The Banana Factory won’t be demolished just yet.
A pitch by ArtsQuest to raze and replace the cultural and visual arts center that acts as a gateway to Southside Bethlehem failed to gain approval of the city’s Historic Conservation Commission on Monday evening. However, the panel believes there is a way for the project to move forward, perhaps with some revisions to the plan to retain some historic elements.
ArtsQuest, the organization behind Musikfest, has long planned to redo the Banana Factory in the vein of the ArtsQuest Center, the performing arts venue that turned the old Bethlehem Steel blast furnaces into a concert and movie destination a short distance away.
The nonprofit’s leaders say the need for the Banana Factory’s studios and classes — which are offered at low or no cost to the community — have outgrown the space. The Banana Factory is actually six connected structures built between the 1880s and 1950s.
Pre-pandemic, the historic commission signed off on plans to demolish four of the six structures, including the oldest, and incorporate the rest into an H-shaped building with two courtyards.
Now, ArtsQuest has revisited the plans in lieu of rising construction costs, saying the expenses incurred in preservation are prohibitive. The organization contends it would make more financial sense to knock down all six structures and build a new one five stories tall.
ArtsQuest representatives at Monday’s meeting said clearing the property and building new will save approximately $7 million. The entire project cost was reported by The Morning Call at $22 million. The organization has secured county and state grants and is pursuing federal funds to help defray the costs.
“The city calls it the Southside Arts District. It deserves to look like one and this is the gateway to that,” ArtsQuest President Kassie Hilgert said.
The historic commission was sympathetic to ArtsQuest’s mission. Comments from the panel and the public — including a number of ArtsQuest trustees and members — seemed mostly supportive. But some questioned why financial issues should factor into historic preservation decisions.
After two hours of discussion, the commission on Monday ultimately voted 3-2 against allowing the destruction of the two structures that had not already received the OK, leaving ArtsQuest to continue tweaking its plans.
The design merits of the Banana Factory’s eventual replacement did not come to a vote.
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Steve Novak may be reached at [email protected].
