Back Wall of Historic Main Street Bethlehem Structure is Partly Down; Issue to Be Raised at Council Meeting

The Hotel Bethlehem has a sign above its entry, celebrating the city’s UNESCO World Heritage status.

A couple doors up Main Street, a brick building has a bright CONDEMNED sign on the front door. That went up March 1, and notes an unsafe structure.

The rear of the building shows a partial collapse, with bricks down, a hole in the wall, and wood hanging off the wall that is held up only by unkempt vines.

The building is owned by Wens Inc., which is based at a private home in Lower Nazareth Township.

UNESCO status recognizes the city’s Moravian history and structures. UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) recognizes sites across the globe that have “universal value.”

The UNESCO list of a little more than 1,200 sites includes the Great Wall of China, Australia’s Barrier Reef, Stonehenge, Notre-Dame cathedrals in Paris and Belgium, and now part of Bethlehem.

The status was supposed to encourage tourism, but for now, visitors will see a condemned building, just as they do in so many other Rust Belt towns.

The collapsed rear wall of the building is not as prominent. The 453 Main St. structure has been used by a few businesses, but is vacant and entry is not permitted without city approval.

It’s a problem for the city, and dealing with private properties is a difficult task that can take a long time.

Bethlehem City Council member Grace Crampsie Smith said the building will be discussed at a council committee meeting on Tuesday.

This property was sold for $938,131 in 2014, before the recent surge in local real estate prices.

Bethlehem City Council’s Community Development Committee will meet at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, March 18 at Town Hall. The agenda has not yet been posted.

Crampsie Smith is a candidate in the Democrat primary election for mayor, against incumbent J. William Reynolds.