{"id":149569,"date":"2026-05-23T21:00:14","date_gmt":"2026-05-24T01:00:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thevalleyledger.com\/?p=149569"},"modified":"2026-05-23T21:00:14","modified_gmt":"2026-05-24T01:00:14","slug":"artsquest-celebrates-brick-breaking-at-lvhn-part-of-jefferson-health-turn-grind-shop","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thevalleyledger.com\/?p=149569","title":{"rendered":"ArtsQuest Celebrates Brick Breaking at LVHN, part of Jefferson Health Turn & Grind Shop"},"content":{"rendered":"

Photos by Lisa Boehm<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Ceremonial event at SteelStacks marks major construction milestone for Re-Imagine That! Capital Campaign<\/em><\/p>\n

Bethlehem, Lehigh Valley, PA, May 22, 2026 – \u00a0ArtsQuest<\/a>\u00a0yesterday celebrated a major milestone in its Re-Imagine That! Capital Campaign with a ceremonial brick breaking for the Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN), part of Jefferson Health, Turn & Grind Shop at the ArtsQuest Campus at SteelStacks.<\/p>\n

The event brought together state and local officials, sponsors, donors and community partners to mark the next phase of construction for the historic Bethlehem Steel facility\u2014once a critical part of the nation\u2019s industrial and military production\u2014into a multi-use arts and cultural venue.<\/p>\n

The ceremony featured remarks from Pennsylvania Secretary of Revenue Patrick Browne; State Senator Lisa Boscola; Northampton County Executive Tara Zrinski; City of Bethlehem Director of Community and Economic Development Laura Collins; Dr. Joseph Cacchione, CEO of Jefferson Health; ArtsQuest President & CEO Kassie Hilgert; Sean Boyle, President of Boyle Construction and Gregg Feinberg, co-chair of the Re-Imagine That! Capital Campaign. ArtsQuest Chief Operating Officer Curt Mosel opened and closed the program.<\/p>\n

Revitalizing a 155-Year-Old Building<\/strong><\/p>\n

Originally part of Bethlehem Steel\u2019s No. 2 Machine Shop operations, the 26,000-square-foot Turn & Grind Shop played a vital role in shaping and finishing massive steel components to exact specifications. During World War II, Bethlehem Steel supplied approximately 80% of the U.S. Navy\u2019s armor plate and heavy guns, with facilities like the Turn & Grind contributing to the precision machining that powered more than 1,000 naval vessels.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
ArtsQuest – Turn and Grind Brick Break (photo by Lisa Boehm)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Today, that same space is being reimagined\u2014transforming from a site of industrial production into a dynamic, multi-purpose venue that will support arts programming\u00a0large-scale festivals, private events and corporate functions throughout the year. The LVHN, part of Jefferson Health Turn & Grind Shop will provide much needed expansion for signature events like Musikfest, Christkindlmarkt and Oktoberfest, while creating new opportunities for community engagement and regional tourism.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis building tells a powerful story,\u201d said\u00a0Kassie Hilgert, President & CEO of ArtsQuest<\/strong>. \u201cThe Turn & Grind Shop once helped build the machinery that powered our nation. Today, we\u2019re honoring that legacy by transforming it into a flexible, multi-use space that will bring people together for exhibits, festivals, events and shared experiences. From Musikfest and Christkindlmarkt to new programming and corporate gatherings, this facility will play a critical role in how we continue to grow SteelStacks as a destination for arts, culture and community.\u201d<\/p>\n

Advancing the Re-Imagine That! Capital Campaign<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Turn & Grind Shop is a cornerstone project within ArtsQuest\u2019s Re-Imagine That! Capital Campaign, which also includes the ArtsQuest Creative Factory powered by PPL. Together, these projects represent more than $80 million in investment in public arts infrastructure by ArtsQuest across Bethlehem\u2019s SouthSide Arts District.<\/p>\n

