Saving The Queen City Airport

When I grew up on Liberator Ave., I would walk up Catalina Ave. toward school, which was at the end of Coronado. The streets were named for the Vultee-Consolidated WW2 planes, and the neighborhood was next to the airport built as part of the war effort. Vultee Street was built to connect the hangers with the Mack 5C plant, which was given over to Vultee-Consolidated for plane part manufacturing. Today this small airport is known as Queen City, and is threatened by Mayor Ed Pawlowski.

1944 was the first full year of the operation for the company's Allentown, Pennsylvania factory. Consolidated Vultee handled over $100M in wartime contracts at their Allentown plant where they produced TBY-2 Sea Wolves, components parts for B-24 Liberator bombers and other essential armaments and products for the war effort.

Pawlowski covets this unique part of our history to expand the tax base. What he doesn't understand is that more housing or commercial space is not in Allentown's best long term interest. Unfortunately, long term interest is not a term understood by our current leadership. There is a whole development of started houses off S. 12th St. and Mack Blvd. which were never completed. There are filled in foundations on 8th Street, also never completed. More housing is the last thing both the real estate market and school system need. Likewise, the existing commercial sector has been struggling to maintain an acceptable occupancy rate. Queen City airport is an unique asset to Allentown. If LVIA does successfully expand, a separate airport for small planes is very desirable for safety. Considering Pawlowski's predetermined objective, I question whether he should have been appointed to the LVIA Board.

Dennis Pearson, long time community activist from the East Side Rittersville area, reports last night(Sept. 23, 2010) that a portion of the State Hospital grounds had been given to the Allentown Commercial and Industrial Development Corporation. Just last week, Dennis requested that the City inform him of any plans concerning that land. Although representatives of the Administration were present, nobody had the consideration to response to Pearson's statement. These open spaces in Allentown, both Queen City and the State Hospital, are too important to let Pawlowski and Cunningham squander them for a short term, politically expedient, tax fix.

Malcolm Gross, an associate of Pawlowski, was just appointed by the court to overseer the $16million dollar payment due to the Fuller family by the Lehigh Valley Airport. The Airport Authority should sell the Fuller land that it never used, and retain Queen City.

UPDATE: Since a version of this post first appeared in September of 2010, LVIA is under court order to raise $16 million, as noted above. The airport (LVIA) is currently without it's former Executive Director. The Morning Call reports an offer for $18 million for the Queen City. Although such a sale would be incredibly shortsighted, that's a prominent local eye and mental condition.

What Is It?

What is it columns seem to be popular, and popularity is all I want for Christmas. The first person to identify what the object in the picture does, wins the contest. The winner gets his choice of a one month subscription to The Morning Call, or cleaning the Porta-John for a week at the Allentown Arena construction site. Contest entries must be submitted by 12:00pm, Oct. 26, 2011.

No Jews of Libya

Despite having settled there hundreds of years before Christ, there are no Jews in Libya.

I left Libya more than 42 years ago when the mobs were roaming the streets. They were not chanting for democracy or yearning for freedom — they were looking for Jews.

Gina Waldman.

This community, that goes back 2,500 years, has obliterated their oldest minority...They drink anti-semitism with their mother's milk.

Gina Zanzur
After the creation of Israel in 1948, anti-Jewish riots and killings forced 30,000 Jews to flee. After the 1967 Israeli war, the remaining 6,000 were expelled, each allowed one suitcase and $20.
historic photo of the Jewish Quarter in Tripoli

reprinted from March 14, 2011

UPDATE: An envoy from the displaced Libyan Jewish community now living in Italy, was told that there would be no place for Jews in the new Libya.

Future Downtown Arena Attendee

Regular readers of this blog are familiar with the commentator who identifies himself as Future Downtown Arena Attendee. He first appeared months ago, when I began posting about this misguided project and it's mistreatment of our long standing merchants. He is a staunch defender of the project, with no use for the current merchants or their clientele. Beyond being an apologists for the Administration, some readers have speculated that he actually works for the City or has another interest in the project. I generally appreciated his participation in the dialogue; It provided an insight into the arrogance by those who govern us. On my recent post, questioning which branch of our local government considered us dumber, Future made this comment.

Why do you think that you are entitled to public comment on this? The people elected the officials to speak on their behalf. The officials are speaking. If you don't like what they are saying do not vote for them in their reelection bids.

The blogger known as LVCI made an excellent reply. Below are excerpts from his comment.

Voting for a public official is nothing more then hiring someone to do a job on our behalf. We are the owners and city hall officials are our employees, we aren't theirs. Not one official running for office mentioned in their campaign they were going to seize over 30 private properties downtown, bulldoze an entire square block and risk advancing over $160 million of the taxpayers' dollars to do it. They didn't mention the new, sometimes expen$ive, pre-sale inspections before one sells their home. Nor was there any mention in their campaigns while they were running for office that they were going to put in miles of bike trails, a playground or install asphalt roadways in a park either. A lot of changes affect us for many years long after their time in office. The police & fire pensions are a fine example of that. According to your way of thinking why bother having public meetings after elections. Our civic responsibilities are completely done after we elect them, right? Citizens should only concern themselves every 4 years after the $'s are spent and the changes are already done that affect them. Is that the way you want it?
Come to think of it, that pretty much seems the way we're being dealt with already.

