Former Allentown ice cream factory being converted to upscale apartments

A vacant factory near Allentown’s Waterfront is being converted into upscale apartments by third generation owners.

Ryan and Mirelle Hadeed of Allentown plan to convert the building at 401 North Second Street that has been in the family for three generations into an apartment building, according to a release from Lehigh Financial Group.

Jeff Barber of Lehigh Financial Group, LLC, arranged the $1.3 million construction loan that will allow the Hadeeds to pursue plans for the more than 100-year-old building that Ryan Hadeed’s grandfather bought in the 1970s.

The loan closed at the beginning of June and Barber said the Hadeeds plan to start construction soon and hope to complete the project by early next year.

Plans call for six one-bedroom and four two-bedroom apartments. The building also will have five storage units for the tenants.

The apartments will have high-end finishes such as granite countertops and maintain its commercial feel with exposed duct work and 14-foot ceilings, Hadeed said.

He added that the building was originally an ice cream factory. He inherited the property from his father, Joseph, after he died in 2014. Joseph Hadeed had inherited the property from his father, Ryan’s grandfather, Jamil.

Hadeed said his father had drawn up plans to convert the building into apartments more than 20 years ago but never completed the project for whatever reason.

The building, on the border of Allentown’s First and Sixth wards, is two blocks from Allentown’s Waterfront that is being revitalized, and Hadeed said believes his timing ideal.

“The neighborhood will definitely be booming in the next few years,” he said.

Barber said he is excited for Hadeeds and is certain their apartments will be in demand as the neighborhood is undergoing great improvements.

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