ALLENTOWN, Pa. — The project to replace the city police department’s secondary station with a state-of-the-art new Allentown Art Museum got a huge boost from state officials this week.
The museum this spring agreed to buy the aging substation at Tenth and Hamilton streets.
State Sens. Nick Miller and Jarrett Coleman on Friday announced $775,000 in funding from the Statewide Local Share Account will help pay for the cost of planning Allentown Art Museum’s new facility.
The funding “affirms the essential role that cultural institutions play in strengthening communities, expanding access to arts and driving economic vitality in our region.”Allentown Art Museum CEO Max Weintraub
The state government’s six-figure allocation “affirms the essential role that cultural institutions play in strengthening communities, expanding access to arts and driving economic vitality in our region,” Museum Chief Executive Officer Max Weintraub said in a news release.
By helping fund the new museum’s planning, that money will “work in ways that will benefit Allentown and the Lehigh Valley for generations to come,” Weintraub said.
Allentown Mayor Matt Tuerk has said the area just west of Center City will “become the No. 1 destination for vibrant arts” in the Lehigh Valley.
The new Allentown Art Museum would be less than a block from Archer Music Hall, which is leading the renaissance.
New museum still years away
But the project could take several years.
Allentown police officers were expected to remain in the substation until they could move into an expanded headquarters next to City Hall.
But the city has leased office and parking space for the department to vacate the building as early as spring 2026, according to Controller Jeff Glazier.
Officials are expected to solicit bids from construction companies early next year for an 18-month expansion project at the Hamilton Street headquarters.
The timeline means the new police station would be ready around Summer 2027.Allentown Police new station schedule
That timeline means the new police station would be ready around Summer 2027.
Allentown Parking Authority this year bought the police station from the city and bundled it with a neighboring property for resale.
Two organizations bid for that lot.
The parking authority’s board unanimously chose the museum’s plans for a new facility over Pennrose Properties’ proposal for a mixed-use building with apartments and commercial uses.
Allentown got $770,000 from the sale to the Allentown Art Museum, a $20,000 profit on the city’s March 2010 investment in the property.
The city initially was set to make at least $1.5 million, but officials altered the terms of the deal before the property’s sale.
