Recently, an antagonist erroneously wrote on facebook that I hate Allentown, and that I profit from chopped up houses.
People often attribute Allentown's problems to center city houses being converted into apartments, as if this occurred recently. Many will be surprised to know that almost all the converted apartments existed for over 60 years. When the GI's returned from WW2, the trend was for small single family houses with small lawns, i.e. Levittowns. Most conversion of the row houses took place in the late 40's and early 50's, and more less stopped by the early 60's. Because of them, Hamilton Street remained viable for twenty years beyond the main street in Bethlehem, Easton and Reading. Allentown was chosen during this era as the All American City. During those 50 years, 1940 to 1990, nobody complained about the apartments or the tenants.
What has changed is the demographics, so there is at best a classist, or at worst, a racist element to the current complaints about center city apartments.
The existing converted houses are not going away, unless Allentown wants to compensate the owners for their property rights. What can only be contemplated, at this point, is the future consequences of new housing, in both converted industrial buildings, and new apartment buildings in the NIZ. Is Allentown helping itself, in the long run, by creating additional housing stock?
Shown above is the converted mansion from the Mary Tyler Moore Show. Mary lived on the second floor, while her friend Rhoda had the third floor apartment.
molovinsky on allentown is published early morning every weekday.
Please correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t Mayor Daddona have a lot to do with a conversion boom? I was young then, but have been told that he really courted outside investors and this boosted absentee landlords. I didn’t realize that this started as early as the 1940’s.
ReplyDeleteI lived in two larger homes that had been converted into apartments - one near West Park - With my parents & grandparents. And that was around 1960. Neighborhoods were much different then.
ReplyDeleteI remember we shopped at Food Fair on 15th & Allen or Penn Fruit on the 7th street pike.
unknown@8:43, the conversions preceded his mayorship by decades. however, many people claim that he encouraged the migration from NYC&NJ to here... that also is a myth
ReplyDeleteMike,
ReplyDeleteAmerica was a much different place after the war than it is now, night and day. For starters there was only a tiny dependent class and I'm pretty sure there were no section eights. There were plenty of what we would consider poor people but they made do, got by and often bettered themselves and the lives of their children. Churches and similar institutions were the social safety net and they ran a tighter ship than the government institutions that now handle aid to the dependent class. We see the results of this in generational poverty and many of these unfortunate wards of the state make up a high percentage of the downtown's apartment dwellers. Unlike those of the post war years the renters of today have their rent paid for them, by us, and they don't go to work because they have learned to live off the assistance the government provides them through other programs for the poor. The devil makes use of idle hands and there's no argument that those with too much time on their hands, no motivation, no self discipline, and no meaning in their lives make very poor and disruptive neighbors. I friend of mine is a landlord, he decided to try section 8 for one of his downtown buildings. After a year he wanted out, the tenets were a huge problem to the home owning neighbors. When he gave this as the reason he would not renew his agreement with AHA they said, "what do you care, you don't live there". Explains a lot doesn't it.This is the problem the government has created.
Lyndon Johnson started all this with his "Great Society". The thought was the welfare payments would propel low socio-economic people to self sufficiency. It's become a good example of the law of unintended consequences. The poor accepted the cash, but instead of becoming self sufficient, they lapsed in to accepting money from the government, and then demanded more. What is obvious is the number of unwed mothers - the government has taken the place of fathers. It has completely destroyed the black family.
ReplyDeleteFast forward to today. These benefits are now called "entitlements". There are now over 30 'programs' offering benefits. The Democrats have enslaved these people to a life of welfare. I hear a single mother of two, receives over $70k of benefits - when you count Medicaid and other programs.
MM, this tale you twist is like the local gag telling its deliverers to not pick up papers to put out and than claim a hacking event? The other one is that the local airport is a used viable venue?
ReplyDeleteThe twist of the time was "The Melting Pot" that Daddona stirred into today's development!
The only historical facts you publish are just like and similar to the indicted ones pet projects. I hate to counterdict you but wasn't daddona almost indicted back than for the same theft of services by closing down Hamilton for mall sprawl that closed Two Guys?
Scott and doug_b are spot on. And while MM is correct in his assessment that many homes were converted into 'two-family' dwellings in the post-war years, it is important to state that a large percentage of those conversions were made to house elderly parents and/or recently returned veterans who were starting their families. They were not converted to invite (beg?) out-of-towners to move to our fair cities.
ReplyDeleteYes, those were the days of true family values when we took care of our elderly, and when people didn't laugh at 20-somethings who still lived at home. Now we dump the oldsters in 'facilities' while we encourage the kiddies to take up living in a 300 square-foot hovel nicely sitting above a Starbucks.
A big factor ignored in the comments above are the radical changes in the economics of the Allentown labor force. In the 1950's - 1970's era Allentown's labor force was heavy into manufacturing and was heavily unionized as well. This created a middle class living in the houses converted into apartments that could support themselves and send their kids to public universities. With the rise of the Reagan era and GOP dominance since then on the courts and legislatures you had/have anti-union laws and policies that have ensured "right to work laws" (i.e., race to the bottom of the wage scale), minuscule minimum wage increases, curbs on union shops, etc., etc. This, combined with globalization & automation, has changed the labor force toward the direction of service jobs and the gig economy and the independent contractor status, none of which affords one the income to purchase a home or condo or apartment or even live like a human being. Rants about "welfare Queens living like Kings are nonsense.
ReplyDeleteWhat is nonsense is the denial of the obvious, that our government welfare programs replace a poverty of want with a poverty of spirit.
ReplyDeleteYes the homes were split into 2 ...to provide for other family members... Such as daughters getting married the parents wanted them close or men coming home from war they weren't turned into Apartments back then these homes were mansions and these homes were huge and people don't realize that most of them were just split in two back in the day to acquire one of these homes was the show prestige and people were proud and we stand in front of the home Wednesday purchased it to take pictures to send to families in other countries to show them they made it in America this was a rich area at one time started by the Jews and they built Mansions all over starting Front Street third fourth fifth sixth street and up the way the West end and looks right now is the way this area looked way back in the day
ReplyDeletelinda@6:55, the Jews were always a very small percentage of Allentown's population, so they were not responsible for too many houses. Around 1900 most lived on 2nd street, in existing row houses. By the 1940's, the area around the current YMCA housed many Jews, again in exiting row houses.
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