Seeking Landmark Status For Bethlehem Steel

Despite its 1995 closure, the Bethlehem Steel Works continue to inspire local residents. The blast furnaces that powered the American Century are in danger of demolition if landmark status or funding cannot be secured. "The cost of rehabilitating the blast furnaces is too high for Bethlehem Steel...With some of the Bethlehem Works attractions slated to open in August 2003, planners have only six to nine months to resolve what to do with the furnaces."The decision whether to save or scrap the blast furnaces comes as Bethlehem Steel is pushing to revitalize the deserted plant about 50 miles north of Philadelphia as a sprawling development park, called Bethlehem Works, that will include retail shops, movie theaters, office space, a hockey rink and the future Smithsonian-affiliated National Museum of Industrial History.