I suppose that Future Attendee and LVCI both have a point. As voters we don't seem to learn from our mistakes. Although a previous City Council lamented about the Police Pension they approved, many of the lamenters were re-elected. Currently, members are awaking to the lack of public and Council input concerning the Transformational arena. Will there be consequences come election day next month? Last night I drove past the Sangria Restaurant. Although I wish this business and all others well, I must report that they were virtually empty. This attempt at a restaurant row was subsidized by the Administration to the tune of half a $million of taxpayer dollars. If the new restaurants are struggling with easy available parking, how will they fare with congestion caused by the hockey fans? After two hotdogs and a beer, will the hockey fans patronize Sangria after the game? A failure of the arena and adjoining event center will put the taxpayers on the hook for over $200 million; Now that's a transformation! I hope that Future Downtown Arena Attendee at least actually attends.

A Step Daughter

The young bride pictured is not my step daughter, but she is a daughter of the steps. In addition to choosing the steps at Fountain Park for her wedding pictures, she also helped to dig out and recover the steps at the Boat Landing, in Lehigh Parkway. Although it is wonderful that a young person appreciates the WPA structures, I wish that the Mayor, Park Director and Trexler Trust shared her love of Allentown history and values. Next week, the Park Department, funded by the Trexler Trust, moves forward with their Path Plan. The money they spend on new, unnecessary macadam paths could restore the irreplaceable WPA icons.

Who Thinks You're Dumber?

According to The Morning Call, Allentown City Hall will now conduct a series of public meetings on the arena. Although all arrangements are a done deal, public comment will be sought. Although the Mayor preferred to first make the presentations to civic groups and other selected voter groups, City Council insisted that John Q get the presentations first; Council wants to credit themselves for insisting on this sequence, for the upcoming meaningless meetings. In truth, a more responsible City Council would have postponed the Administration's request for Eminent Domain, insisting on public input. They would have asserted themselves when it counted. Council members may pose now, in election season, as concerned about public opinion, but in addition to being too little, it's too late. One of them actually said, Better late than never.

Republican Halloween

They say all politics is local. I thought about that last night as I covered a City Republican Halloween Party. While the Republicans fare well in Lehigh County, David Bausch was the last one to win a seat on Allentown City Council, and that was back in 2003. This year, among a good slate of candidates, that Party has put up Eric Weiss for City Council. Weiss spend a career at City Hall, working his way up to head of Code Enforcement and Building Standards. In a city where one of the biggest problems comes from inter-city apartments, his experience should make him a hot ticket.

Light Unto The Nations

While Polish soccer fans taunt a visiting team from Tel Aviv, and a doctor from Bethlehem joins a flotilla to Free Gaza, Israel is releasing over 1000 of it's avowed enemies to free one soldier. The soldier was abducted in Israel in 2006, and dragged into Gaza, while his two comrades were killed. His abductors will also be released, along with dozens of others, who pride themselves on how many Jews they have killed. In that group is a bomber, who alone blew up 30 Jews. Israelis know that some of these terrorists will return to Israel, and kill more Jews. The Israeli soldier was 19 when captured. He has not been seen since 2009. While the Polish fans jeer, and the doctor rants, the light shines.

photo: Israel attempts to rescue besieged Jews in Jerusalem, 1948

Bring Back Falko

Slow learning seems more apparent at the Administration office on Penn Street, than in any particular Allentown School. If I had to choose one blunder of Gerald Zahorchak's scramble of the Allentown School District, removing Keith Falko from Allen High would be it. Everybody agreed; teachers, students and parents, that Falko ran that ship as tight as it could be run. Zahorchak, always chasing grants and the newest concepts, shifted four principals, decimating discipline in the district. Falko was to end up at the 4th & Allen Over-Achiever Academy, which was wisely never instituted. His talent is now squandered down on Penn Street. The grant that Zahorchak chased, never paid off as large as anticipated anyway. Despite statistics being generated by a Director of Unnecessary Information, facts on the ground indicate that commotion is rampant at Allen.* Rumor is that although the new principal and his four assistants are nice guys, they don't command anywhere near the respect that Falko did. Hopefully, acting Superintendent Russ Mayo can see a winning play when it's staring him in the face.

*Steve Esack, The Morning Call, Parent Says Behavior At Allen High Out of Control, October 14, 2011

The Morning Call Delivery

I've been a continuous Morning Call subscriber for 34 years, every day, seven days a week. I think that might well be some sort of record. Even other dinosaurs, occasionally, have let their subscriptions expire, to take advantage of some promotion. Not me, full ticket, paid by the year. The last couple of years, as their delivery system broke down, I have taken to pay semi annually. Quarterly will now be the prudent choice. I no longer attempt to complain about a missing paper. Waiting to speak to somebody in India is detrimental to my blood pressure. molovinsky on allentown opens early, but the paper keeps coming later; Even mcall doesn't refresh itself until about 5:45 a.m. I no longer get the paper in time for my morning coffee, the pot is long empty by the time it arrives. I suppose soon I'll have to get my news from the City Web Site.

UPDATE February 15, 2014.    If you're having a delivery issue,  here is a petition addressing that problem.

