ArtsQuest recently celebrated a construction milestone for the historic Turn & Grind Shop project with a beam signing ceremony.

Community leaders, partners and supporters left their mark on the 155-year-old Bethlehem Steel Corp. building as the project moves toward a 2027 opening. Built in the 1860s, the Turn & Grind Shop was part of Bethlehem Steel’s industrial operations and remains one of the physical links to the site’s manufacturing history. Today, the project team is carefully balancing preservation of that legacy with the infrastructure necessary to transform the building into a modern public venue with programming throughout the year.

All this is being made possible by a new investment in the project through Pennsylvania’s statewide Local Share Account (LSA) grant program. Approved by the Commonwealth Financing Authority, LSA funding was made possible with the support of State Rep. Steve Samuelson and State Sen. Lisa Boscola.

“When we gathered here for the brick breaking in May, we talked about the remarkable history of this building and the future we envisioned for it. Today, we can see that future taking shape around us,” said ArtsQuest President & CEO Kassie Hilgert. “What makes this project so special is that we aren’t erasing the Turn & Grind Shop’s past to create something new. We’re preserving the steel, masonry, cranes and other elements that tell its story while preparing the building for an entirely new generation of concerts, festivals, exhibitions and community experiences

Speakers including Operating Officer Curt Mosel, Pennsylvania Secretary of Revenue Patrick Browne, Northampton County Executive Tara Zrinski, Laura Collins of the City of Bethlehem and Mayor J. William Reynolds office and Bob Begliomini, executive director of Jefferson Health-Lehigh Valley Region, addressed attendees before guests signed a beam representing the next phase of the building’s construction.

Upon completion, the restored building will be a multipurpose venue for arts and cultural programming, festivals, exhibitions, private and corporate events, hospitality and community gatherings.