For the last decade I have been documenting the NIZ storm which has destroyed Allentown's former mercantile district, just like a tornado in Kansas wipes out buildings. In addition to photographing the demolition, I attended city hall meetings with the former merchants, where they were bullied into relinquishing their dreams. I'm sorry to report that none now remain in business, not even on 7th Street.
Yesterday, in regard to the imminent sale of the PPL Tower, fellow blogger Bernie O'Hare recapped the 2012 Business Matters debate covered by the Morning Call's Bill White. White dismissed the possibility of the PPL leaving the tower as hysteria. Myself and another critic, Steve Thode, were accused of making wild claims. As critical as we were then, it never occurred to me that almost all of the NIZ, with only a few exceptions, would be owned by one man. That man even came to own the Morning Call building itself, which now warehouses cigarettes. His NIZ allows him to collect the state taxes on cigarettes, which formerly went to CHIP, the Children's Health Insurance Program.
While photographing the demolition of the former Rialto property, I took shelter from yesterday's rain under the overhang of the former Park & Shop deck on 10th Street, which is now the police garage. I remembered that when I was a boy my mother would park there while shopping. In Hess's she would have to go up to the 5th floor to get her parking ticket stamped. There was a lot of merchandise to view on the way up for that free parking validation. There were a lot of stores to pass on the way back to the garage.
shown above demolition of former Rialto property
Too bad our over-priced Morning Call is failing to investigate and report any suspicious developments involving the losing investment of taxpayer dollars, and possibly illegal, workings of the NIZ.
ReplyDeleteReally, how is this willful ignorance by the Morning Call serving the public interest? Besides, someone there could win a Pulitzer Prize for an honest NIZ series, even if it shows the whole thing innocent and pure.
When you are owned by interests that have no ties with Allentown, they I’ll not investigate anything.
DeleteMichael, It's a "crying shame" what has happened to the downtown district of our once beautiful City.....It all started with City Hall..... "follow the money" !!...Just the ruminations of an Old Man......PJF
ReplyDeleteActually, the Rialto and all of the other grand cinemas of Allentown were torn down a long time - decades ago. What is being torn down is the 1946 lobby of the Rialto, built after a 1946 fire that destroyed the original. And even that was converted to business offices by PP&L in the early 1980s. It is just the red marble exterior and the walls and beams being sent to oblivion by Reilly's wrecking ball. Also being torn down are the Rialto shops, bowling alley and a small building from the 1850s, that was used by retail.
ReplyDeleteWhat will go up in its place is something boxy and glassy I am sure. Something called the "Archer" a music venue for urban hipsters to sip wine and be entertained. I suppose that will be like the boutique stores of the "Arts Walk"
Best of luck
Hey..I take offense to that comment...I'm planning to sip craft beer at this venue. I'm not so sure how "hipster" this place will be. I think instead it will draw a wide array of people from the region coming to see lesser known "indie" bands that they happen to love and must drive to Glenside, Sellersville or Philadelphia to see. I'm traveling all the way to Underground Arts at 12th & Callowhill in Philadelphia in August to see a really good but not widely known English indie band. I would think locals would be positive and optimistic about a venue like this one. What's the harm of it?
DeleteRe: NIZ. “A Tale of Two Titans” - A great work of literature begins with “I see London, I see France...” Now the world cultural hub of the Lehigh Valley can add its own comparative work to the lexicon. Lehigh County is home to two S&P 500 corporations which will have moved their corporate headquarters between 2020 and 2025. This could be a topic for academic research or public service reporting, if good financial analysis skills were used. Air Products maintained a commitment to the community by building a new headquarters near their existing site in Trexlertown. PPL will similarly be moving their Allentown headquarters to existing vacant space a few blocks away. The big difference is that the Allentown lease arrangement will be assisted by tax benefits afforded by the Neighborhood Improvement Zone (NIZ). When the accounting dust settles on the PPL move, it would be interesting to compare the costs and benefits. A lot of digging might be needed, especially to get through the NIZ wall of secrecy. For Air Products, their 2022 Annual Report shows some 2020 data for headquarters relocation. In the end, “what if...” Air Products had taken NIZ space? If they had waited for riverfront construction (an area of Allentown added to the NIZ later in its life)? If PPL were to build a new suburban headquarters? With both companies being in Lehigh County, they share many similar economic conditions. How can you correct for the differences, especially in business models (like product producer versus public utility)? Both companies appear to have considered employee retention and satisfaction in addition to financial aspects, but it would be good to know what weight both companies assigned to their inputs. The best question is, with Air Products being outside the NIZ, how much, if at all, will they be subsidizing PPL during its occupancy in the NIZ?
ReplyDelete