The Morning Call Forgets The Meat

Despite a large front page story on the Arena and Mr. Reilly's spinoff development, complete with charts and graphs, despite being written by two of it's reporters, where's the beef? Like the famous 1984 commercial, the articles are large buns with small hamburgers. The real story is that none of the merchants were ever told that they could use taxes to purchase a new building, after being displaced by the city. The use of sales tax, 6% of their gross sales, could have been used for debt service on a new Hamilton Street location. To my knowledge, none of the affected merchants, will have a new retail store on Hamilton Street, or will have any benefit from the NIZ. They had asked for a meeting with the city for help, which was attended by The Morning Call, and were never told that the NIZ lever could be used by private property owners. They asked for a meeting with Senator Brown, and were never told about options which could have helped them save their businesses. The explanation by Browne and the Administration that this information was available if they had asked the proper questions, is unacceptable. FACTS ON THE GROUND INDICATE THAT THE LAW WAS APPLIED IN A SELECTIVE FASHION, TO FASHIONABLE PEOPLE. If this post sounds repetitive, that's because it is. There's still no hamburger inside the bun, and still no explanation.

The Historical Record

During the City Council Eminent Domain Hearing, Louie Belletieri came in about halfway during the meeting. I encouraged him to stay and say a few words. Louie stood up at the meeting's end and told City Council that they should pay the shopowners straight up. Although Louie wasn't involved with the issue before, during or after that meeting, his Godfather presentation resonated with the local newspaper reporter. In addition to quoting Louie for the coverage about eminent domain, the paper used it as the Quote Of The Week, in the weekend edition. Fortunately, for the historical record, a local documentary videophotographer was covering the meeting. Sydney "Imantrek" McKenzie captured the soul of the shareowners, the storeowners, whose lives were being bashed by the hockey puck.


In addition to making documentaries, Imantrek also produces music and Grounzero, an internet magazine. He is now lending his talent to the fight to preserve Allentown's WPA icons. Like many true artists before him, he remains an outsider to the newspaper and local art establishment.

Early Morning in Allentown

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.

Unhappy Campers

As the countdown to the beginning of Mayor Pawlowski's transformation nears, I thought my camera and I would visit 7th and Hamilton. Uncle Sam and the Wall Street protesters are not the only unhappy campers by that corner.





Once again the rat has been inflated on a union picket line. Preliminary construction on a NIZ site doesn't bode well for the unions in Allentown's transformation.

Of course, the most victimized near that corner are the merchants. Although I'm privilege to their survival plans, it's not my place to reveal them at this time. I will say that they only have 20 days remaining to relocate, and yet still
attempt to make a living while doing so. Moving a few boxes makes me nervous, much less an entire inventory, from over twenty years on Hamilton Street. For a city supposedly improving itself, I certainly saw much pain today near 7th and Hamilton.

Pawlowski Gets Foot Massage

Last night for half an hour, Tony No Shame Iannelli groveled at Ed Pawlowski's feet, while his producer, City Councilman Mike Schlossberg, shined Pawlowski's shoes. Before the first commercial, No Shame said that he's "really beating the Mayor up." By the second commercial, he admitted that the program was softball. Actually, the program was T-Ball. The closest Iannelli got to any evaluation of the Mayor's plans for Hamilton Street, was to call all critics "out of town nay-sayers." Considering that the plan displaces over 34 business owners, and tears the heart out of the historic shopping district, this was a staggering suck-up by the host of Business Matters, and Director of the Chamber of Commerce. They concluded the pathetic program by announcing that Pawlowski has named Iannelli, and Pawlowski's campaign manager, Mal Gross, as Chairmen of Allentown's 250th Anniversary Celebration.

March 27, 1942

Guest Post by Mike Casey
Before 18,220 fans at Madison Square Garden on March 27, 1942, big Abe Simon stepped into the ring for the final fight of his career. Scaling 255 1/4lbs, he was a massive, bear of a man who had once used his considerable size and muscle on the gridiron. Abe outweighed Joe Louis by nearly 48 pounds, but already knew the dangers of duelling with the Brown Bomber. Just a year before at the Olympia Stadium in Detroit, Joe had decked Simon four times and stopped him in thirteen rounds.Coming back for seconds was never a good idea against the prime Louis. But Abe had heart, pluck and a big punch and everyone knew that anything could happen in heavyweight boxing. Simon had knocked out Jersey Joe Walcott in six rounds, beaten Roscoe Toles and drawn with Turkey Thompson. Abe had also waged a thrilling battle of the giants with Buddy Baer, in which he had beaten Buddy severely in the opening round before being stopped in the third.......Louis finished the fight quickly in the sixth round, sending Abe down and out with a final left-right blast. Perhaps Joe had been riled after first snapping Simon to attention with a quick-fire combination in the second round. Big Abe had laughed at him....
copy courtesy of Mike Casey Archives
photograph(added by molovinsky): Abe Simon in corner after fight, with manager Jimmy Johnston

Comments on Blogging

I don't make Pawlowski's day. Probably, at most, I'm a minor thorn in his side. Being an equal opportunity basher, I have also alienated people at The Morning Call; Most of my criticism of Allentown is only read on this blog. Occasionally, Gunther Walsh is kind enough to voice one of my diatribes on WAEB radio. This brings us to the issue of blogging and comments. All bloggers, myself included, prefer more, than less readers. Advice articles on blogging emphasize the importance of comments for increased readership. Allow your readers to interact with your blog. Respond to all their comments. Last night I received the following comment on the Tea Leaves post.

