Re-imagining industrial history through an ecological lens 

This new mixed-use development in Easton’s Bushkill corridor neighborhood remediates and repurposes the grounds of the former Easton Iron & Metal Company, a metal recycling scrapyard that operated on the site for more than 60 years. Sitting on a bluff adjacent to the Karl Stirner Arts Trail and the Simon Silk Mill, the brownfield site’s transformation will embrace and highlight its sylvan setting overlooking the riparian condition along the Bushkill Creek while retaining the memory of its industrial past. Amidst new residential apartments, expansion of the Karl Stirner Arts Trail defines the site as a dynamic place for environmental and cultural enrichment. The project will include a $1.3M restoration of the adjacent rail trestle bridge, connecting the two banks of the Bushkill for pedestrians and bicyclists to pass through the site.

The landscape’s concept is inspired by the metallic mountains of scrap material that long defined the scene of the Easton Iron & Metal works. Bermed gardens with individual identities form habitat for pollinators and offer opportunities for pedagogic landscapes. The project sits within the Bushkill Creek floodplain, so the riparian edge is designed as a native buffer with floodable pathways. An elevated canopy walk overlook will offer visitors a different perspective of both the forest and the creek. A series of salvaged metal artworks will be featured along the trail, celebrating the site’s history as well as its adjacency to the sculpture-filled Karl Stirner Arts Trail.