Did you know there’s a 160-year-old Bethlehem mansion that hosts an in-house restaurant, helps protect the city’s official birds and only just opened to the public in the last couple of years?
Statistically speaking, you at least probably didn’t know about the restaurant, according to the mansion’s co-owner John Noble — it’s a problem they want to solve with a reintroduction, reopening and new culinary leader.
The restaurant, Swift, will reopen Wednesday at The Wilbur Mansion at 201 Cherokee St., General Manager Lorrie Miller said. It offers dining rooms for guests, outdoor dining space and private space in the wine cellar.
Originally just known as “The Wilbur Mansion Restaurant,” Swift will feature a new menu under chef Brandon Otto that focuses on sourcing local ingredients such as steaks, pork chops, lamb, duck, escargot, beetroot carpaccio, salads, soups, beer, wine and cocktails.
“At that time [of opening], everything was called Wilbur, and we wanted to give the restaurant an identity that stood out,” Miller said. “So the public clearly understood that we were more than just the mansion with the hotel and the events, but also had this dining experience available.”
The restaurant’s partners include Lost Tavern Brewing, Homestead Coffee Roasters, Bluebird Distilling and The Inside Scoop for ice cream.
The restaurant held a soft opening June 10 for a new Mediterranean-style concept called Swift & Olive, but Miller said they temporarily closed for staff development and to gain a better footing in the market, especially given the other Mediterranean restaurants in the area.
A look at the Wilbur Mansion in Bethlehem on Sunday, June 15, 2025. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)
A look at the Wilbur Mansion in Bethlehem on Sunday, June 15, 2025. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)
A look inside the Wilbur Mansion in Bethlehem on Sunday, June 15, 2025. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)
A look inside the Wilbur Mansion in Bethlehem on Sunday, June 15, 2025. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)
A look inside the Swift restaurant on Sunday, June 15, 2025, at The Wilbur Mansion in Bethlehem. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)
People enjoy brunch Sunday, June 15, 2025, in the Swift restaurant at the Wilbur Mansion in Bethlehem. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)
The wine cellar offers different seating areas Sunday, June 15, 2025, in the Swift restaurant at the Wilbur Mansion in Bethlehem. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)
A look inside the Swift restaurant on Sunday, June 15, 2025, at The Wilbur Mansion in Bethlehem. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)
A look inside the Swift restaurant on Sunday, June 15, 2025, at The Wilbur Mansion in Bethlehem. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)
A look inside the Swift restaurant on Sunday, June 15, 2025, at The Wilbur Mansion in Bethlehem. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)
People enjoy brunch Sunday, June 15, 2025, in the Swift restaurant at the Wilbur Mansion in Bethlehem. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)
The wine cellar offers different seating areas Sunday, June 15, 2025, in the Swift restaurant at the Wilbur Mansion in Bethlehem. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)
The wine cellar offers different seating areas Sunday, June 15, 2025, in the Swift restaurant at the Wilbur Mansion in Bethlehem. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)
The wine cellar offers different seating areas Sunday, June 15, 2025, in the Swift restaurant at the Wilbur Mansion in Bethlehem. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)
A look inside the Swift restaurant on Sunday, June 15, 2025, at The Wilbur Mansion in Bethlehem. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)
A look inside the Swift restaurant on Sunday, June 15, 2025, at The Wilbur Mansion in Bethlehem. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)
The bar area Sunday, June 15, 2025, in the Swift restaurant at the Wilbur Mansion in Bethlehem. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)
The wine cellar offers different seating areas Sunday, June 15, 2025, in the Swift restaurant at the Wilbur Mansion in Bethlehem. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)
The bar area Sunday, June 15, 2025, in the Swift restaurant at the Wilbur Mansion in Bethlehem. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)
A look inside the Swift restaurant on Sunday, June 15, 2025, at The Wilbur Mansion in Bethlehem. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)
People enjoy brunch Sunday, June 15, 2025, in the Swift restaurant at the Wilbur Mansion in Bethlehem. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)
A look inside the Swift restaurant on Sunday, June 15, 2025, at The Wilbur Mansion in Bethlehem. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)
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A look at the Wilbur Mansion in Bethlehem on Sunday, June 15, 2025. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)
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The mansion history, as explained by Miller and Noble, is a storied one that includes many different uses for the property.