Read the Sunday paper to see what kind of scum bag mayor and city council we are dealing with. With these unethical and amoral idiots at the helm there is little hope for Allentown.
And biblical principles. Pawlowski might think he is the Antichrist but too many people hate him. Wonder why.He and XXXX XXXXX can retire to XXXX and develop their spec properties. Maybe they will take XXXX XXXX XXXXX with them. Another one of their scams.

Even though I am opposed to the Mayor's plans concerning the sports palace complex, and many other programs, and often address City Council, I have never used or felt the above adjectives and adverbs. Although I do not believe that bloggers own, or are responsible for the words in the comments, they can undermine a mission. I see this blog as a tool to help effect some change in Allentown. Consequently, do not expect submitted comments, as above, to appear on this blog. I appreciate your readership, but will not compromise my community efforts for the sake of increased circulation of this blog.

The Great White Hunter

In my Newspaper Safari post I used the phrase Great White Hunter. Although I would not allow my readers go off on a racial dialogue, some explanation is in order. As a six year old boy watching Ramar of the Jungle, the hunters were white, and wore pith helmets. Africa was a tropical jungle, inhabited by blacks,living in huts. Despite the image I show here, the 1953 television show itself was black and white. As an impressionable boy, I do not believe I developed any racial attitudes from the program, but I certainly received some distorted geography. The Tarzan movies continued the myth that Africa was all jungle. Whether in Hollywood with Robert Redford, or in the local paper with some guy from Catasauqua, The Great White Hunter continues on in modern times.

Allentown's Tea Leaves

Some people read tea leaves, I read deed transfers. I can tell you that Pawlowski's Transformation includes 3 square blocks. In addition to the publicly stated 700 block of Hamilton Street, projects will also be built on blocks to the east and north. When completed, downtown will have two separate shopping districts; There will be the low income Hispanic Shopping District on 7th Street, and the hoped for middle class district on Hamilton, west of 8th Street. These two districts will be physically separated by the new projects; hockey arena, event center and hotel(s). In a recent Morning Call article The heart was torn out of the city, Easton's Mayor Sal Panto says that their 1966 renewal project was a total mistake. Panto won't apply the lesson to that city's new plans about a Lanta Terminal and High School Sports Museum. Here in Allentown, Pawlowski wasn't even here for our previous failures. The stark, former bank call center on the Lehigh Street hill, between Martin Luther Drive and Union Street, is testament to Allentown's previous failed attempt at transformation. Although the current Hamilton Street, shown above around 1950, is a shadow of it's former glory, the buildings remained for future renewal. That option will end come November. It is my fear that some mayor will say in 2050, that tearing down those buildings, was a total mistake.

Newspaper Safari

People occasionally contact me when they're exasperated with the city, but a gentleman I spoke with yesterday was fuming at the newspaper. A column on the front page of the sports section glorified shooting a lioness on an African Safari. If that didn't offend this guy enough, the hunter planned to return to Africa, to shoot an elephant. The hunter's only concern was that killing deer in Pennsylvania just wouldn't do it for him any longer. He says that in Africa, if your check book is big enough, you can kill anything. Hope that doesn't include bloggers, but back to the upset newspaper reader. I think he can accept the misguided hunter, but he wonders what processed the columnist and his editor. I should mention that the paper included a photograph of the Great White Hunter and the dead lioness. Perhaps to the reporter, who covers both sports and outdoors, bagging a lion hunter is a bigger catch than the usual teenage boy shoots first deer story. Anyway, for us Babar fans, it was offensive.

I have purposely not linked to the article, nor will I host comments mentioning the hunter by name

Connecting the Neglect

Although this blog has documented the deterioration of the iconic WPA Structures throughout the park system, the City goes forward with new park projects without addressing problems with existing features; We will now connect the neglect. The Morning Call this past weekend distributed the Fall and Winter Directory to Parks and Recreation. The cost of the slick magazine could have in itself repaired one set of steps at Irving Park. The City is going ahead with it's plans and paid consultants for the Network of Bicycle and Pedestrian Trails. The next meeting for that project will be October 26, at the Library. I attended the previous meeting last April. The theme is Connecting our Community. Park Director Weitzel and the paid consultant spoke about connecting the children of Allentown with the park system. Although they had a professionally produced large illustration of the Fountain Park area, the Lawrence Street WPA Steps were not included. In reality, that magnificent structure was built exactly for that purpose in 1936. It now stands neglected, with numerous missing steps, as a monument to this Park Department's misplaced priorities.

This evening the WPA Support Group will meet once again at the Library. Park Director Weitzel has asked to attend to present the achievements of his department. I told him he was welcome to make a short presentation. A few members of our group will also make short presentations on the current condition of the iconic WPA structures, which had made our park system famous. The meeting is this evening, in the lower level of the Allentown Library, at 7:00p.m. Members of the public, press and Trexler Trust are invited to attend.

