Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites is pleased to announce that the restored 1782/1834 Grist Miller’s House in Bethlehem’s Colonial Industrial Quarter (CIQ) has been honored with a Preservation Pennsylvania 2025 Historic Preservation Award. The Construction Award for Rehabilitation Projects was presented to HBMS and its construction partners during an awards ceremony at the iconic Carrie Blast Furnaces in Pittsburgh Oct. 16.

Located adjacent to the Luckenbach Mill off Old York Road in the CIQ, the Grist Miller’s House was once home to Bethlehem’s mill operator and his family. Listed on the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places, the building was built in 1782 and expanded in 1834, serving as a residence from the 1830s until the 1970s.

The Grist Miller’s House was shuttered in the mid-2000s due to structural concerns, but HBMS embarked on a major renovation project in 2024 to restore the house. Following extensive structural repairs and reinforcements, the external steel beams that were in place for two decades to help stabilize the Grist Miller’s House walls were removed in September 2024, marking a major milestone in the project.

“Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites and its project partners are thrilled to be recognized with this prestigious honor from our peers and colleagues in the historic preservation profession,” said HBMS President & CEO LoriAnn Wukitsch. “This award not only recognizes the quality of our organization’s preservation work but also reinforces HBMS’s leadership in safeguarding America’s early industrial heritage and Bethlehem’s unique historic treasures. We thank all of the donors and supporters who have helped to make this important revitalization project possible.”

The Preservation Pennsylvania Historic Preservation Award recognizes the collaborative efforts of HBMS and an outstanding team of construction and design partners that includes: Artefact Inc. and Lead Architect Christine Ussler; Lock Ridge Engineering; Allied Building Corp.; Hofmeister Engineering PC; Mulhern Consulting Engineers and Associates; Dual Temp Company Inc.; Fenstermacher Construction Services; Orlando Diefenderfer Electrical Contractors Inc., Alan Kunsman Roofing & Siding; Duggan & Marcon Inc.; GC Zarnas & Company; Broc Mechanical Inc.; Sargent Enterprises Inc.; Lytwyn Group LLC; Lehigh Concrete Technologies; Weir Welding Company Inc.; Anvil Craft Corp.; Kelley Bros; Tile and Stone Creation LLC; and Schmidt Contracting Inc.

For more information on Preservation Pennsylvania, visit preservationpa.org. Additional details on the Grist Miller’s House and programs are available at historicbethlehem.org.

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