On Wednesday morning, July 1, 2020, officials from the City of Easton and its Historic Commission and Redevelopment Authorities safely gathered with a small group of community members to celebrate the groundbreaking of a newly designed mixed-use residential project located on North 3rd Street, Easton. The new building will be in place of the historic Easton Landmark: The Seville Theater (later known as the Boyd Theater) that originally opened its doors in 1929.

 

The project is one of many other development projects the City has initiated with Peron Development that promises to make strides in a direction that will encourage more people to relocate – those that could contribute to the growth of the economy and the tax base so that property taxes can remain steady and the growth of the region will continue upward. The Seville will support an economic growth initiative and celebrate the culture of downtown Easton while enhancing the goals of the “Lehigh Valley Made Possible” campaign that is working to attract desired professionals to the area.

 

“My goal has been to return Easton to the grandeur before Urban Renewal. Urban Renewal took the heart out of our downtown and the south side along Canal Street…” stated Mayor Panto. “…we dislocated thousands of people – we need to bring them back to the core…Our core community is very important so, when I’m passionate about building I’m not supporting the developers… What we want in Easton is good development, but more than anything we want to contribute to our economy.”

 

USA Architects teamed with Boyle Construction and Peron Development to design this $16m. project. Hoping to be first-in-class within the City, the building features shared-living spaces and open floorplan concepts. Selected finishes within the building pay homage to the Spanish motif of the original Seville Movie Theater that many community members remember fondly. Resting at the current infill property of 56 North 3rd Street the building will include 68 apartment units: 45 one-bedroom apartments and 25 two-bedroom apartments with full kitchens, 9ft ceilings and large walk-in-closets. The Seville will stand 4 stories above ground and include one level below ground. Common spaces include a beautiful community lounge with resident-shared kitchen, indoor bike storage, dog washing stations, outdoor patio with grills, and a wellness/fitness center. The exterior of the building has been designed to blend within the architectural context of its neighboring details. Likewise, the scale of the building was intentionally designed in such a way that it will be slightly set back from the curb and not be obtrusive from street views. The Seville will feature a 2,600 sf retail front – offering restaurants the opportunity to continue along “Millionaires’ Row.”

 

Executing the project through a design-build method, USA Architects and Boyle Construction plan to complete construction within twelve months. These two firms have shared more than 90 years of real estate development design and construction experience in Pennsylvania and are deeply involved in the growth and community development of the Lehigh Valley. Peron Development, Boyle Construction and USA Architects have completed $100m. worth of development projects including the completion of 5ten Flats in Bethlehem and the current work on The Bethlehem Armory, and the much anticipated redevelopment project The Confluence on 185 S. 3rd Street in Easton.
“There’s a sense of wanting to get things done in Easton. Doing them right but wanting to get them done. There’s a desire and an energy there to move forward and to do.” stated John Callahan, Director of Business Development for Peron and Bethlehem’s former mayor. “…We understand the value of this project to enhance Easton’s downtown livability, to continue the revitalization of downtown and maximize the development of the economic impact of this project.”