At the turn of the last century along with other ethnic groups, Allentown's Jewish community was centered in the 6th Ward. On 2nd Street there were two synagogues and numerous Jewish merchants. Among them was Louis Sussman, who operated a bakery and construction business from the corner of 2nd and Allen. His building also housed a textile scrap operation in the basement, and a special event rental hall on the second floor.
There were several kosher butchers, my great grandfather among them. Currently, with the closest supermarket being at 4th and Tilghman, numerous corner markets still operate on 2nd Street. Today's merchants have the same motivation as those who operated from those stores in 1924.
While I have some knowledge of the history of those buildings, it's a new day for both the current merchants and their customers. Shown above on Allen Street are the garages Louis Sussman built in 1912 for his growing construction business.
The garages are interesting - do they still exist?
ReplyDeleteYes, it's a current photo. On Allen St., just around corner from 2nd.
DeleteThis is so interesting. I lived from birth to 6 yrs. old at 303 N. 2nd St. This was a German neighborhood with the Allgemeiner Club across the street and the Liederkranz Club less than a block away.
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