Sixty years ago the Soldiers Monument stood over 7th and Hamilton, as it still does. While today businesses limit restroom use to patrons, at that time the city provided underground public comfort stations at the square, staffed by full time attendants. The stores attracted so many shoppers, the police needed a tower for crowd overview. While fifty stores lined each block, lawyers, doctors, accountants and tailors occupied the offices above. Times change. If we find that the Monument impedes traffic flow for the new arena, they can move it to a less inconvenient location.
above reprinted from October of 2011
ADDENDUM JULY 1, 2024:While the monument remains at 7th & Hamilton, the intersection is being reconfigured to be more pedestrian friendly. The majority of the buildings have been replaced through the NIZ Scheme, transforming Hamilton Street from a merchantile district into an urban office park. So far the only missing ingredient is people, despite over 1,500 new apartments.
Yes, the city is devoid of pedestrians... not much draw downtown in the past 40 years and now not so much at the malls... they're going belly up all over the country.
ReplyDeleteThanks for that picture... I remember when WAEB was at center square. That sign was still at their tower site as late as 1972... wonder if it's still there, leaning up against the transmitter shed... memories...
I think it’s clear that the pedestrian traffic from just people living downtown is not sufficient to support the many venues, restaurants and businesses downtown. In short, downtown needs a constant influx of people from outside the city for things to thrive (or even just survive)
ReplyDeleteI can only hope that someone realizes that if they’re going to eliminate one of the thru-lanes around the monument, they are choking off the very traffic that is needed for downtown to survive.
And I’m not talking about just on Hamilton east of the monument. The current plan will cause backups and delays that will change traffic patterns to the west of the monument as well.
People quickly learn to go other routes - and other places - when traffic becomes inconvenient. Unlike Manhattan, Allentown isn’t an island. A short drive in any direction puts you in one of the surrounding townships at places just as nice and much more traffic (and auto) friendly.
I don’t know what the true reason is for the proposed change around the monument, but if city leaders were trying to kill the downtown, I couldn’t think of a better first step. Even if our elected officials are morons, you would think that some of the people with a financial stake in the downtown would get this plan stopped before irreparable damage is done.
Looking at you JB, looking at you.
I ponder: as long as he's using other people's money, does JB really have a financial stake in the success of downtown Allentown?
DeleteMeanwhile, another 4th of July in Allentown where residents are treated to fireworks being set off illegally in neighborhoods all day.
ReplyDeleteWhere are the police? If they care to respond, they’re surely stretched too thin. Not even social workers or Promise Neighborhoods bother to show up.
So is that the smell of fireworks or your house burning down? Maybe it’s just the smell of the quality of life in Allentown.
Easy to comment "where are the Police". Can you just imagine the telephone videos of the Police trying to arrest a bunch of Latino children for lighting fireworks? Our poor Cops can't even arrest violent adult criminals without videos and accusations of police brutality. I'd never want to be a Cop in Allentown, you have to tip your hats to those officers.
DeleteIf there even is an answer to the dead downtown it might simply be ample and visible police presence....and better lighting. Parking a few blocks away and walking to your dining place is not very attractive as it stands now.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, as I drive around my neighborhood in the war zone we call Allentown, numerous fireworks being shot off with seemingly little concern about being caught.
ReplyDeleteMy assumption is that the police are stretched thin from too many calls, but I have to wonder if they’re actually citing people for shooting off fireworks within 150 ft of a residence. It would be nice if we had a local paper - or city council - that would ask those questions and disclose the numbers, since there should surely be record revenues if this problem is being taken seriously.
My suspicion is that there is little to no enforcement of the law, and certainly very few citations being issued. That’s a shame, because most of the places I’m seeing fireworks being shot off are at rental properties.
That would be the same rental properties that are constant noise and trash problems as well. It would seem, therefore, that a few citations followed up with contact with the landlords would solve multiple quality of life issues in Allentown. Instead of citations, the police (upon orders from above) are probably just giving warnings, and a clear message is being sent (and it’s not the right message).
Unfortunately, it will probably take a fireworks-caused building fire (like they just had in Easton) for Allentown to make this a priority.
Sad.
Maybe they want fires... one way to empty a dwelling for all the planned redevelopment.
DeleteWe have less than zero police activity... if we did, as referenced above, the city would be flush with cash, standard of living vastly improved and the idiots would be flushed out to the next town that doesn't enforce it's laws.