As Mayor Pawlowski stood last week across Hamilton Street from the former buildings, now reduced to rubble, I thought of the barbarians sacking Rome. The Knerr Building, constructed in 1892 at 707 Hamilton Street, had withstood many changes in the last 120 years. Built for John Knerr to sell groceries and confections, it's four floors served various businesses over the century. Although this past New Year's eve, the Mayor spoke of Allentown's 250th anniversary, it's a history for which he has limited knowledge and less appreciation. As a student of Allentown's architecture and past, I was offended to hear him and the other mayors boast about the 40 temporary demolition jobs. The wrecking contractor was astute enough to remove the monumental and historic Knerr facade ornamentation, before knocking the building down. He will sell it in some other city, where history is respected and valued.
photo of mayors/The Morning Call/Donna Fisher
photo of facade from former Knerr Building/ molovinsky
reprinted from February of 2012
ADDENDUM: The above post is reprinted from 2012. Although I accept the arena and NIZ as the new reality, there are uninformed progressives who believe the demolition of that square block of Allentown was of no consequence. I know better; We lost some significant architecture and much history. One must wonder if the new structures will last 120 years.
Wonder if the buildings will last 120 years, seriously doudt they will last half that and then only because the cost of demolition will have prevented earlier removal.
ReplyDeletePenultimate person leaving town probably ought to leave a note telling J.B. O'Reilly to remind himself to turn out the lights when he finally decides to cash out, um, er, ah, leave, too.
ReplyDeleteUntil such time, however, Forward To Victory, as always, Comrades.
Sincerely,
ROLF OELER
Your last two (re)posts on the NIZ/Downtown Architecture were interesting. While we all have likely come to "accept the arena and the NIZ as the new reality", I think it's clear there are at least two very large missed opportunities (thus far) in the way things have played out.
ReplyDeleteFirst, allowing a select few individuals to benefit from the NIZ has stunted what could have been a much more robust construction boom. Reilly (wisely) starts his buildings once he has a certain level of occupancy committed to the project. That's good for Reilly, but there is a limit to what one person/one company can do, and every developer markets their business in different ways. Imagine the possibility if additional developers could tap into their networks and their contacts to attract potential tenants. Of course there should also have been protections in the NIZ law to guard against poaching tenants from nearby or even in-state tenants, which makes the need for more developers (and their contact abilities) even greater.
The second missed opportunity has been a lack of vision on the part of the developer, the City, and the NIZ Board. With so many old buildings likely to go, their should have been/should be a plan to give each block its own personality. This could have been used to market the downtown beyond the buildings and make it more of a destination. DisneyWorld's Epcot Center has a walkway in the theme of 13 different nations, with each having nationally-themed shops and restaurants. I'm not suggesting copying that, but imagine if the architecture of each block was unique and different from the next block. That architectural theme could then be used to attract restaurants, shops, and other attractions in line with the theme. Would that make a difference? I don't know but it would be more creative and more visually interesting than the cookie-cutter glass buildings that we've gotten so far.
There is little evidence that there was any demand for tenancy outside of those companies that were poached from elsewhere in PA. Such a rule would have doomed the project from the get go.
ReplyDeleteThe lack of vision is definitely true--I'd say it is broader than just the developer but for the entire city as well. Years on, it isn't clear to me what this project was supposed to link into. A more thoughtful approach might have tried to link the NIZ to a sector or industry--like working with financial institutions to develop a cluster of storage/back office tasks.
The NIZ destroyed a lot of buildings but is really a throwback to an economy that doesn't exist anymore. Companies don't just move to a city to be in a big building. They move to be near suppliers or customers. Sadly, Allentown never really seemed to think hard about what advantages it offers and market itself effectively. So we just have an Office Mall.