If you had a 50,000-gallon Dixie Cup, what would you fill it with?
Developer Brian Bartee, current owner of the historic Dixie Cup in Wilson, said he would give it its own park, make it available to the public and hire Bruce Rosenbaum from the Netflix series “Amazing Interiors” to furnish it. And he’s doing just that.
“This original Dixie Cup is so iconic, but this is going to be the first time in the history of its existence that the whole community will be able to interact with the cup,” Bartee said. Other planned amenities for the cup include Dixie memorabilia, a fiberglass ceiling and an AI robot named “Trixie” to answer questions about the original factory.
The April 30 removal of the giant Dixie Cup from the historic factory, which has been defunct since the 1980s, has sparked sadness within the Lehigh Valley community.
“Seeing that as a backdrop to all the places I’ve had such core memories, and then seeing it gone is such a stark difference to what I’m used to, and quite sad, honestly,” said Luke Gumbrecht, a lifelong resident of the Lehigh Valley.
Gumbrecht referred to the landmark as “like the Statue of Liberty.”
“I would say everyone’s entitled to their opinion, but this building has sat in disrepair for 43 years,” Bartee said.
Bartee’s company, Skyline Investment Group, has planned to redevelop the factory into a 420-unit apartment factory, according to Lehigh Valley News.
Meanwhile, the public will not have to live without the Dixie Cup’s sun-stricken silhouette for long.
“In courtyard number one, you’re going to have the Dixie Cup right there, which we’re putting a replica back up on top of the building,” said Bartee. He added that the community will be given roughly 15 Dixie Cup designs to vote on, with the winner being put back in the spot the original cup sat for all of those years.
Construction is estimated at $185 million, which could be partially financed by public money based on allocation from the Northampton County Council; it rejected a tax break for the project in November.
Bartee claims the subsidy would provide a net benefit to the local community by generating jobs. However, at local municipal meetings, community members have expressed concerns and opposition to the project due to the proposed use of taxpayer dollars and the lack of affordable housing.
“We are seeing all these luxury apartments crop up all through the Downtown Easton area, the greater Easton area and Wilson and zero affordability,” Gumbrecht said. “No working-class person in this area can afford that.”
Northampton County Council plans to vote on a deal Thursday that would offset redevelopment costs with the tax breaks.
Andreas Pelekis ‘26 contributed reporting.