You’ve probably seen it. If you’ve ever driven down 25th Street in Wilson Borough, just outside of Easton, you can't miss it. It’s that massive, decaying brick fortress with the giant, rusted Dixie Cup perched on the roof like some kind of industrial crown.
Honestly, it’s a bit of an eyesore these days. Broken windows. Tagged walls. A skeleton of a building that once defined the American century. But for locals, the Dixie Cup factory Easton PA is more than just a ghost ship. It’s a piece of home. It’s the place where grandfathers worked for 40 years and where the very idea of "disposable" culture was essentially born.
People talk about it like it’s a graveyard. They’re wrong. It’s actually in the middle of one of the most complicated, expensive, and high-stakes "zombie" real estate resurrections in Pennsylvania history.
The Cup That Changed How We Drink
Before we get into the $185 million fight to save the building, you have to understand why it’s there. In the early 1900s, people drank water out of a "common cup." Basically, a tin ladle or glass that sat next to a public barrel. Everyone shared it. It was, quite frankly, disgusting.
Lawrence Luellen and Hugh Moore hated this. They saw it as a death trap for germs. Moore moved the Individual Drinking Cup Company to Easton in 1921. He didn't just build a factory; he built a 641,000-square-foot behemoth that would eventually pump out billions of cups.
The name "Dixie" didn't even come from the South. It came from a line of dolls made by a neighbor in their New York office building. Moore liked the name. It stuck. By the time the Easton plant was humming in the 1920s, they were making history. They weren't just making paper; they were selling the idea that you shouldn't have to share your spit with a stranger.
Why the Factory Actually Closed
The decline wasn't overnight. It was a slow bleed. The Wilson Borough plant officially stopped making cups in 1982. Manufacturing shifted to a newer facility in Forks Township.
But then, even that era ended. Georgia-Pacific, the current owner of the Dixie brand, shut down the Forks plant in late 2021. They moved everything to Kentucky. Just like that, a century of production in the Lehigh Valley vanished.
The 405-Apartment Gamble
Now, let's talk about the mess. For decades, developers have poked at the Dixie Cup factory Easton PA like it was a cursed treasure chest. Joseph Reibman held the property for over 40 years through various LLCs. He saw deal after deal fall through.
Enter Skyline Investment Group.
They aren't just looking to slap some paint on the walls. They’re planning "1921 at Dixie." We’re talking 405 apartments. This isn't a small project. It’s a $185 million overhaul of a building that is currently filled with lead paint, asbestos, and PCBs.
"I'm not going to fail," Skyline principal Brian Bartee told Wilson Borough Council recently.
It's a bold claim. But he's already spent over $13 million just on prep work. If you drive by now, the windows are gone. They’ve been ripped out—over 730 of them—as part of a massive environmental remediation. The inside is basically a shell now.
The Tax Break Drama
Here is where it gets messy. Skyline needs a TIF. That stands for Tax Increment Financing. Basically, they want to take out a $26 million loan to pay for construction and then use their future property tax savings to pay it back over 20 years.
Wilson Borough said yes. The school district said yes. But in late 2025, the Northampton County Council voted it down.
Why? Some council members are wary of giving away that much tax revenue for a project where the average rent is projected to be around $2,452. For a two-bedroom, you're looking at nearly $3,800. In a town where the median income doesn't exactly scream "luxury loft," people are skeptical.
What’s Actually Happening with the Giant Cup?
This is the question everyone asks. The iconic water tower—the giant cup. It’s a landmark. It’s also a structural nightmare.
The plan is to bring it down. Don’t panic. They aren't scrapping it. The original metal cup is going to be refurbished and placed in a new public park on a 0.35-acre triangular lot right next to the building. Skyline officially took ownership of that land in March 2025.
In its place on the roof? A lightweight fiberglass replica. It’ll look the same, it’ll be lit up, but it won't weigh enough to collapse the roof of a hundred-year-old building.
Realities of the Site
- The Size: 641,000 square feet. That is roughly 11 football fields of floor space.
- The Amenities: A dog-friendly bar and lounge in the old boiler house, a rooftop lounge, and a fitness center.
- The Timeline: Construction is slated to truly ramp up in mid-2026. If the financing holds, the first tenants might move in by 2027.
Is This Progress or Gentrification?
This is the heart of the debate in Easton and Wilson. On one hand, you have a massive, toxic ruins that’s been rotting since Reagan was in office. It’s a fire hazard. It’s a magnet for "urbex" explorers who risk their lives climbing the water tower for Instagram photos.
On the other hand, $3,000 apartments don't exactly help the people who grew up in the shadow of the smokestacks.
The developer's argument is simple: nobody else is coming. Nobody else has the "guts" (as Wilson’s solicitor Stan Margle put it) to spend $13 million just to clean up the dirt before a single brick is laid.
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The building is structurally sound—thick concrete and heavy steel—but it’s "dry." It’s a desert of industrial history. If this project fails, the building likely stays a shell for another 40 years until it eventually has to be condemned and demolished at the taxpayers' expense.
Actionable Insights for the Community
If you live in the Lehigh Valley or are interested in the Dixie Cup factory Easton PA, here is what you actually need to watch:
- County Council Meetings: The TIF battle isn't over. Skyline is likely to return with a revised proposal. If you have feelings about the $26 million tax break, these public hearings are where your voice actually matters.
- D&L Trail Access: Part of the plan includes connecting the property to the nearby bike trails. This could significantly increase property values for homeowners on the "Wilson side" of the hill.
- The Historic Register: The building is being considered for the National Register of Historic Places. If approved, this unlocks federal tax credits that might make the project viable even without the full local tax break.
- Environmental Reports: You can check the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) records. Skyline has submitted their final remediation reports. If you live nearby, knowing the lead and asbestos have been safely hauled away is a huge win for local air quality.
The Dixie Cup factory isn't just a building. It's a test case for whether the Lehigh Valley can turn its industrial past into a functional future without losing its soul in the process.