I began advocating here on this blog to repair the landings on the Parkway's double stairwell back in 2010. That structure was the keystone of the Parkway's WPA projects in the mid 1930's. In 2020, when the Trexler Trust paid to have the vertical walls of that structure repointed, I spoke out. They had hired an expert to supervise the work. I went to the park and told the expert that repointing the vertical walls while ignoring the broken flagstone on the landings was akin to painting the walls of a house, but not repairing the leaking roof. The landings would start to sink and damage the stairs below. The mason indicated with a quiet nod that he agreed with me. I phoned the Trexler Trust with my concerns. I was briskly told that they do not seek public input. I have printed my plead to repair the landings almost every year.
I'm sorry to report that the landing have indeed started to concave, and the steps below them are starting to fall apart. While the vertical walls are tolerant of neglect, and could have gone many more years without repointing, the cost now to repair the landings and steps will be much steeper.
The retaining wall on the Union Terrace stage is being repointed. While I'm glad to see something WPA getting attention, I wish the work schedule was more aligned with the needs of the structures.
It seems that getting the Trexler Trust to do the actual job it was created to do, is like pulling the molars out of an elephant. They have too many other things on their plate to worry about things like WPA structures and the Allentown park system.
ReplyDeleteI wonder exactly what function the Trust actually performs besides addressing the needs of the Allentown Park system ?
I’ve witnessed the degeneration of the stairways since the early 1980s. The cracks in the stone and missing mortar is causing problems with the under structure of the stairways. The stairways don’t rest on the ground itself, so any water threatens the structure. The stairways face north so there is never any direct sun to dry the surfaces. The park management needs to address this problem before they have a pile of stone where the beautiful WPA wall was.
ReplyDeleteTotally agree with your concern and curious as to the extent of your activism. I suspect this is a lesser concern to most of your readership.Which council committee deals with this and who are the members? Have you attended their meeting? Have you attended council as a whole group? Please continue with your efforts.
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