We may know the names of the architects of our favorite buildings however we often neglect to credit the builders. John Stewart Allam built many of Bethlehem’s finest structures from 1877 until his death in 1896. Allam, born in 1848, grew up on his parents’ farm in Bucks County. He arrived in Bethlehem when he was 16 years old to apprentice with his uncles, the Moravian contractors John and Abraham Yost. Allam established his own contracting business in South Bethlehem by 1877 and successfully collaborated with architect A.W. Leh to build schools, churches, businesses and residences.

Today, we can still see examples of this fortunate collaboration.

The Children’s Home (known as KidsPeace today), built in 1895, was a three-story building of brick, surrounded by fruit and shade trees. The orphanage was located on a large lot on Broadway, in Salisbury Township. The property allowed room to raise cows and poultry. You can still pick out the original building however the structure has been expanded. Holy Infancy High School, the first Bethlehem parochial school, was built in 1892, at Fourth and Webster Streets. The Holy Infancy ES uses the three-story brick building today. The Lehigh Valley Silk Mills, located at Seneca and Clewell streets in Fountain Hill, was built in 1886. The Mills, Warren and Lloyd, were built into a small space in a residential neighborhood. The brick buildings were designed to take the best advantage of limited daylight and local water mains.

Moravian College’s Comenius Hall was built in 1892 on Main Street near Elizabeth Avenue. It was constructed of Potsdam sandstone with accents of bluestone and limestone. This impressive building survived a fire in 1913 with the walls remaining strong enough to support the rebuilding of the hall. The Person & Riegel Building, known today as Landmark Commons, was built in 1890 on Main Street. The four-story store and office building was built of stone rather than the usual brick.

In 1877, Allam built his state-of-the-art woodworking plant on Second Street, South Bethlehem, along the North Penn Railroad tracks. A.W. Leh relocated his office to the second floor of the plant. Besides building contracts, Allam produced office furniture and shelving. He received contracts outside the Bethlehem area, as well. He built the Hazleton State General Hospital for Hazleton coal miners and the Lehigh Boiler Works, in Paterson, N.J. Allam worked with several other architects besides Leh, such as L. S. Jacoby, T. P. Chandler, Bruce Price and Addison Hutton.

He was a popular, generous man and was highly regarded by South Bethlehem citizens. Allam was one of three members on the Health Committee of South Bethlehem during the 1882 epidemic of smallpox. That year, over seventy cases developed within two days in South Bethlehem. His committee quickly instituted quarantines and free vaccinations to successfully stop the spread of the disease. In 1887 Allam convinced his associates and employees, numbering 115 men, to donate one day’s pay to St. Luke’s Hospital, which came to a total of $325. Allam had an impressive appearance, weighing close to 300 pounds and always sporting his “plug” hat, a style worn by Charlie Chaplin in his films.

He married Emeline Titus and they had one child, Charles H., born in 1872. The family lived on West Fourth Street, near Broadway. Charles was the company bookkeeper when he became of age to work. At age 48, Allam died of edema and his employee Benedict Birkel, another important Bethlehem builder, carried on his work.

Allam was buried at Nisky Hill Cemetery. Charles, left the contracting business, upon his father’s death and became a foreman at the Bethlehem Steel Corporation. Some may find it ironic that this premiere builder’s family residence was demolished in 1998 to make way for a “cookie cutter” CVS Pharmacy.