Published June 23. 2026 11:27AM
Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites (HBMS) supporters gathered in the Colonial Industrial Quarter to sign a structural beam for the Overlook on History, a glass-and-steel enclosed bridge connecting Bethlehem’s historic Grist Miller’s House and the Luckenbach Mill.
The steel and glass overlook will open a continuous path from Bethlehem’s historic Main Street into the heart of the Colonial Industrial Quarter, home to the oldest industrial park in America. The enclosed bridge will cross above the Antes Mill ruins and reconnect the recently restored 1782/1834 Grist Miller’s House to the 1869 Luckenbach Mill. During the 19th century, the two buildings were linked so the miller could easily travel between his home and work. The original bridge was lost to history. The new connection, which is scheduled to open this fall, will be fully ADA accessible and provide an unobstructed view across the Colonial Industrial Quarter.
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PRESS PHOTO COURTESY hbmsBeam signing marks final push for glass-and-steel overlook above Bethlehem’s historic district. Beam signers include Jennifer Van De Voorde, HBMS Board of Trustees; Lindsey Jancay – HBMS vice president & managing director; Colleen Gilbert, HBMS Board of Trustees chair; Dave Thomson – HBMS Board of Trustees & Chair vice chair; Joel Rosenfeld, HBMS Board of Trustees; Barbara Hollenbach, HBMS Board of Trustees; Barry Pell, HBMS Board of Trustees; LoriAnn Wukitsch, HBMS president & CEO; and Sheela Donchez, HBMS Board of Trustees secretary.
ILLUSTRATION COURTESY Architect David Scott Parker“We wanted to build a structure that hovered above an archeological site,” says architect David Scott Parker. “We wanted to reconnect these buildings without copying them and doing something that is a statement of our own time.”
