More than two decades may have passed since a blighted, vacant site in Coopersburg saw activity.
No more.
Cityline Construction of Allentown is demolishing structures that once housed an orphanage and a religious college to make way for 23 new condominiums on South Main Street.
The $3.5 million project, called Pinebrook Manor, should be completed by Cityline by late spring, early summer, said Tom Williams Jr., real estate director of Cityline.
The site formerly housed Pinebrook Junior College, vacant since 1992. Before that, the site was an orphanage and school until 1974.
Asbestos removal is ongoing, and the gymnasium is the first building to be demolished, Williams said. The site includes four buildings, covering 40,000 square feet, on nearly four acres.
Demolition will end in mid-December, followed by construction, Williams said.
“We want to help the community take something that’s blighted and turn it into a flagship for the community,” he said.
The condos, designed by Portner & Hetke Architects of Emmaus, will look more like townhouses and include two- and three-bedroom units starting at about $260,000, Williams said.
American Bank of South Whitehall Township is financing the project.
Williams said the community has been very supportive.