Lehigh Valley Dairy
DEMOLISHED
The Lehigh Valley Dairy, with its distinctive Art Deco façade, was born in tough times and has been a feature of the local landscape since 1934. Once called ‘America’s Most Beautiful Dairy, ' it has been abandoned since 1989. Join us as we venture inside to see what remains before demolition begins.
The Lehigh Valley Cooperative Farmers created it in 1934 by renovating a silk mill in the depths of the Great Depression. By 1944, over 800 farmers joined, increasing production to over 148,000 pounds. In 1947, the facility was expanded into a 321,000-square-foot multi-story building on over 19 acres of land, including a complex of buildings. Along with milk, it produced cheese and ice cream. It featured a retail dairy bar and auditorium, often used to host a local high school’s graduations.
In 1969, milk production was moved from the Allentown facility to a new facility in Landsdale, with the Allentown dairy producing ice cream, cottage cheese, sour cream, and condensed milk. The dairy remained profitable into the early 1970s until it was discovered that financial corruption began with economic losses, the firing of its president, and negative attention to the business. It was discovered that political donations the dairy made were unknowingly used to silence burglars who broke into the Watergate Hotel. Locals refused to do business with the dairy because of the Watergate scandal. From 1974 to 1977, the Lehigh Valley dairy reported losses of $5 million. In 1980, the stockholders voted to dissolve the Lehigh Valley Cooperative and sell its assets to a new company named Atlantic Processing. In 1984, a 200,000-square-foot facility in the back of the facility was sold to Beatrice Cheese, which operated a production plant separate from dairy. By 1985, the dairy had assets exceeding $200 million and employed 950 workers. Johanna Farms purchased Atlantic the following year and changed its name to Lehigh Valley Dairies. By then, John Labatt Ltd, the Canadian brewer, had purchased Johanna.
By January 1989, the end had arrived, and the Allentown plant was closed on January 27th. The vast majority of the 200 workers at the plant were laid off, the last 50 being transferred to the Landsdale facility at the end of March. The doors were locked on April 7, 1989. The Dairy was put up for sale in May, and most of its internal equipment was dismantled and sold off.
The cheese factory became part of ConAgra of Omaha, Nebraska, in 1990; under ConAgra, the plant specialized in mozzarella and provolone cheeses. In 2002, it was sold to Saputo of Montreal, Quebec. When purchasing the plant in 2002, Saputo Vice President of Communications Claude Pinard called it "a good opportunity for us because it's a good deal, it annually produces 30 million pounds of cheese, and it can be integrated into our U.S. operations." However, in October 2005, the cheese factory was closed with the loss of 115 worker jobs. It was bought in March 2008 by Protica, a vitamin company making protein drink products for the health, sports nutrition, and medical fields.
The former dairy's complex of buildings was subdivided in the 1990s, and parts were rented to various companies. Several businesses, including Olympic Pools, and transportation company, have used parts of the dairy over the years. Part of the dairy south of the main entrance was torn down, and the main entrance and office area never found a buyer. Over the past 35 years, it has slowly deteriorated. Plans are still in the works, and this fantastic part of our history is being taken down block by block. Thanks to Frank and LB Demolition for this opportunity to explore Lehigh Valley Dairy. Until next time, explorers, stay safe.
