June 15–Bethlehem’s Sayre Mansion has joined Historic Hotels of America, a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
The mansion is one of more than 240 hotels and resorts in the country that is recognized by Historic Hotels of America for preserving and maintaining its historic integrity, architecture and ambience. Other Lehigh Valley members include the Hotel Bethlehem and the Glasbern Inn in Weisenberg Township.
To be selected for membership, a hotel must be at least 50 years old, listed in or eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, or recognized locally as having historic significance.
“We’re proud to be recognized as a member of Historic Hotels of America,” says innkeeper Carrie Ohlandt in a news release. “Sayre Mansion has been integral to the Bethlehem community for more than 150 years. It’s our pleasure to offer gracious hospitality and distinctive lodging in such an historic setting.”
Built in 1858, the Sayre Mansion was the first grand residence constructed in the wealthy Bethlehem neighborhood of Fountain Hill — now a designated National Register Historic District — and was home to one of the community’s most distinguished residents, Robert Heysham Sayre.
Sayre, chief engineer of Lehigh Valley Railroad, build the Gothic Revival-style mansion close to the railroad as he was a hands-on manager. The Sayre family lived in the mansion until 1907, when Robert Sayre died.
The Sayre Mansion offers all the amenities of a modern boutique hotel with a blend of old-world elegance and full corporate services. The mansion also hosts outdoor weddings and events on the tented flagstone patio adjacent to the mansion.
— Ryan Kneller
