Photo Phriday - 2015 02 13

Former Bethlehem Steel building and one of the many steeples of South Side.

Symbol of Progress

I've spent a lot of time at the Bethlehem Area Public Library (BAPL).  Summer reading programs when I was a kid, seemingly endless stacks of books, and an incredible Local History room full of old maps and records.  BAPL is a great place.

Of all of the time I spent there, I never knew anything about the sculpture in the plaza.  You know the one:


Yeah, that thing.  What is it called?  What does it symbolize?  Who made it?  When was it installed?  Why is it covered in spiders and their webs every summer?  So many questions.  Finally, here are some answers, brought to you by a long holiday weekend with no travel plans*!

The sculpture, called "Symbol of Progress", was installed in 1967 as part of Bethlehem's new City Center Plaza.  It was created by Joseph J Greenberg, Jr of Philadelphia, and is made of Bethlehem Steel.  According to Lehigh Valley Style, "His intent was to symbolize the diversity of ethnic groups living in Bethlehem. Greenberg’s vision features three tapered steel arcs that are joined in the middle, denoting the fusion of these different ethnicities. The arcs continue skyward, calling on the strength of the integration."  Pretty cool!

I can't answer my last question from above, regarding why spiders love this sculpture so much, but I'm going to guess they just really enjoy public art.


Photo by Munkeyspasm via Flickr
*No travel plans?  How did that happen?!  It worked out pretty well considering how icy the roads were!

Sources:

• "Steel Sculpture for City Center" from the Gettysburg Times, Aug 16, 1967.  
• Link: http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2202&dat=19670816&id=52UmAAAAIBAJ&sjid=bP8FAAAAIBAJ&pg=829,1354496 
• "Lehigh Valley Icon" from the Lehigh Valley Style blog.  
• Link: http://www.lehighvalleystyle.com/January-2014/Lehigh-Valley-Icon/ 
• "Symbol of Progress, (sculpture)" from The Smithsonian.
• Link: http://collections.si.edu/search/results.htm?q=record_ID:siris_ari_340711
•  "Depth of Field" photo by Munkeyspasm on Flickr
• Link: https://www.flickr.com/photos/13259574@N05/3169655682 

Giant Robots Taking Over Bethlehem?

Only kinda...

A scene for Transformers 2 is being filmed in/around the blast furnaces of the former Bethlehem Steel! Of course, that means it's photo time for me. Sadly, most of the robotic awesomeness is CG and thus not present... However, the lighting crew did an excellent job and the blast furnaces look awesome!



As far as I know, they're filming 4p - 7a, Mon-Thurs this coming week. And if you're Asian, they're looking for extras! If you're just walking/driving around observing or taking photos... watch out for the security guards. They like to hassle you even if you're on public property.

EDIT:
The Morning Call has two articles, and some blog has photos (scroll down to see the set).