As Allentown eagerly awaits the opening of the Cosmopolitan Restaurant and banquet facility on 6th Street, lets go back in time. Before the former Sal's Spaghetti House was demolished on that parcel, preservationists from Bucks County saved the historic sign. Had the couple been somewhat more familiar with Allentown's history, they may have realized that the sign was neither very historic or iconic.
Before Hamilton Street was bi-sected architecturally by the now gone canopy, the street was lined with large neon signs, many of which were much more elaborate than Sal's; That sign became historic by default. Interestingly, the Sal's sign for most of it's
business days, said Pat's. Pat's and the sign go back to the mid 1950's. In the late 70's, the business was taken over by Sal, and the P and T were simply changed to an S and L. But time goes on; Sal's family is now in the sauce business and have a most interesting website.
1963 Pat's advertisement courtesy of Larry P
Hamilton Steet watercolor by Karoline Schaub-Peeler
photo of Sal's sign by molovinsky
reprinted from 2010
ADDENDUM JUNE 17, 2022: The Cosmopolitan proved to be too cosmopolitan for Allentown. While the owner's deep pockets kept it open for a few years, even the next more modest reincarnation couldn't complete with the new NIZ subsidized competitors.
A recent article in the Morning Call heralds the $Billion dollars invested by J.B. Reilly's City Center Realty on Hamilton and adjoining Streets...That money of course is diverted state income tax, and is our investment, not his, but he gets to own it. Although this blog was hoping to restrict itself to history for a spell, the Morning Call's omission on this and other matters compels me to retain this blog's political bureau.
ADDENDUM DECEMBER 7, 2022: I have learned from local photographer Christopher Elston that in addition to the Sal's sign, the Colonial Theater sign also was salvaged. Both signs are apparently in the city warehouse on S. 10th St.. Elston recently rescued the Beachhead Comics sign.
MM - You probably wrote about it before but please refresh my memory:
ReplyDeleteWhat/where was the Beachhead Comics sign? Was that at the old comic store at 16th & Chew in Allentown?
If so, I always thought it was a mural painted directly on the brick, not a sign. How did they preserve it?
It was several sign from roughly the 1940s. A grocery store, a pharmacy, a real estate office & the comic book shop. Underneath the sign painted on the brick was an Ad for Freeman’s Milk probably from the 30.
Deletehttps://www.mcall.com/news/local/mc-nws-saving-beachead-comics-mural-20211223-zyvrknl73besre2hf3pl4sb6k4-story.html
anon@8:38: The Beachhead mural/sign was painted over a previous sign, and was on panels. Under that, they discovered an old Freeman Milk sign, painted directly on the brick. The Beachhead sign is now at the Cigar Factory art center, just off 4th and Tilghman.
ReplyDeletegood to hear that the Beachhead sign was saved.
ReplyDeleteJust curious- did Reilly spend a dime of his own (or private investors) money to build his NIZ empire, or was it financed entirely with tax dollars. If the latter, does he never have to pay any of it back?
ReplyDeleteanon@1:49: The buildings are financed with diverted state taxes, income and sales, originally suppose to be from the tenants within. However, that was expanded to allow cigarette taxes, so consequently Reilly purchased a wholesale tobacco distributor, which now operates out of the former Morning Call building. Those diverted taxes to his debt service do not have to be paid back. Because almost all the businesses came from other office parks in the Lehigh Valley, there is no net gain for Pennsylvania, only a net loss. It is a thirty year program. I believe that it was the most lucrative incentive program ever given anywhere, and it will become a subject of great controversy down the road. Because of the strength of local sacred cows, and Morning Call complicity, scrutiny of the program is almost completely limited to me.
ReplyDeleteanon@1:49: An article in today's Morning Call reports about how much state taxes were generated within the NIZ, but OMITS that those taxes were used for Reilly's debt service. While the NIZ will be studied at Wharton for government ethics, articles like that will be studied in future journalism courses. The Morning Call building was included in the NIZ map, although it was across Linden Street from the rest of the map.
ReplyDelete