Allentown Becomes A Monarchy

Park and Shop Lots

Downtown Allentown boomed for about 100 years. During the prosperity years following World War II, the two car family emerged. Several business leaders of Allentown realized both the parking problem and the potential to enhance sales. Park and Shop was begun by Harvey Farr, Donald Miller and John Leh. The current small parking deck at 10th and Hamilton, above the current uptown police substation, was the first deck in the country. To make the parking lots, shown in the postcard above, houses were purchased and torn down. Although the gentlemen mentioned in this article profited from their influence, they always provided solutions for the betterment of the community. They seemed to be a benevolent oligarchy. As the viability of the Park And Shop enterprise declined along with the intercity shopping, The Allentown Parking Authority was conveniently formed by local politicians, and it purchased the lots using Municipal bonds; The process allowed the aforementioned gentleman to land on their feet, in a downward market.

Flash ahead thirty five years to another downward market, and we have one gentleman, J.B. Reilly, buying up center-city with municipal bonds backed by state taxes. Reilly has purchased far more property than ever owned by Park and Shop. He has purchased virtually the four square blocks surrounding the arena, a significant portion of the Neighborhood Improvement Zone(NIZ). Again the process was facilitated by our elected officials. Let us hope that the new monarchy will be as benevolent as the old oligarchy. reprinted from November 2012                                                                                                                                                                                                 UPDATE: There was never any criticism of the old oligarchy, because one of the members, Donald Miller, owned the newspaper, The Morning Call. Flash ahead thirty five years, and again there is no criticism of the new monarchy by The Morning Call. Instead, on the contrary, valid questions raised by the alternative media, such as this blog, are dismissed as misguided and snide. Morning Call readers know that Reilly acquired property, but they don't know that with three exceptions, he acquired all the property adjoining the arena block. They are given the deed transfer dates as proof of no insider information, while ignoring the real relevant dates when agreements of sales were pushed on the owners. This distorted reporting goes back to the beginning of the project. In the first meeting, between the former merchants of Hamilton Street and the Pawlowski administration, the merchants complained that they didn't know the identity of the real buyer. While Sara Hailstone admitted the buyer was indeed the city, and that the realtors involved were indeed strawbuyers, those details never made the paper, despite the reporter's presence at the meeting. Similar intimidation tactics were used by Reilly in assembling his current monopoly of adjoining arena property. Similar cover is again being provided by The Morning Call.