Ralph Schwarz Center for Colonial Industries to be recognized with Construction Award for Rehabilitation
Bethlehem, PA: Historic Bethlehem Museums and Sites and the design team led by Artefact, Inc., will receive a 2025 Pennsylvania Historic Preservation Award in the category of Construction-Rehabilitation for the restoration of the 1782/1834 Grist Miller’s House in the Colonial Industrial Quarter of Historic Bethlehem, now known as the Ralph G. Schwarz Center for Colonial Industries. The Schwarz Center project team will receive this year’s honor alongside 16 other recipients at an awards ceremony at the Carrie Blast Furnaces in Pittsburgh at 3 p.m. on October 16, 2025.
Named in honor of Ralph Grayson Schwarz, a leading preservationist in Bethlehem as well as nationally, the renovated miller’s house serves as a gateway property to Historic Bethlehem’s Colonial Industrial Quarter, widely recognized as one of the first industrial parks in America. The new center serves as a venue to educate students and visitors on industrial trades and crafts through exhibitions, demonstrations, and artist workshops.
Other members of the Schwarz Center project team include construction manager Allied Building Corporation, Lock Ridge Engineering, Hofmeister Engineering PC, Mulhern Consulting Engineers and Associates, Dual Temp Company Inc., Fenstermacher Construction Services, Orlando Diefenderfer Electrical Contractors Inc., Alan Kunsman Roofing & Siding, Duggan & Marcon Inc., GC Zarnas & Company, Broc Mechanical Inc., Sargent Enterprises Inc., Lytwyn Group LLC, Lehigh Concrete Technologies, Weir Welding Company Inc., Anvil Craft Corp., Kelley Bros, Tile and Stone Creation LLC, and Schmidt Contracting Inc.
This is the seventh honor that Artefact has received from Preservation Pennsylvania, a private nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting historic preservation projects throughout the state.
In past years, Artefact has been recognized by Preservation Pennsylvania for the firm’s design and rehabilitation work on Laros Lofts (Bethlehem), the Historic Lehigh County Courthouse (Allentown), the Simon Silk Mill (Easton), the Easton Public Market (Easton), the Governor George Wolf Building (Easton), and the Northampton County Courthouse (Easton).
To learn more about Artefact, Inc., please visit www.artefactarchitecture.com.
About Artefact, Inc.
Artefact, an architecture firm specializing in adaptive reuse, new construction, interior design, and historic preservation, is a WBENC-certified Women’s Business Enterprise. Founded in 1986, the firm has established a reputation for exceptional design, sustainable solutions, and extensive knowledge of historic architecture. Building types include multi-use and residential buildings, restaurants, educational facilities, courthouses, theaters, museums, and other cultural and recreational facilities. The firm also provides historic preservation consulting for municipalities as well as private developers and owners.
About Preservation Pennsylvania
Founded in 1982, Preservation Pennsylvania is the commonwealth’s only independent, statewide, nonprofit membership organization dedicated to safeguarding historically and architecturally significant places. Distinct from any government agency, we rely on member support, private donations, and grants to advance preservation through grassroots and legislative advocacy, technical assistance, and educational programs. By partnering with communities, government entities, and local heritage organizations, we strengthen efforts to preserve our shared cultural assets, spur economic development, strengthen community identity, and enrich quality of life. With a solid reputation of securing historic tax credits and championing preservation initiatives, we remain a vital force in protecting the commonwealth’s cultural and architectural legacy for future generations.
Information provided to TVL by:
Emily Dings
