Bethlehem’s iconic Boyd Theatre slated for February demolition

Bethlehem’s iconic Boyd Theatre is finally coming down.

Alicia Miller Karner, Bethlehem’s director of community and economic development, said the city will begin demolition of the long-blighted building in early February.

Serfass Construction Co. is handling the demolition and the company has already begun interior flattening of the building, clearing out asbestos and other junk before exterior work can begin.

Boyd Theatre, once a staple of Bethlehem’s performing arts scene, has sat vacant and blighted since 2011 after severe weather damaged the building that year.

The storefronts next to the theater were condemned in 2015 because of the building’s deterioration.

DLP Real Estate Capital and Monocacy General Contracting bought the building in early 2021 with plans to transform the longempty site into a luxury apartment complex.

Bethlehem City Council approved plans for the building in October, though the developers had to scale back their original plans from 13 stories to 6 to win the city’s approval. With 204 apartment units, an underground parking deck, pool and courtyard, the project’s price tag is $50 million. It will be the biggest redevelopment project in downtown Bethlehem, according to Monacacy CEO Plamen Ayvazov.

Demolition is expected to take three months, according to Karner, and building construction will begin soon after that. The new complex is expected to be finished by 2023.

Fans of the theater’s iconic “Boyd Theatre” sign that has long graced West Broad Street don’t need to worry about its future. Karner said the developers plan to incorporate the signage into one of the building’s courtyards.

“It’s a once in a lifetime project,” Karner said of the development. “The redevelopment of that site is going to reinvigorate an area of Broad Street that’s been a challenge for the city.”