Life in Allentown during the 1950's was pretty easy, compared to nowadays. Whether you were an office worker or factory worker, there were plenty of jobs. Whether you lived in the west end or center city, all the neighborhoods were clean, well maintained and relatively crime free. The school system was the envy of the county, and people finagled to get their children enrolled in it. Allentown High School had championship teams in multiple sports, and the football stadium was one of the most lavish high school stadiums in the country. The park system was the subject of numerous picture postcards. Likewise, downtown was widely known, with Hess's being a destination. All the above attributes would stay in place throughout the 1960's, into the early 70's.
I bill this blog as the intersection of politics and history in Allentown, and the greater Lehigh Valley. Although I will continue to speak out on current events of concern, I suspect that this page will turn more and more to history. Perhaps nostalgia is so appealing because the current reality is so disillusioning.
Although my archive of older Allentown pictures is extensive, I invited Ozzie and Harriet Nelson to illustrate this post.
reprinted from July of 2016
If the people living in these clean, well maintained neighborhoods with premium schools had just resisted the national craze to move to the suburbs! If Joe Dadonna had known better than to actually ENCOURAGE single family row homes to be converted to multi-units!
ReplyDeleteanon@7:43: There are a lot of misconceptions about the row house conversions in center city. I did a post about it, and will repost it by next week.
ReplyDeleteI once did ‘kitchen table’ personal research about those row house conversions using online property tax information. I investigated a 25 square block area of center city Allentown.
DeleteTo briefly summarize, converted row homes do NOT pay a commensurate amount of property tax that the once single family residence did to cover the amount of city services used.
To put another way, a 2 family dwelling unit does not pay 2 times the tax being paid when it was a single family dwelling unit. Yet, that same residential footprint demands more city services, creates 2 extra vehicles to park, and possibly 3-4 extra kids for our schools to educate. 3 unit conversions do not contribute 3 times, etc., etc.
Perhaps you will include your comments on this situation in your upcoming report.
Came to Allentown from the Coal Regions of Pa in 1966 when jobs were plentiful whether it be at Mack, Steel or hundreds of other small businesses. Hamilton street was two ways at that time with an abundance stores and apartments and no vacant properties.
ReplyDeleteShot pool with Jay Proctor (Jay and the Techniques) at the New Orleans Lounge (Just off the corner of N 7th and Linden sts.)
Danced to the Fred Hennings Trio at the Village Inn on Tilghman St. and enjoyed the Rock Bands after midnight at the Cameo Lounge just off of Hamilton St.
The Cameo was a tad seedy but had tremendous musicians who went there to jam after their evening gigs in the Poconos/Philly had ended.
Foot traffic was 4-5 abreast on Hamilton St from 5th to 12th streets on Mack and Steel paydays.
Of course we had to endure the sound of glass pack mufflers from the corvettes, mustangs and GTO's cruising the area with their windows down and stereos blarings Rock'n'Roll but somehow we survived.