Regular readers of this blog know that over the last decade I have devoted much of my efforts to the traditional Allentown park system. I say traditional, because that system has been compromised over the years, mostly by the unfortunate influence of the Wildlands Conservancy.
In the mid and late 1920's, Allentown benefactor Harry Trexler assembled large tracts of land along the Little Lehigh and Cedar Creeks to create an iconic park system. He commissioned the foremost landscape architect in America to design the parks, which would garner national attention in the coming decades. Although the stock market crash of 1929 put the plans on hold, Roosevelt's WPA program, in the mid 1930's, put those plans in overdrive. Because of those plans Allentown was shovel ready, and four thousand men assembled each morning in the fairgrounds, to be bused to various projects throughout the city parks.
During the 1940's and 50's Allentown basked in attention, and the parks became destinations. Picture postcards of the parks were mailed all over the country.
Unfortunately during the 1970's, a longtime park director took it upon himself to destroy some of the WPA masterpieces. Included in the losses were the island and boat landing in Lehigh Parkway. I took it upon myself, with help from volunteers, to partially dig out a portion of the boat landing.
The Wildlands Conservancy demolished the miniature dam at the Robin Hood Bridge, which was the last WPA construction in Allentown, meant to provide sound and sight enhancement to the beautiful bridge. The Conservancy is also responsible for the useless riparian buffers, which block both view and access to the creeks. The buffers serve no function, because the street water runoff is piped under the buffers, directly into the streams. Because of invasive species, these buffers must be cut down once in early summer, killing the baby ducks.
Since 2005, when the park and recreation departments were merged, the emphasis has been on recreation. Several years ago the entrance wall to Lehigh Parkway collapsed from neglect. Part of the wall was rebuilt to allow the road to reopen, and it is my understanding that the remainder of the wall will be repointed.
Needless to say my advocacy of the traditional park system has not always been appreciated by those with a different agenda. I don't need or seek their approval, my mission is for our youth to enjoy that beauty which inspired those picture postcards of yesteryear.
photo of Union Terrace being built by the WPA in 1935
Interesting photo.
ReplyDeleteDo you know anything about what else was done to the area after the photo was taken?
The stage area is so different today, with none of the openings on the front.
The top of the hill (on the top right of the photo and across what I assume is Union Street) is now gone, with the area across Union Street now being below the street and level with the nearby pond.
I don't see the stream running in front of the stage.
Were all those things reconfigured as part of the amphitheater project?
And when was the bench seating removed?
They totally destroyed the creeks and the Lehigh river !
ReplyDelete, they took out the bridge dam that went across the Jordan creek ! Last time I was back home for a visit went to the park ! Saw the creek now is nothing more that a thin line of about two inches deep of running water !! It’s a shame a great fishing area is gone !! Just like the Lehigh river ! Their destroying it that is nothing more now that a place for mesquites to develop !! And they say their resurrecting Allentown !! It looks more like it got hit with a bomb now than being resurrected !!
Them riparian weed walls are really just there to block the public from seeing human waste flowing to Allentowns drinking water intake treatment center down stream? That is the only reason the state wildlands conservancy even garners the grants from the state that the FED wants flood plans redrawn.
ReplyDeleteJust a stall tactic till Allentowns drinking water poisons people like Flint Michigan water.