel’s original character and kept it a fixture of downtown life. In 2002, after a major renovation, the hotel became a member of Historic Hotels of America, the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s official program recognizing the country’s most significant historic hotels.

Additional honorees

During the event at ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks, HBMS also honored a dedicated volunteer, a visual artist, and a blacksmith.

“We are also delighted to recognize HBMS supporter and acclaimed photographer Lydia Panas, blacksmith and new Smith of Practice at the 1750 Smithy, Luke Dellmyer, and Sharon Donchez, a dedicated HBMS and Bethlehem Garden Club volunteer whose yearly commitment is vital to the success of the Trees of Historic Bethlehem exhibition,” Wukitsch said.

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