BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The National Park Service has awarded $699,300 through the Historic Preservation Fund’s Semiquincentennial Grant Program to support preservation work within Bethlehem’s Colonial Industrial Quarter (CIQ).
The three-year project will preserve the historic 1761 Tannery and address invasive vegetation threatening historic resources throughout the CIQ, according to a news release from Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor, Inc.
The 1761 Tannery has been closed to the public for 22 years due to water infiltration and resulting damage. Originally used to process hides essential to Bethlehem’s colonial economy, the Tannery later produced leather goods during the American Revolution, helping supply the Continental Army, the release says. HBMS previously completed work to address water infiltration as part of a multiphase effort to preserve and eventually reopen the building. Officials say the new grant will fund Phase III, focused on preservation of the Tannery’s historic stone walls. A separate, final phase will address HVAC and electrical improvements.
The organization says the grant will also fund efforts to combat Japanese knotweed, an invasive plant that has spread throughout the CIQ and can threaten historic structures. Work will include developing and implementing a mitigation plan, removing existing knotweed, and establishing native vegetation to help prevent its return…