Korean on Mayor's Menu

Last week blogger Bernie O'Hare reported on the Lehigh Valley Mayor's Dinner. Although he presented a glimpse of statements made, he neglected to report on the food served, Korean. I don't mean Asian style rice and pork, but they ate actual Koreans, former Allentown merchants. These unusual victuals were arranged by Sara Hailstone, Allentown's Community Development Director.

Although the above is satire, now some ugly truths. Although Hailstone promised the merchants assistance in relocating, in reality, obstacles were put in their place. In one instance, a long standing displaced merchant was told by a landlord in another location that he wouldn't rent to him, because of his merchandize and clientele. The landlord said that the City wanted a new look, and he didn't want to jeopardize his hopes for a future grant. Another merchant was denied relocation funds previously promised. Although I attended the meeting between Hailstone and the merchants, and heard the promises, I will provide no details about the identity of the merchants. These unfortunate victims of Allentown's progress still hope to make a living here, despite the city.

Holmes vs. Panto

Sal Panto does pretty good in the local blogosphere. He's in Bernie O'Hare's Walk on Water Club. The ReNew Yuppies like him because of the his position on trains, planes, and buses. About the only blogger not impressed is me. I've seen him back things to a fault, like the parking deck behind the Wolfe School. Although his supporters keep saying that Easton is different than Allentown, I know that the Lanta Terminal and the Al Bundy Museum of High School Jocks are canned mediocrity. Apparently, Larry Holmes is also less than impressed with Panto's plans. The Morning Call reported that Holmes will move his nightclub rather than pay more taxes for the Improvement District . Reinforcing my opinion of Panto, his best argument to Holmes is that his proposals, (Panto's) haven't passed yet. While other mayor's made light of themselves, Panto hurt his arm patting himself on his own back at the Mayor's dinner. Panto may well induce Holmes to stay put with one incentive or another, but it sure won't be because of enthusiasm for Panto's plans.

Holmes tutors Ray Mercer, 1992

A Failure by Dieruff High

This week I decided to go back to school, at least to hang outside of Dieruff. Upon re-evaluation, I must give my previous report on the WPA steps at Irving Park a failing grade. Besides myself, also failing would be Mayor Pawlowski, Park Director Weitzel and City Council President Michael D'Amore. Any lessons given about the WPA Steps at Irving Park better be given in the next couple years; after that they will be gone. We are soon approaching the point where the City will declare the cost of repair is cost prohibitive; Unless that is their current plan! As reported in the previous post's comments, one set of steps has already been removed by the City. All the remaining steps are in a state of disrepair. Shown above are the steps on Washington Street, between Jerome and Irving Streets. WPA Support Group member Mark Thomas prepared comprehensive documentation on the remaining masonry structures at Irving Park.
UPDATE: Mark Thomas raises the question as to whether these steps are indeed WPA. They appear to be the same vintage and colorization of the pool bathhouse, dated 1941. In any regard, the steps are clearly historic, and this group will campaign for their preservation.
please click on photo

King of the Gypsies

According to my mother, a Gypsy king was buried in Allentown in around 1960, she knew about such things. She was born in Galgo, Hungary, an area of Transylvania, now part of Romania, near present day Gilgau. In Galgo, the Jews and Gypsies lived on the edge of town. In the early 20's, my grandparents, along with their Gypsy neighbors, came to Bethlehem to work at the Steel. On weekends, to make extra money, my grandparents would open their house and show Hungarian movies. None of their relatives, Jew or Gypsy, save one cousin, survived the nazi's; even the cemeteries were desecrated. As you can see from the document above, my grandfather earned his citizenship the hard way.

reprinted from Sept. 7, 2009

Israel's Self Defense

Vincent Stravino portrayed himself as an honest broker for peace in his September 24th Your View column. He visited the Holocaust Museum in Israel, and "understands the fear" Jews have for their survival. What Stravino doesn't understand is that the Israelis are not afraid of Nazi ghosts from 70 years ago, they are afraid of the real Arab hatred for them in 2011. He writes about various Israelis who are sympathetic to the plight of the Palestinians, but he doesn't write a word about Palestinians sensitive to Israeli concerns, they would be hard to find. He writes about "widespread violence" by Israeli settlers, but doesn't mention the family massacred this past summer. I don't know exactly what Stravino means by "violence", but I know that no Palestinian family had their throats slit, including an infant, as did a Jewish family. He feels the Israeli reprisal against the crude rockets fired from Gaza was disproportionate. Although thousands of rockets were fired over five years, not that many Israelis died. Stravino doesn't mention the recent anti-tank missile intentionally fired at a yellow school bus. Lastly, Vincent Stravino is concerned that United States support of Israel is misused to finance aggression against innocent people. Since when is the right to self defense aggression?
Michael Molovinsky
the above piece appeared today as a letter to the editor in The Morning Call

The Island of Lehigh Parkway

The scene above shows the island in the Little Lehigh, with the boatlanding in the background. Please note the bridge leading to the island. The island, bridge and landing were created by the WPA. Although the island still remains, as does it's stone piers, the bridge is long gone. The boatlanding, although buried, was partially recovered last year by myself and a number of volunteers. The island, as remaining, has lost it's shape and has been enlarged from deposits carried by the Little Lehigh. The island was created by the WPA in the mid 1930's, by excavating a channel on it's south side. It is the intention of the park department to eventually allow mother nature to fill in the channel. Park philosophy has changed from manicured to al natural. It is my hope that the excavated portion of the boatlanding will be retained. In regard to yesterday's post on Irving Park, I have confirmed that one of the WPA stone stairwells was indeed removed this year by the city. I hope that is not their version of a fix. It clearly indicates the need for the WPA Support Group. Click photo to enlarge.

