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Southside Center is new chapter in NCC's history

Ben Heins

Issue date: 5/23/05 Section: News
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The Southside Center´s main entrance will soon be flooded with NCC students and faculty.
Media Credit: Cathy M. Socci
The Southside Center´s main entrance will soon be flooded with NCC students and faculty.
[Click to enlarge]
There´s lots of classroom space available in the College´s Southside Center. Every corner you turn, there´s another hallway.
Media Credit: Cathy M. Socci
There´s lots of classroom space available in the College´s Southside Center. Every corner you turn, there´s another hallway.
[Click to enlarge]
Six floors of empty space will take on new life this fall when more than 1,600 NCC students and 50 faculty members move into the new Southside Center in South Bethlehem.

Formerly the Discovery Center of Science and Technology, this one-time Bethlehem Steel building can potentially hold hundreds of classrooms.

"You can't find a building like this anymore," Discovery Center Facilities and Exhibits Manager Gary Kline said. "Everything from the solid marble lobby to the stainless steel structure. ... This will be a beautiful addition to NCC."

Renovations will be done over the summer starting with the fourth to first floors, then continue with the fifth and sixth floors, plus two basement levels.

Kline is pleased that NCC is taking over. "Hopefully NCC will bring back some of the art-deco style that was prominent in the center back in the '40s and '50s," he said.

Operations will end June 11 at the Discovery Center, which will be moved to a new facility near Cedar Crest College in the Allentown area.

The Discovery Center, established in 1989, allows kids and families to explore more than 100 hands-on exhibits that demonstrate real-world applications of science and technology.

Led by Dean of Community Education Paul Pierpoint, NCC's new campus is tentatively scheduled to open in time for fall courses.

NCC purchased the building at 511 E. Third St. in March for $2 million. President Art Scott is enthusiastic about the acquisition.

"There's a lot of potential in the Southside Center," Scott said. At 125,000-square-foot, it's "almost as big as the Main Campus's College Center."

The Southside Center, which overlooks some of Bethlehem Steel's long-silent factories, is a relic from yesteryear.

But these days, NCC is much more interested in its future than its past.
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