In its heyday, 22,000 blue-collars worked on the Bethlehem Steel site in Lackawana. My grandfather Frank Azzarello was one of the 22,000. So was Stephen Tobias, pictured below on the right.
The Bethlehem Steel site was a city of its own, bustling with activity and productivity. It put Buffalo Niagara on the map. It propped Buffalo Niagara up. And then one day in 1982, it fell. Though its steel still stands strong in monuments like the Empire State Building and Golden Gate Bridge, Bethlehem Steel itself closed its doors.
Tagged to a post on the site stood a sign that read, “When the last worker leaves, please turn off the lights.” Those lights have been off for quite some time. The site has been a dark spot on the history of Buffalo Niagara’s economy and workforce. But today, with the stroke of a pen, the lights turned back on.
At an event on the site, Erie County announced the purchase of 150 acres of the former Bethlehem Steel site.
County Executive Mark Poloncarz stood at the podium with a deed in hand.
Now, the path forward is illuminated. A former Invest Buffalo Niagara win, Welded Tube, has proven that advanced manufacturing can succeed at Bethlehem Steel’s old location. The time has come for others to follow suit.
The first project to occupy the land acquired by Erie County will be a newly constructed light manufacturing net-zero energy building utilizing solar, geothermal, and wind energy. This environmentally conscious approach is the next big wave of advanced manufacturing, said Steve Weathers, president of Erie County Industrial Development Agency (ECIDA), who provided capital investment into the land purchasing project. Empire State Development also invested support at a very early stage in the process.
The construction of the net-zero manufacturing building will leave approximately 140 acres of land for additional companies to develop. The site features robust utilities, port access, rail access, highway proximity, lucrative incentives, and a rich history.
Lackawana Mayor Geoffrey Szymanski spoke at the event. The plant closed when he was just 8-years-old. Ever since then, he’s technically been trespassing on the private property. Now, Erie County owns it. And is more than happy to have him.
“This is a once great site that is ready to be great again,” Szymanski said.