The above photograph courtesy of Frank Whelan

Lesson at Dieruff

A Dieruff High School social studies teacher would not have to take his class very far for a lesson in Allentown's history. Although never elected, East Side activist Dennis Pearson has been complaining for thirty years that the East Side always get short changed in Public Works. Such was the case in the mid 1930's, during the WPA work in Allentown. Roosevelt's New Deal program built the elaborate walls in the south side's Lehigh Parkway. Central Allentown received the magnificent Lawrence Street stairwell. The culturally elite of west Allentown received the Union Terrace Amphitheater, envisioned for Shakespeare. Pearson's east side got a few scattered steps to nowhere. The steps remained, and thirty years later Allentown built Dieruff High School. With expansions and renovations, some of the steps now adjoin the school. Flash ahead to the summers of 2009 and 2010.




I lobbied Allentown City Council members to appropriate some of the $millions of dollars in Cedar Park plans to begin preserving the irreplaceable WPA structures, starting to crumble throughout our park system. East Side elected councilman, Michael D'Amore, assured me that he only signed off on the Administrations plan, with the stipulation that the steps in Irving Park-Dieruff area would be restored at the same time. The work in Cedar Park was completed last year, including $millions of dollars with of recreation equipment from catalogs. The deterioration of the steps around Dieruff continues. Now there's a lesson in government!
photos courtesy of Mark Thomas

Boxing's Giant Era

In California these days, everybody walks around with a yoga mat strapped to their back. That certainly wasn't the case in the 1930's, when heavyweight contender Lou Nova studied yoga. Nova was the World Amateur Heavyweight Champion and a proponent of clean living. He won his first twenty two fights as a professional. His promoters said he perfected the Cosmic Punch. Only 6'2", he fought in the era of giants. He handed giant Abe Simon his first defeat after thirteen victories, eleven by knockout. Nova knocked out 6'4'' Max Baer twice. The 1939 knockout is one second away, in the above photograph. Baer himself had won the championship by knocking out Primo Carnera, the Italian giant who was 6'6" and weighed 284 lbs. Baer lost the championship to the Cinderella Man, Jim Braddock. Joe Louis took the belt from Braddock and held it for twelve years, being arguably the best fighter in history. Clean living didn't serve Lou Nova so well with the notorious dirty fighter Two Ton Tony Galento. Galento almost gouged his eye out, putting him in the hospital for weeks. Nova got his shot with Louis on September 29, 1941, but fell in six. Nova would go on to act in movies and even was a write-in candidate for President of the United States. He dropped out of the campaign because his mother was afraid he would catch a cold shaking so many hands. She wasn't afraid of him being in the ring with some of the toughest men in the world.

a version of this post appeared previously

Your Esteemed Opinion

Thursday evening you're welcome to express your idea's for Allentown's riverfront, to an out of town paid consultant. Allentown may receive a $5million dollar grant, which it could use to purchase the former Structural Steel property, if the current option holder fails to close. If you cannot attend the meeting, try batting your lips in front of your bathroom mirror. In reality, your mirror cares more about your opinion than the city. Yesterday, I met with a displaced Hamilton Street merchant. Although the Hamilton Street plan is very real, there was no public input what-so-ever. This merchant had about 90 days to make alternative arrangements for the past 26 years of his life. He was stunned when I told him that a connected developer can also use the taxes generated in the NIZ for his private debt service. Although these displaced merchants attended two private meetings with City Hall, and one with Pat Browne, they were never offered or told of that option. The Riverfront dog and pony show is Thursday evening, at the Wheel of Deals Building, at Front and Hamilton Streets.

An article on the meeting by Devon Lash appeared in yesterday's Morning Call

Allentown's Malaise

Although the mayor thinks that his palace of sport and event center will be transformational, but for a few apologists and opportunists, I hear no enthusiasm. I do often hear that the first fan who becomes a victim of violence, will doom the attendance. I often hear that the project is in the wrong location. What is most important, is where I hear these comments. Although Allentown's plans may be voted upon at City Hall and Government Center, it's future is decided at it's most important institutions, the morning diners. At the tables and booths of these courts of last resort, the project earns nothing but head shaking and skepticism.

artwork by Mark Beyer

Last Trolley, 1953

When the last trolley ran on June 8, 1953, shown above, Allentown did not turn into a ghost town. Buses had already been ferrying the lion's share of transit riders for a few years. The Transit Station would remain on S. 8th Street, and the changeover was rather smooth. The Hamilton Street district, with it's three department stores, three large five and dimes, and hundreds of smaller merchants, would thrive for twenty more years. Whitehall Mall was constructed in 1966, followed ten years later by the Lehigh Valley Mall, in 1976.

