Area 54 ha | ||
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Location NRHP Reference # 72001131, 88000452 (Boundary Increase) Added to NRHP May 5, 1972; November 7, 1988 (Boundary Increase) | ||
Central Bethlehem Historic District is a national historic district located at Bethlehem, Lehigh County and Northampton County, Pennsylvania. The district includes 165 contributing buildings, 6 contributing sites (including Nisky Hill Cemetery), 9 contributing structures, and 4 contributing objects. It is primarily residential, but also includes commercial buildings along Main Street. Most of the buildings were built between the mid-18th to early-20th century. The buildings are primarily 2 1/2 stories tall and constructed of brick or stone. More recent residences are frame construction. The district encompasses building that reflect Bethlehem's development from a Moravian community, 1741-1844, to an industrial based economy, 1845-1938. Notable non-residential buildings include several communal Moravian buildings, the George H. Myers Building, and the Hill to Hill Bridge. Located in the district is the separately listed Lehigh Canal.
It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972, with a Boundary Increase in 1988.