http://www.hartwickcombustion.com/

Hartwick Combustion Technologies, Inc., Downey, CA (2026)

12/20/2023

09/09/2021

Defunct Bethlehem Steel, the factory that built NYC.
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Bethlehem Steel was, for much of the 20th century, one of the world's largest steel producing and shipbuilding companies.

It was the provider of the steel that fueled the skyscraper boom, a massive supplier of equipment during both world wars and a icon of American industrial might.

This was their flagship plant in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, with furnaces dating as far back as 1861.

The corporation continued to thrive into the early 20th century, partly as a result of the expanding orders for guns, munitions, and naval vessels from European powers both before and during World War 1.

During WW2, Bethlehem’s 15 shipyards produces a total of 1,121 ships, more than any other builder during the war and nearly one-fifth of the U.S. Navy's two-ocean fleet. The bulk of the company's total employment was 300,000.

Among the buildings the company has supplied the steel for in Manhattan: the Empire State Building, World Trade Centers, Madison Square Garden, 28 Liberty Street (formerly One Chase Manhattan Plaza), Rockefeller Center, and the Waldorf Astoria.

The company went bankrupt, for a variety of reasons, in 2001.

In 1995, the original factory here closed after 140 years. The site is now home to SteelStacks, an arts and entertainment district (including a casino).

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