Central Bethlehem Historic District

Central Bethlehem Historic District is a national historic district located in Bethlehem in Lehigh and Northampton counties in the Lehigh Valley metropolitan area of eastern Pennsylvania.

Central Bethlehem Historic District
West Church Street, Central Bethlehem Historic District in October 2011
Central Bethlehem Historic District is located in Pennsylvania
Central Bethlehem Historic District
Central Bethlehem Historic District is located in the United States
Central Bethlehem Historic District
LocationBounded by Main, Nevada, and East Broad Streets, and the Lehigh River in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Coordinates40°37′6″N 75°22′56″W / 40.61833°N 75.38222°W / 40.61833; -75.38222
Area132.3 acres (53.5 ha)
Architectural styleLate 19th And 20th Century Revivals, Late Victorian, Gothic Revival
NRHP reference No.72001131, 88000452 (Boundary Increase)[1]
Added to NRHPMay 5, 1972; November 7, 1988 (Boundary Increase)

The district includes 165 contributing buildings, six contributing sites, including Nisky Hill Cemetery, nine contributing structures, and four contributing objects. It is primarily residential, but also includes commercial buildings along Main Street. Most of the buildings were built between the mid-18th to early-20th century. The buildings are primarily 2+12 stories tall and constructed of brick or stone.

The district encompasses buildings that reflect Bethlehem's development from a Moravian community between 1741 and 1844, to an industrial based economy from 1845 to the late 20th century. Notable non-residential buildings include several communal Moravian buildings, the George H. Myers Building, and the Hill to Hill Bridge. Located in the district is the separately listed Lehigh Canal.[2][3]

Central Bethlehem's Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972, and a boundary increase to this designation was added in 1988.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. ^ "National Historic Landmarks & National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania". CRGIS: Cultural Resources Geographic Information System. Archived from the original (Searchable database) on July 21, 2007. Retrieved November 1, 2011. Note: This includes Pennsylvania Register of Historic Sites and Landmarks (October 1971). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Central Bethlehem Historic District" (PDF). Retrieved October 29, 2011. and "Part two of Nomination Form" (PDF).
  3. ^ "National Historic Landmarks & National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania". CRGIS: Cultural Resources Geographic Information System. Archived from the original (Searchable database) on July 21, 2007. Retrieved November 1, 2011. Note: This includes James G. Whildon, Jr. and William Sisson (1988). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Central Bethlehem Historic District (Boundary Increase)" (PDF). Retrieved October 29, 2011.