Allentown apartment project pays homage to former institute

It’s time for a new type of apartment in downtown Allentown.

That’s according to Tom Williams Jr., real estate director at Cityline Construction in Allentown.

His company is looking to meet the demand for high-end residential space in the city but with a more open look and feel.

By renovating an older building with large, lofty windows, he said he can do that.

He’s begun transforming an 8,000-square-foot, three-story building at 24 S. Eighth St. into six luxury apartments.

“It’s going to be wrapped up in April 2016,” Williams said. “We just feel there is a need for a different type of apartment in Allentown right now, something you would see out of New York or Philadelphia.”

The building will have a loftier-type feel, with exposed brick walls, vaulted 12-foot ceilings and kitchens with stainless steel countertops.

“All of them will have an open feel,” Williams said.

Sizes for the apartments range from 800 square feet to 1,200 square feet. Rentals will go for $1,200 for a one-bedroom and $1,500 for a two-bedroom unit.

He will name the building Wible 24 in honor of the site’s former occupants, the Wibler Language Institute, a publisher that created learning materials for speakers of foreign languages. The building has been vacant 10 to 12 years, if not longer, Williams said.

His company bought old books published by Wibler, and he would like to incorporate some of the book covers into the design.

Williams said his project will cost about $400,000 to build, including the commercial element on the first floor, which covers 2,500 square feet of space that’s being marketed.

Wible 24 is across from the newly approved Five City Center Urban Innovation Campus, a City Center Investment Corp. project that includes a 17-story tower scheduled to break ground next year.

Source: LVB