In 2012, over a decade ago, I took our current park director, Karen El-Chaar, on a tour of the Allentown WPA structures. At that time, she was director of Friends of the Allentown Parks. El-Chaar, a native daughter of the area, seemed to share my interest in seeing these irreplaceable icons preserved. She subsequently secured a grant from the Trexler Trust to repair the stairs by Fountain Park.
In following years she organized volunteers to clear the overgrown spring pond by Robin Hood. In conjunction with the Friends group, I conducted a couple of tours of the WPA structures in Lehigh Parkway.
When El-Chaar was appointed Park Director by Ray O'Connell, I thought that finally, after so many years, I would have an ally about the WPA in the administration.
As it turns out El-Chaar does care about the WPA, but she hasn't made it a line item priority in the budget. The lower entrance wall of Lehigh Parkway is being repointed, but that is a continuation of the upper wall's replacement, after it collapsed from years of neglect, before El-Chaar's time.
I'm still lobbying to have the landings repaired on the Parkway Double Stairwell. Three years ago, she told me that the Trexler Trust wanted an expert opinion on how the flagstone should be relaid. She is still waiting for the Trexler Trust to consult an expert, and only then might they issue a grant for that project. I would have preferred that it was already done, within the regular park budget. Recreation items, such as the skate park, are directly in the city park budget.
Above is a 1948 photograph of the bridge that went to the WPA man-made island in Lehigh Parkway. In the 1980's the bridge was removed, and the island allowed to grow wild. When I gave El-Chaar that tour so many years ago, she commented that it would be nice to replace the bridge and restore the island. I replied that I would be satisfied if the remaining WPA structures are maintained....I'm still hoping and waiting for that to happen.
Since I started advocating for the WPA, El-Chaar has been more receptive than the previous directors. However, like the island, once a park feature is gone, we will never get it back. My mission remains to make sure the WPA structures get the timely attention our park history deserves.
photo courtesy of the Price family
above reprinted from September of 2022
All of these WPA structures, found also in Bethlehem, are historic reminders of our heritage. But, this is our always misguided Allentown. Here we ignore structures and then take credit for tearing them down and out of sight. Any structure of quality and character is at risk. Next up, the downtown post office?
ReplyDeleteThe only reason the former First Presbyterian Church remains is because its now the Allentown Art Museum. There are a handful of other classic buildings in Allentown, but many have gotten the wrecking ball treatment in the past few years.
DeleteMy father, John Reichenbach who would be 106 if alive today, worked on WPA projects. He always loved telling me about the structures in the Parkway and along what is now Martin Luther King Drive.
ReplyDeleteMaybe the Mayor's Office is too short staffed at the time to evaluate your request for the Parknership. Last time I checked they only had 7 full time support staff. It's also possible that City Council is to blame, since they are distracting the City staff from "serving the residents" with their self serving, politically motivated discrimination investigation.
ReplyDeleteMM, You are a wealth of information on the WPA. That knowledge would be better utilized by you attending the board meetings as a community member and thrreby educating board members.You are the keeper of the keys to the past but you really need to ask yourself how broad are your interests in the future of the parks? Are you, like council members, just advocating your specific agenda, or are you really wanting to serve a broad base
ReplyDeleteIf you go the Parknership website, they state that the WPA will be one of their missions. With that said, clearly someone with a wealth of information should have a seat at the table.
DeleteWhen the Parknership agrees to remove those hideous weed barriers along public access areas of Cedar Creek I might begin to take them serious.
DeleteThose barriers make the city look like a real dump to visitors. The ducks and other creatures will just have to move down a block, or 2, for their privacy as they have done for hundreds of years before. However are such creatures getting along without their privacy in such other places like the canal running through downtown Indianapolis, or San Antonio’s Riverwalk?