Viewfinder: ArtsQuest Center Opening in 3 Weeks

Bethlehem City Council members and other dignitaries visited the new ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks for a tour of the new $26 million facility last week.

The city, Northampton County and the Bethlehem Area School District are invested in the project by financing a  to pay for public infrastructure around the center, including the outdoor performance spaces that will surround the old Bethlehem Steel Blast Furnace, which dominates the view from the ArtsQuest Center.

The building is set to open on April 15, with showings at the new Frank Banko Alehouse Cinemas, a two-screen arthouse movie theater in which patrons will be able to order assigned seats online, ArtsQuest founder and President Jeffrey Parks told those assembled.

The center will also include public space, including the Creativity Commons on the building’s first floor, which will have French café style doors that can be fully opened when the weather cooperates. The space will be adjacent to the Air Products Town Square, which will have activities and performances on a regular basis.

The Commons will also be home to the Mike and Ike Bistro, which will serve salads, paninis, popcorn, sweets and drinks. Named for the candy produced by , the commissary will be operated by the food services company, Aramark.

The Fowler Blast Furnace Room on the second floor will host comedy, experimental theater, improvisational groups and other performances.

The third and fourth floors will be home to the Musikfest Café, presented by Yuengling, which Parks compared to both Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York and the World Café Live in Philadelphia.

A number of shows have already been booked for this space, which will accommodate between 500 and 1,000 spectators, depending on how the seats are arranged.

During the tour, Parks conceded that ticket sales have been brisk.

“Let me just say, if you want to see a show, you should buy tickets soon,” he told those assembled for the tour. “Ticket sales are exceeding our expectations, especially for a venue people have not seen.”

Also last week, ArtsQuest announced its Performing Arts Series lineup that will play during Musikfest. It also announced that comedian John Oliver, the British comedian best known for his appearances on The Daily Show, will come to the Café on June 3.