Trolley Demise in Allentown

A fellow blogger, a younger urbanist sort, speculated that automobiles put the end to trolleys in the Lehigh Valley. He was half right, actually it was the Mad Men from General Motors. In the early 1950's, Americans were still a one car family, even in the prosperous Lehigh Valley. The mass transit system was still full of the other family members, still using the system for work, shopping and school. Between the late 1940's and 1953, Hamilton Street had both trolleys and buses. In the late 40's, General Motors wined and dined transit officials all over the country, exhorting the benefits of their buses. Shown above is a Lehigh Valley Transit work car, towing a trolley to Bethlehem Steel to be scrapped. The photograph was taken in 1952 on St. John Street, heading toward the Fountain Hill route. In June of 1953, the last trolley would run on Hamilton Street.

Dinosaur in Digital Age

I am for sure a dinosaur in the digital age. Although I did purchase a small compact digital camera about three years ago, I remain in the point and shoot mode. To be honest, the pictures were fine, especially for a blog which uses images only about 2X3 inches. Never the less, being an old camera addict, I have begun to research available digital alternatives. There is a new photographic phrase called street photography, and descriptions of camera's most suited to that pursuit. As an old photographer from the street, I find that amusing.
UPDATE: We are fortunate here in the valley to now have two full service photography stores. Both Cardinal Camera's new branch at the Promenade, and Dan's Camera City, have the inventory and expertise to help any dinosaur. I'm impressed with the compact Olympus Pen series, featuring interchangeable lenses and a large 4/3 sensor.
molovinsky/Boston Common, 1967

Who Needs Shopping

It was my intention to do a couple of posts on the old line Allentown merchants, both of them. I called the first The Gems of Allentown, although it dealt with yarn. I chose that title because the second post was to be on Salomon Jewelers. Salomon and Tucker Yarn were all that was left of Allentown's merchants, from before the Pawlowski era. Yesterday, I received a comment from a reader called The Voice of Reason

I recall that about 35 years ago, bethlehem had a grandious plan to reinvent downtown Bethlehem. The area between Center, Church, Union and the Monocacy Creek was to be razed and rebuilt with a mall, a convention center, a performance center, parking decks, office towers and residential buildings. The model was beautiful and you could hardly recognize the "old" Bethlehem.... Fast forward to 2011 - It took twenty-five years to finally develop the section between Guetter and Main. It took longer to replace the void at the NE corner of Broad and New. An office tower and a failed attempt at a "mall" remain in the other section. Luckily, cool heads prevailed and the rest of the plan was scrapped. Can you imaging a Main Street without the Sun Inn? Imaging a Main Street without any of the Victorian buildings that exist from Broad to Church. These buildings arguably make bethlehem unique ....
I hope against hope that there may be a similar awakening in Allentown; just because you can do something, doesn't mean that you should. VOR

Yesterday, an article in The Morning Call reported that Salomon's are leaving Allentown.* He has sold his Hamilton Street building to developer J.B. Reilly and will relocate the business west of the city. Salomon hit no home run on the sale. Reilly recently paid as much for a building, across from the arena block, which has been boarded up near 7th and Linden for years. It's apparent to me that Salomon is less than enthusiastic about Allentown's transformational plans, at least as a merchant. Who needs shopping anyway?
Salomon will remain open during the holidays through June

Jersey Joe

It took five attempts and 20 years for Jersey Joe Walcott to finally win the Heavyweight Championship, at age 37. After only one title defense, the rematch against former champion Ezzard Charles, Jersey Joe stepped into the ring with the hard punching Rocky Marciano, who was ten years younger. Marciano was knocked down in round one, for the first time in his career. Although Walcott would gamely defend his hard won crown, the end came in 13th round, shown in the classic photo above. In the following rematch, Walcott's career would end, after being knocked out in the first round.
enlarge photo by clicking

The Union Terrace Train

The Conrail engine backs across Walnut Street, as it delivers a flatbed of large granite slaps and blocks to the Wentz Memorial Company, by 20th and Hamilton Streets. Years earlier, the spur route extended across Hamilton Street and terminated at the building across from school district stadium, now occupied by the park department. On it's run to Wentz's, it went through the auto junkyard, continued on past the now closed Allentown Metal Works, and crossed the trestle in Lehigh Parkway. At Union Terrace the track was next to the former ice skating pond, behind the WPA Amphitheater Stage Mound. This photograph was taken by Dave Latshaw in the 1979, and is part of the Mark Rabenold collection. Rabenold is a local train historian, specializing in Allentown's former branch lines.

A Rude Visit

When Irene stormed through Cedar Park, she knocked down and broke a number of the old willow trees. The sight of these magnificent trees along the creek banks, is the view-shed cherished by us proponents of the historical park system. As a boy in 1955, I remember the same damage in the aftermath of Hurricane Diane. Many of the remaining willows are now about 75 years old. Although they held the creek banks together for three generations, they have lost favor to riparian buffers.


It's nice to sit by the bank under a willow tree and watch the ducks swim by. Hopefully, somewhere along the banks of the Little Lehigh and Cedar Creek, there is still some open space for a few new weeping willows.
please click on photos to enlarge

The End of the End

Yesterday, The Morning Call had a story about the trolley era, including some excellent pictures. Although I take exception with some details in that article, it has motivated me to publish this picture from 1951, which I had intended on using after the bulldozer. Not only are the trolleys gone, but soon all buildings shown here will also be gone. The exception is the Farr Building on the far left, and the Dime Bank, not shown in this picture. Although people still walk and shop the historic busy block, soon it will house the Pawlowski Palace of Sport, laying dormant every day, and I suspect many evenings. It is the end of the end.

