Discover the role The Sayre Mansion played in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania's industrial development. Constructed in 1858 in the city's Fountain Hill neighborhood, a wealthy enclave home to local railroad pioneers and industrialists of the age, the mansion was once home to Robert Heysham Sayre. A man of little formal education but big aspirations, Sayre turned a role as lockmaster for the Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company into a position as Lehigh Valley Railroad's chief engineer. The railroad flourished under his stewardship, with demand so great that lines were extended first into the state of New York and, later, into the Great Lakes region. His prodigious business acumen saw Sayre embark on numerous other endeavors and partnerships, from coal mines to, most notably, the creation of Bethlehem Iron Company, which would later become the influential Bethlehem Steel Corporation.

Admire the distinctive Gothic Revival architecture of The Sayre Mansion. Although Robert H. Sayre played an integral role in bringing the Lehigh Valley into the industrial future, transforming Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, into a manufacturing powerhouse, the style of his family estate instead honors the past. Taking inspiration from medieval design, the historic mansion features such decorative elements as a steeply pitched gabled roof trimmed with delicately ornate wooden bargeboard (alternatively known as vergeboard), creating a gingerbread-houselike effect.

Unwind after a day of exploring in one of the specially decorated guestrooms. While furnishings in each of the guestrooms nod to tradition, just like any home, all of the accommodations offered at The Sayre Mansion boast their own unique charms and stories. For example, a few are part of what was previously Robert Sayre's library (once one the largest personal libraries in the United States), swapping some 17,000 books for plush beds, handsome dressers, and wingback chairs. Another is housed in the estate's conservatory, offering a rooftop refuge with leafy, 180-degree bird's-eye views of Bethlehem.

Marvel at The Sayre Mansion's heart-of-it-all location and the enduring impact of Robert Sayre on the community. As one of the architects of Bethlehem's industrial success and a consummate business partner, Sayre helped to shepherd in many city institutions through the years, most of which can be found just a short distance from the estate. On the banks of the river below rests what remains of the Lehigh Valley Railroad and Bethlehem Iron Company, now the SteelStacks performance and event campus. Lehigh University, of which Sayre was a charter trustee, is perched on the hills to the front, while St. Luke's Hospital, for which he was also a trustee, sits behind the property. Meanwhile, just steps away is the Cathedral Church of the Nativity, of which Sayre was an original sponsor.