By ANGELA DELGROSSO
THE MORNING CALL | MAY 18, 2019 | 11:00 AM
I remember being a little girl in the car with my parents, cruising down Eighth Avenue on the way to the Bethlehem Golf Club, Little League practice, ice skating lessons at municipal ice rink, or Westgate Pizza for a slice before stopping into Toy Tunnel. I recall looking out the car window, mesmerized by the size and uniqueness of Martin Tower standing tall, smack dab in the middle of an open field, and just saying 鈥渨ow.鈥
As an inquisitive kid, I wanted to know what it was and who got to work there. My dad explained it was the corporate headquarters for Bethlehem Steel and that he used to work in the building鈥檚 kitchen.
My Aunt Theresa was a crane operator at the Stacks, at the same site my Uncle Donald, great-grandfather and grandfather all worked. Now that鈥檚 what you call a family affair.
I always loved seeing that building and feeling so small next to it, even after growing out of my childhood.
I was soon off to Moravian College, and as ridiculous as this may sound (being only a five-minute drive from home) I would occasionally find myself homesick. After moving into my new dorm room with a complete stranger, unsure of what my future held, I sat on my bed and looked out the window, where I realized I could see Martin Tower. Comfort rushed over me as I knew in my heart 鈥 it鈥檚 all good, I鈥檓 home.
While I am sad the building could not be salvaged, I understand Martin Tower is not a symbol of comfort for everyone. To some, it鈥檚 a symbol of corporate culture gone wrong, job loss and hardship, success of the past, and challenging times for the economy of our great city. So just maybe it is time for change in this new world. Maybe it鈥檚 time to move forward.
I applaud Mayor Bob Donchez for the balancing act he鈥檚 achieved of bridging the past and future of the city we all love. In my new position as senior vice president for the Bethlehem Chamber, I am excited for what the future holds.
Stepping aside from the optimism of change, I must confess my concerns for our great downtown business owners and the effect this may have on them. While I think it鈥檚 important to be mindful of that impact, I am hopeful the redevelopment plans will only strengthen the city as a whole instead of create any competition to our downtowns.
Historic Downtown Bethlehem is timeless and quaint, drawing many for its unique shops, restaurant row and fascinating history, which cannot be replicated. The South Side is booming with arts, culture, music and new development. Each has its own personality and together make the city and economy better. I anticipate whatever is decided for the Martin Tower land will have its own personality too, only adding to this momentum.
As viewing parties, 鈥渨akes鈥 and other events pop up for what many are calling the event of the year, I will be watching the implosion from the rooftop of my new Five10 Flats apartment on the South Side. I will watch the tower come down from the same neighborhood my ancestors settled in 100 years ago when they came from Italy, Germany and Ireland to work one of the many jobs made available through Bethlehem Steel. I will be watching from a symbol of the flourishing present and future, while a symbol of Bethlehem鈥檚 past and great Industrial Revolution is removed.
While Martin Tower will be no more, it will be ingrained in our culture as Bethlehemites. Regardless of residents鈥 and business owners鈥 differing opinions on the removal of the tower and redevelopment of the site, we can agree we wouldn鈥檛 be where we are today as a city if it weren鈥檛 for Bethlehem Steel.
There are thousands of people with stories like mine, who have deep family ties to Martin Tower. There are thousands more with their own ties as former employees of the Steel. So we thank Martin Tower for representing Bethlehem Steel as the world corporate headquarters. We thank Martin Tower for providing opportunities for immigrants to start a new life living out their American dream. We thank Martin Tower for teaching us how to be better and do better business moving forward.
Most of all, we thank Martin Tower for showing the little girls looking up in awe at a symbol of the past that, together, we are stronger than steel.