Bethlehem Steel Lehigh Plant Mill #2 Annex
Also known as: Merchant Mill #2; Johnson Machinery Corp.
Why it's listed
Built in 1940 by the Bethlehem Steel Corporation at the corner of West 2nd Street and Union Station Plaza in south Bethlehem, this square, two-story brick industrial building covers nearly an entire city block. It was constructed in two sections, with the eastern bays completed in early 1940 and the western bays later that year after a Lehigh Valley Railroad freight house on the site was demolished. It served as a surface preparation and finishing mill for the Alloy and Tool Steel Division, which had been consolidated at the western edge of the Lehigh Plant. Its interior holds an open manufacturing floor, a steel skeleton and overhead cranes, while its exterior is marked by long banks of industrial steel windows and six rooftop sawtooth monitors. The building is significant for its part in the division's expansion in the late 1930s and as a representative mid-twentieth-century industrial building of Bethlehem Steel, whose in-house engineers designed it from standard stock plans. Its period of significance runs from 1940 to 1953.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the building is significant for its role in the consolidation and expansion of the Alloy and Tool Steel Division between 1935 and 1940, described as the last surviving significant building of that expansion. It is also presented as a representative mid-twentieth-century industrial building type within Bethlehem Steel's development, with its large steel windows, sawtooth monitor roof and crane systems.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 04000401, listed May 5, 2004. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 11 W. 2nd St., Bethlehem |
|---|---|
| County | Northampton County |
| Listed | May 5, 2004 |
| Reference number | 04000401 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1940-1953 |
| Architect / builder | Bethlehem Steel Corporation |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Industry, Architecture |
| Level of significance | National |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The building continued in use as a Bethlehem Steel facility until 1986; the bottom-corner Bethlehem Steel logo has since been removed. |
| Acreage | 4.5 |
| Within district | Central Bethlehem Historic District |
| Coordinates | 40.61530, -75.37910 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 04000401.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4898068
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.