ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks, the redeveloped Bethlehem Steel industrial site in Bethlehem, PA, provides dynamic performance and gallery space. Conceived to provide multiple simultaneous entertainment experiences, the 67,000-square-foot building required Isett structural engineers to design wide open spaces without column supports, enhancing traffic flow and sight lines. The “bones” of the building became part of the architectural design. The exposed I-beams are painted “International Orange” as a nod to the Golden Gate Bridge, whose steel was manufactured at the Bethlehem Steel blast furnaces adjacent to ArtsQuest. ArtsQuest Center hosts hundreds of events each year and is an integral hub for more than a dozen festivals, including the nine-day summer Musikfest, and Christkindlemart, a five-week celebration.
The American Institute of Architects Pennsylvania awarded Spillman Farmer Architects, the building’s designers, a Silver Medal – the organization’s highest honor.