3 Cool Adaptive Reuse Structures in Pennsylvania
Historic buildings across the Keystone State are gaining new life and purpose.
Immersed in history and known for being innovative and resourceful, it’s not surprising that many Pennsylvania communities have leaned into adaptive reuse. Across the Keystone State, you’ll find a plethora of buildings that have outlived their intended functions being revamped to serve different purposes.
Ahead, read about three cool adaptive reuse structures in Pennsylvania – all of which have new identities but still carry traces of their past.
Mill 19 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
A remnant of the steel industry, Mill 19, an advanced manufacturing research center at Hazelwood Green in Pittsburgh, is a redevelopment of the former Jones & Laughlin Steel Co. mill – and an example of adaptive reuse at its finest. Today, the mill is home to Carnegie Mellon University’s Manufacturing Futures Institute and its affiliates, the Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing Institute and Catalyst Connection workforce training center, as well as autonomous vehicle company Motional and YKK AP Technologies Lab, a digital research and development center.
“Mill 19’s three buildings are part of a unique design constructed inside the steel skeleton that housed the original steel mill,” says Donald F. Smith Jr., president of the Regional Industrial Development Corp. of Southwestern Pennsylvania (RIDC). “Other elements of the former steel mill are also evident in the reuse of chunks of concrete in the landscaping design and in the design of pieces of industrial art located around the property.”
The RIDC started the development by reaching out to the community for feedback, securing funding and creating a commercially viable research and development site. While preserving the facility’s manufacturing legacy, the RIDC focused on sustainability in the building’s construction and operation.
“The mill’s steel superstructure supports the largest sloped rooftop solar array in the U.S., with enough electricity to power 380 homes,” Smith says. “The complex has numerous other sustainability features, including landscaping that incorporates a rainwater recycling system.”
Mill 19 is the first phase of redevelopment at Hazelwood Green. Next steps involve adding Carnegie Mellon’s Robotics Innovation Center and the University of Pittsburgh’s biomanufacturing facility, BioForge.
Flagship City Food Hall in Erie, Pennsylvania
Another structure that falls under the adaptive reuse category is Flagship City Food Hall in Erie, which provides a range of dining options in a historic downtown mansion. The building was originally the upscale residence for an individual who managed the vault at a bank next door. Over the years, it housed a school, a ballet studio, a historical society and, most recently, two bars, Sherlock’s and Park Place. But the building fell into disrepair, with the brick facade peeling away.
“It was time for a change, and Flagship City Food Hall moved in in 2021,” says Ryan Hoover, director of marketing at the Erie Downtown Development Corp.
To do so, construction crews removed the facade, braced the framing with metal beams and rebuilt the façade using a large portion of the original masonry.
Offices and 13 apartments now reside on the building’s second and third floors. Those spaces were heavily renovated but include design elements that harken back to the 1800s.
“Both of those bars (Sherlock’s and Park Place) had these beautiful, historic brick arches, and when the development company came in to refurbish the building, they kept all of the original brick and all the arches,” Hoover says. “So, when the former guests of Park Place and Sherlock’s come into the Food Hall, a lot of them are often reminded right away of those brick arches.”
ArtsQuest Campus in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
After opening in 1863, the Bethlehem Steel complex supplied steel for railroads, the Golden Gate Bridge, Madison Square Garden and much more. During World War II, more than 31,000 workers kept the mills running constantly, but that level of production dwindled until the mill closed in 1995.
ArtsQuest, a Bethlehem-based nonprofit, recognized the importance of preserving the mill’s legacy while also putting the abandoned facilities to use. Working with stakeholders from the private and public sectors, ArtsQuest leaned into adaptive reuse, revitalizing the campus with a new headquarters and concert stages.
“There is a lot wrapped up in the history of Bethlehem Steel, as it relates to our country’s history,” says Kassie Hilgert, president and CEO of ArtsQuest. “We felt this is a chance for us to bring people in and learn about this country’s rich industrial history while highlighting what the arts have been able to do to revitalize it.”
ArtsQuest hosts roughly 4,600 concerts, classes and camps per year, and about half are free. Its flagship, 10-day event, Musikfest, is the largest free music festival in the U.S.
Headliners perform at the Wind Creek Steel Stage, with additional artists at the Levitt Pavilion and many other stages. The former blast furnaces serve as an unparalleled backdrop, with the largest two towering at 230 feet tall.
While adaptive reuse helped Bethlehem celebrate its history, it also provided opportunities to evolve, taking a blighted brownfield site and turning it into an economic driver.
“The arts and these cultural amenities are vital ways not just to keep employees in an area but to actually attract employers,” Hilgert says. “Musikfest has an $87 million economic impact in 10 days. That benefits hotels. It benefits restaurants. It benefits the 40 small food vendors that are there.”
This article was sponsored by the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development.
