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Mostly cloudy skies early will become partly cloudy later in the day. High 47F. Winds light and variable..

A few clouds from time to time. Low 28F. Winds light and variable.

THE BLACK AND WHITE marble flooring can be seen in this photograph depicting the original main lobby of New Bethlehem’s landmark bank and clock tower building, now called the Redbank Valley History Center.

THE ORIGINAL BLACK and white marble flooring inside the main lobby of the former Northwest Bank building in New Bethlehem was uncovered during a recent project to remove the large teller stations from the space. Now dubbed the Redbank Valley History Center, historical society officials said that the plan is to clean up the marble flooring and use it as originally intended.

TIM SHICK (RIGHT) AND Scott Himes worked last week to remove the eight large bank teller booths from the main floor of the Redbank Valley History Center, located along Broad Street in New Bethlehem.

THE BLACK AND WHITE marble flooring can be seen in this photograph depicting the original main lobby of New Bethlehem’s landmark bank and clock tower building, now called the Redbank Valley History Center.

THE ORIGINAL BLACK and white marble flooring inside the main lobby of the former Northwest Bank building in New Bethlehem was uncovered during a recent project to remove the large teller stations from the space. Now dubbed the Redbank Valley History Center, historical society officials said that the plan is to clean up the marble flooring and use it as originally intended.

TIM SHICK (RIGHT) AND Scott Himes worked last week to remove the eight large bank teller booths from the main floor of the Redbank Valley History Center, located along Broad Street in New Bethlehem.

NEW BETHLEHEM – A minor renovation project at a New Bethlehem landmark recently led to a historical discovery dating back to the structure’s original interior design.

“It’s pretty amazing,” said Redbank Valley Historical Society president Cindy Morgan last week as she revealed the original marble flooring hidden underneath a carpet remanent on the floor of the Redbank Valley History Center, located along Broad Street in New Bethlehem. “I never dreamed that we’d find it.”

According to Morgan, the marble flooring was discovered last week as the eight bank teller stations were being removed from the main floor of the former Northwest Bank building in an effort to open up the space to better accommodate historical society programs, functions and exhibitions, as well as other community events.

“We were basically working around the teller stations,” Morgan said, pointing out that the large stations seemed like obstacles when it came to planning and hosting events and programs. She explained that the new floor plan provides a number of different options for seating and staging programs. “This will totally open it up so we’ll have much more versatility in the building.”

Noting that the teller stations were installed in the 1970s during a renovation project and not part of the original structure, Morgan said that the stations were being removed to return the main floor to its former grandeur.

“It was a lot more work than we thought it was going to be,” she said of removing the stations, noting that work began last Monday and wrapped earlier this week. The demolition and removal of the stations was completed by Tim Shick and Scott Himes. “It was a hard job, but the guys did a great job. They are really workers.”

According to a history of the building, the black and white marble floor was installed in an alternate-square design in the original public space of the bank, which was on the left side of the main entrance. Eventually, the teller stations were installed, and the floor around them was covered with carpeting.

Despite the years, historical society officials said they were pleased with how well the marble floor has held up and hope to clean up and use the floor as originally intended.

“Our plan is to clean it up and use it the way that it is,” Morgan said, noting that restoring the floor is going to take some work.

Historical society board member Debbie Huffman agreed.

“I think the hardest part will be ripping up the carpet up and getting the glue off,” she said.

Reflecting on the project, Morgan said it ties in with the Redbank Valley Historical Society’s ultimate goal of preserving the past.

“It takes you right back,” she said of the floor, recalling the floor from childhood visits to the bank. Although the building no longer serves as a bank, she said that it’s pretty special to be able to showcase different parts of its history. “You just walk in and are in awe of the building. This is all pretty exciting.”

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