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Restored Grist Miller’s House Honored with PA Historic Preservation Award
September 25th, 2025
Award to Be Presented During Preservation Pennsylvania Event in Pittsburgh Oct. 16
BETHLEHEM, PA—Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites (HBMS) is pleased to announce that the restored 1782/1834 Grist Miller’s House in Bethlehem’s Colonial Industrial Quarter (CIQ) has been honored with a Preservation Pennsylvania 2025 Historic Preservation Award. The Construction Award for Rehabilitation Projects will be presented to HBMS and its construction partners during an awards ceremony at the iconic Carrie Blast Furnaces in Pittsburgh on Oct. 16.
Located adjacent to the Luckenbach Mill off Old York Road in the CIQ, the Grist Miller’s House was once home to Bethlehem’s mill operator and his family. Listed on the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places, the building was built in 1782 and expanded in 1834, serving as a residence from the 1830s until the 1970s.
The Grist Miller’s House was shuttered in the mid-2000s due to structural concerns, but HBMS embarked on a major renovation project in 2024 to restore the house. Following extensive structural repairs and reinforcements, the external steel beams that were in place for two decades to help stabilize the Grist Miller’s House walls were removed in September 2024, marking a major milestone in the project.
“Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites and its project partners are thrilled to be recognized with this prestigious honor from our peers and colleagues in the historic preservation profession,” said HBMS President & CEO LoriAnn Wukitsch. “This award not only recognizes the quality of our organization’s preservation work but also reinforces HBMS’s leadership in safeguarding America’s early industrial heritage and Bethlehem’s unique historic treasures. We thank all of the donors and supporters who have helped to make this important revitalization project possible.”
The Preservation Pennsylvania Historic Preservation Award recognizes the collaborative efforts of HBMS and an outstanding team of construction and design partners that includes: Artefact Inc. and Lead Architect Christine Ussler; Lock Ridge Engineering; Allied Building Corp.; 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.
“We are thrilled to see the project receive this recognition,” said Artefact’s Christine Ussler. “It’s so meaningful for Historic Bethlehem to have this long-vacant building restored and to see it in use as a venue to celebrate the colonial industries that played such a vital role in Bethlehem’s history.”
Opened in April 2025, the Grist Miller’s House now serves as a gateway to Bethlehem’s Colonial Industrial Quarter, a location that in the mid-1750s was home to approximately 35 crafts, trades and industries. The community can visit the building on Saturdays from 2-4 p.m. to see the exhibitions focusing on 18th– and 19th-century industry. In addition, the Grist Miller’s House is the starting point for HBMS’s Birthplace of Industry Tour that explores the CIQ, considered to be the first industrial center in the nation. Birthplace of Industry Tours take place Fridays and Saturdays at 11 a.m.
The Grist Miller’s House is also home to educational programming including HBMS’s new Artist Workshop Series. Upcoming workshops include Wood Carving Oct. 11, the Art of Engraving Oct. 25 and a Redware Sgraffito Workshop Nov. 1.
Preservation Pennsylvania, the commonwealth’s only statewide nonprofit dedicated to historic preservation, has recognized outstanding preservation work across the commonwealth with its annual awards presentations since 1979. This year, 17 people and projects are receiving the honor after selection by an independent review panel of preservation professionals.
For more information on Preservation Pennsylvania, visit preservationpa.org. Additional details on the Grist Miller’s House and programs are available at historicbethlehem.org.