Industrial capitalist Elisha Packer Wilbur, the former president of the Lehigh Valley Railroad and a nephew of Asa Packer, built the mansion in 1865. The Wilbur family lived there until 1925, when the masons purchased it and constructed the adjacent Bethlehem Masonic Lodge that hosted events like weddings.
The Noble family purchased the mansion in 2015, turning it into the nine-room hotel and restaurant while replacing the masonic temple with event space.
“So you have three entities going on but we really never differentiated those,” Noble said. “So what we realized as we were going along was it was beneficial to differentiate the restaurant from the hotel and events because the public at large didn’t realize that we had a restaurant.”
The building also serves an important wildlife conservation job: Chimney swifts, the official birds of Bethlehem, have used the former temple’s 45-foot-tall chimney as a perch and resting spot during their migration travels, so developers preserved it before they opened the mansion to the public in 2023.
Chimney swifts, the official bird of Bethlehem, fly around the 45-foot-tall chimney near The Wilbur Mansion in Bethlehem. The birds use the chimney for rest during migration. (Photo courtesy of Bailey Noble)
Chimney swifts being cared for by bird rehabilitator Jayne Amico cling to the side of a false chimney in the pen they are housed in Aug. 29, 2007, in Southington, Conneticut. (Bob MacDonnell/The Hartford Courant)
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Chimney swifts, the official bird of Bethlehem, fly around the 45-foot-tall chimney near The Wilbur Mansion in Bethlehem. The birds use the chimney for rest during migration. (Photo courtesy of Bailey Noble)
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“They don’t stand like a normal bird does, they can only hang from their claws and our location near the river is perfect for them,” Miller said. “So they come in, they feed in the river, and at night they will swirl around our building and they go down into the chimney and they hang on the edges of the chimney at night, and then they move on. So it’s actually a protected space for that reason, to preserve the swifts, so we built around this chimney and incorporated it into the design of the building. And from spring until I’d say about October or so, almost nightly, guests can see this dance of swifts come in around dusk and they’ll swirl around the building and they do this dive down into the chimney to rest for the evening.”
Lehigh Valley retail and restaurant news in brief
Chick-fil-A will close early next year at the Lehigh Valley Mall in Whitehall Township after nearly 30 years.
Mitz Bakery held a grand opening last weekend at 612B Main St. in Hellertown, where it serves food like sourdough bread, coffee, lemonade and artisan breads such as cinnamon-raisin, pepperoni-mozzarella and chocolate.
A new Tesla service center is under construction at 955 Grape St. in Whitehall Township.
The Daddy’s Place restaurant announced online it would open Zaks Bistro Tuesday at 645 Northampton St. in Easton, where it’ll serve wraps, bowls, sandwiches and pizza.
“Whether you’re a college student on the go, a professional on a lunch break, or a family looking for a quick bite — Zaks has you covered,” the announcement said.
It will operate 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.
The women’s fashion retailer Dry Goods opened July 22 at the Lehigh Valley Mall, it announced online.
In other news
The restaurant franchise group Lehigh Valley Restaurant Brands announced in a release the new YUMMM-Town Heroes program, where Red Robin customers at locations like in Allentown, Easton and Quakertown can nominate “a local teacher, first responder, health care worker, police officer, firefighter, volunteer, or everyday hero who goes above and beyond to make a difference.”
Every week through the end of September, one nominee will receive a $50 and their nominator will receive a $25 gift card. Everyone who submits a nomination, which can be done online, will receive a free appetizer.
Weis Markets is renovating its location at 1309 Blue Valley Drive in Washington Township, a news release announced, with changes such as an expanded and more varied produce department, exterior upgrades, new, interior decor and a broader selection of to-go meals.
Construction is expected to finish late this month.
Retail Watch is a weekly column covering retail and restaurant news in the Lehigh Valley. Have a question, tip, or want to see something in the area? Contact retail reporter Graysen Golter at retailwatch@mcall.com.
Originally Published: August 2, 2025 at 8:00 AM EDT
Dining and Cooking