As SteelStacks continues to evolve as a regional and national destination for arts and culture, the revitalization of the Turn & Grind Shop also reflects the growing connection between welcoming public spaces, social connection and overall community wellbeing.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis project reflects what\u2019s possible when healthcare, arts\u00a0and\u00a0community come together with a shared vision,\u201d said Dr. Joseph Cacchione, CEO of Jefferson Health. \u201cWe are proud to support the transformation of the Turn\u00a0&\u00a0Grind\u00a0Shop into a space that promotes wellbeing, connection\u00a0and\u00a0creativity\u2014all key components of a healthy\u00a0and\u00a0thriving community.\u201d<\/p>\n

A New Chapter in Adaptive Reuse<\/strong><\/p>\n

The redevelopment of the Turn & Grind Shop, designed by MKSD Architects and developed by Boyle Construction, builds on ArtsQuest\u2019s nationally recognized work in adaptive reuse, continuing the transformation of the Bethlehem Steel site into a sustainable arts and cultural campus.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe vision for the Turn & Grind Shop has always been about honoring the building\u2019s legacy while reimagining how the community will experience it moving forward,\u201d said Todd Chambers, Partner at MKSD Architects. \u201cOur design approach preserves the industrial authenticity and architectural character that make this structure so significant, while introducing flexible, modern spaces that will allow the building to evolve into a destination for arts, culture, hospitality and community connection.\u201d<\/p>\n

The brick breaking, which allowed guests to gather at a designated spot inside the remediated building to tap bricks with ceremonial mini sledgehammers, served as a symbolic nod to both its industrial past and its future.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom an engineering and construction perspective, it\u2019s been an incredibly rewarding and complex undertaking to work within a 155-year-old building while carefully preserving the integrity and character of the original Turn & Grind Shop,\u201d said Sean Boyle, President of Boyle Construction. \u201cAs construction progresses, we\u2019re carefully balancing restoration with innovation and adapting the building in a way that honors its legacy while transforming it into a new venue to support the arts and community experiences for generations to come.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

As construction progresses, ArtsQuest will continue to share updates and milestones leading up to the project\u2019s completion as part of the broader Re-Imagine! That Capital Campaign, which is expected to conclude in 2027.<\/p>\n

About ArtsQuest<\/strong><\/p>\n

ArtsQuest’s<\/a>\u00a0<\/u>mission is to provide access to exceptional artistic, cultural and educational experiences, using arts and culture as drivers of economic development in our urban communities. ArtsQuest supports this mission through performing and visual arts, film, arts education and outreach, youth programming and a wide range of cultural events, anchored by signature venues and initiatives including its flagship event,\u00a0Musikfest<\/a>; the\u00a0ArtsQuest Creative Factory powered by PPL<\/a>, a centerpiece for the Valley’s artistic communities; the ArtsQuest Center at\u00a0SteelStacks<\/a>;<\/u>\u00a0and the\u00a0LVHN, part of Jefferson Health Turn & Grind Shop<\/a>,<\/u>\u00a0an adaptive reuse project expanding space for programming, festivals, private events and nationally touring exhibits. ArtsQuest welcomes more than 2 million people annually, with nearly 40 percent of its programs free to attend, generating a regional economic impact of close to $193 million in 2025. ArtsQuest’s\u00a0Re-Imagine That! Capital Campaign<\/a>\u00a0<\/u>supports the continued growth of its mission to make the arts accessible for all.<\/p>\n

Information provided to TVL by:<\/p>\n

Bryn Keeney<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Photos by Lisa Boehm Ceremonial event at SteelStacks marks major construction milestone for Re-Imagine That! Capital Campaign Bethlehem, Lehigh Valley, PA, May 22, 2026 – \u00a0ArtsQuest\u00a0yesterday celebrated a major milestone … Continue reading ArtsQuest Celebrates Brick Breaking at LVHN, part of Jefferson Health Turn & Grind Shop<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":149570,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false},"categories":[69,482],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-149569","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-in-the-valley","category-press-release-2"],"acf":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thevalleyledger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Lisa-Boehm-turn-and-grind.jpg?fit=672%2C372&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/149569","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=149569"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/149569\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":149572,"href":"https:\/\/thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/149569\/revisions\/149572"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/149570"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=149569"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=149569"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=149569"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}