WPA Fountain Park Tour report added to post below.

A Grand Tour

Everyday, a thousand men would climb the steps back home after a working in the Mack plants and other industry on S. 10th Street, by Fountain Park. They lived in the well tended row houses which comprised center city. Their wives would shop in Mohican and other center city markets. Six movie houses served the Hamilton Street area to provide entertainment. The steps were constructed by the WPA between 1934 and 1937 and connected the industrial area with it's workers. Today, if properly maintained, they could connect the children and the parents of Allentown with the recreation of Fountain Park. You are invited to join Nicholas Butterfield tomorrow morning as he leads a well informed tour of this Allentown icon.The structure consists of three main sections. The Grand Stairwell from Lawrence Street (Martin Luther King Drive). The magnificent Union Street retaining wall with it's tunnel leading to the second set of steps. The second steps climb up to Spring Garden Street.I will be leading a group along Martin Luther King Jr Drive, starting at MLKJ and Union St, going up the first steps to Spring Garden, then down the 2nd steps from Junction St to MLK Jr Drive, starting 10 am Saturday, September 10 10 am. Call me if interested 610-770-1751. Nicholas Butterfield
TOUR REPORT BY NICHOLAS BUTTERFIELDSeven of us and one very young person took a tour Saturday morning of the WPA walls and steps along Martin Luther King Jr Drive, from S 10th St to Junction & Union Streets.The different walls appear in good condition overall. The steps need help.
From the Junction/Union St tunnel, climbing up to Spring Garden St, there is a lot of graffiti inside the tunnel entrance, going up to the first landing. Most has been there for several years, but there is some newer stuff.
Going up the steps to about the 3rd landing, one stone block is missing, for at least the last two years if not longer. The grass at the top of the steps is a foot high, in need of mowing by the City.
Going east on Spring Garden to S 10th, we looked over the dead parking lot, the prospective park that would connect Jackson St to the Junction St steps down to Martin Luther King & S 10th St. One resident earlier had asked me if the park would be safe from sinkholes, because the area was used as a landfill when the 8th St bridge was built.
The Junction St steps are in much greater need of repair. They are also used to a much greater extent than the Spring Garden steps, by people exercising or gong down to the Fountain Terrace fields. We counted at least 12 persons during our time on these steps.
A stone block is missing from one of the top western steps. The south side of the Junction St wall has a lot of white graffiti in at least 3 different sections. There were several used condoms on the path and a large number of bottles and cans scattered about, although it was much cleaner than in previous years. (Jim Molchany reminded me that over several years we pulled out many bags of trash and at least 13 tires from this area during our LANA clean up).
The macadam walkway has broken up in a number of places and needs to be resurfaced. After the east and west steps come together, there are missing stone blocks in at least 3 different places, including one spot where almost the entire step is gone, very much a hazard.Natalie observed the woods are just overgrown with underbrush and scrub trees, making it a very dark area. We need the City forester to review and recommend removal. There were several street lights along the path, but I will have to check at night to see if they are functioning.
My thanks to Gene Scharle, Edna Himmler who took photographs, Steven Ramos, Rose Gallagher, her daughter Natalie and grandchild Nadia, and Gregg Heilman, who regaled us with the history of this small area.
Nick Butterfield

Allentown's Future

Mayor Daddona's plan to save Allentown was the canopy built in front of the stores on Hamilton Street. Mayor Heydt's plan was tearing down the canopy in front of the stores. Mayor Pawlowski's plan is to tear down the stores and build an entertainment complex. Pawlowski's plan will eventually take three square blocks off the tax rolls. Already the first $100 million block has grown into a second block and another $100 million. Because of a rainy week, Steel Stack's Jeff Parks is walking around with a tin cup asking for donations. The Sands Corporation will be able to finance it's new entertainment complex with a money machine called a casino. When it rains on Pawlowski's white elephant, which it must from all the local competition alone, the short fall will come from our pockets. I'm not sure where Pawlowski will be then, but we're going to be up the creek, without a paddle, paying for huge, underused tax free buildings. There should have been a law, or a vote, or a City Council.

Note To The Mayor

Mayor Pawlowski, you may not remember me. I'm the widower who lives in the highrise on Union Street, who wrote you before here on Mr. Molovinsky's computer page. Last night I saw him at the library, and he gave me a ride home after some meeting he had. I used to work in the Mack factory where you now have a go-kart track. I saw pictures of it in the paper and it said you were now going to have City Council give it a liquor bar, so that they could get tanked up before they drove those carts around with children. Are you sure that's a good idea? Anyway, Mr. Molovinsky and his group want to fix up the stairs leading down to Lawrence Street. When I worked at Mack my kids would meet me on those steps and walk home with me. I miss that old Allentown. Mr. Molovinsky says that your hockey game will now cost $200 million dollars. Is it possible that just a few of those bucks could be used to fix up those stairs? My uncle helped build those steps along with a lot of other Allentown men. Sorry to bother you again, thanks for your time.