The Wailing Wall

Israel had hoped that Jordan would not join the Arab forces against them in 1967. It was not to be; their artillery opened fire on Israel. Israeli paratroopers fought with small arms in the Old City. They were ordered to use no artilley, which could damage Holy Shrines.

Although Israeli Jews and Christians were barred from both the Wall and Church of the Holy Sepulchre for the twenty years of Jordanian rule, Israel immediately opened access to all. Administrative control of the Temple Mount, upon which sits the Dome of the Rock and the Al Aqsa Mosque, were immediately given to the Jordanian Waqf (Islamic Trust).

The Wailing Wall is the Western Wall of the Mount, which is considered the closest and only remnant of the Second Jewish Temple, and is the holiest site in Judaism. No matter where in the world, all Jews have always prayed facing Jerusalem and the Wall. reprinted from April 2010

Bottom Feeding News

PhotoCredit:WFMZ 69

It turns out that Alfonso Todd's big crime was parking tickets, even though Bill Villa's emails suggested that it was much more. Todd's failure to pay his tickets resulted in his license being suspended. Today he was imposed with a monetary fine, while Villa harassed the Judge that there should have been imprisonment. Addicts of the blogosphere are used to Bernie O'Hare referring to himself as a bottom feeder. Today. that title clearly belongs to WFMZ 69, who covered the hearing, apparently responding to Villa's hateful emails. Rather than taint an earnest candidate of the people like Alfonso Todd, they should have done a story on how they were manipulated by Villa.

Moshe Dayan

Moshe Dayan on born on a kibbutz near the Sea of Galilee in 1915. When he was 14, he joined the outlawed Haganah, an underground defense force to protect Jewish settlements from Arab attacks. Although caught and imprisoned by the British for two years, he would fight for them in Lebanon during WWII, losing his eye. In the 1948 War of Independence, he fought on all the fronts, defending Israel; by 1953 he was Chief of Staff of the Israeli Armed Forces. In 1956 he led the Suez Campaign.

In 1967 he was Defense Minister for the Six Day War. He remained in that position through the War of 1973. Although a genuine hero in every sense of the word, he was held responsible for the initial success of Egyptian forces in the surprise attack on Yom Kippur (1973), and would resign from his position.

Israel is too small of a country, and it's enemies too numerous, for any miscalculations regarding it's security.

reprinted from April 2010

Harassing Alfonso Todd

Feb 19, 2013
James J. Narlesky, Magistrate Judge
District Court # 03-1-04
248 Brodhead Road
Suite 2 Bethlehem, PA 18017 
RE: Docket Number: MJ-03104-TR0000434-2013

Judge Narlesky, Your Honor:

I understand there's a private meeting or a public hearing (your secretary Jenna has pledged to call me back on this) scheduled for this Thursday, Feb 21, 2013 @ 9:00am regarding.... habitual recidivist scofflaw defendant and Allentown City Council candidate Alfonso Todd ...... 

As a "sidebar," Your Honor, I am pleased to have been the civic-minded catalyst for Alfonso Todd finally contacting you and accepting some small measure of accountability for his antisocial behavior through my Lehigh Valley Somebody blog post on Alfonso, LVS Exposé: "We CAN Do Better" than Alfonso Todd on Allentown City Council. 

Your Honor, considering the fact that Mr. Todd has been thumbing his nose at police and the courts..... and finally, Your Honor, that this man has the audacity to insult the citizenry and run for Allentown City Council, I humbly ask that you impose the maximum 6-month jail sentence on Alfonso Todd as you have the full authority to do.

Thank you, Your Honor, for considering being as civic-minded as I am. 

Best Regards,
Bill Villa
610.428.1253

Bill Villa's harassment against Alfonso Todd and others, including myself, continues every day. I've been told that on Villa's blog he now falsely claims that I challenged him to a fistfight. As I said before, I do not challenge anybody to any form of physical altercation, but do challenge the Allentown Police Department to protect me, and others, from these increasingly hostile threats from Mr. Villa. In addition to myself, Villa sent a copy of his email to both Allentown City Council and Mayor Pawlowski.  It's a quandary if one should report on Villa's despicable  behavior. Needless to say, he certainly isn't really civic minded; He is a predator, trying to cause harm to people he barely knows, and have done no harm to him.  He is a distorter, who has sent hundreds of such letters, as shown above, about dozens of people. He is a cyber stalker.  Most people don't even care to read about such things, much less write about them.  I also would prefer not to write about his abhorrent behavior, but he counts on his ability to intimidate his victims into not defending themselves.

The Butchers of Allentown

photograph by Bob Wilt
A&B (Abogast&Bastian), dominated the local meat packing industry for almost 100 years. At it's peak, they employed 700 people and could process 4,000 hogs a day. The huge plant was at the foot of Hamilton Street, at the Lehigh River. All that remains is their free standing office building, which has been incorporated into America on Wheels. Front and Hamilton was Allentown's meatpacking district. Within one block, two national Chicago meatpackers, Swift and Wilson, had distribution centers. Also in the area were several small independents, among them M. Feder and Allentown Meat Packing Company.
reprinted from January 2011

Dan Hartzell Discovers WPA

The Morning Call's Road Warrior, Dan Hartzell, has discovered the WPA. His article today explains the progress, or lack of, concerning the wall in Lehigh Parkway. Like my article four months ago, he interviewed Rich Young, head of public works. Although Dan learned nothing new that my readers didn't know about the wall, he does mention that city is waking up about our WPA treasures. I don't know how Dan got to the Parkway for his photo, but he probably had to cross Schreiber's Bridge. The condition of that bridge is the real road story needing his attention. When I had interviewed Young, although the western approach wall on the north side of the bridge had just been rebuilt, the eastern approach wall had also been smashed. Young acknowledged that this damage was caused by trucks trying to make the turn onto Martin Luther King Drive. The rebuilt western wall approach has again been smashed. Although the bridge is weight restricted, the trucks are ignoring the sign. Allentown can install dozens of security cameras downtown, but not one to protect our bridge built in 1828. I invite Hartzell to join my tour of the Parkway WPA structures on April 6th. If he shows up, I'll suggest that he read and copy my reports about Schreiber's Bridge.

A Snowy Morning In Jerusalem

Snow is a rare occurrence in Jerusalem, but on January 10th it snowed 6 inches, the biggest storm since 1992.  Although this blog concentrates on local political commentary, I do indulge in a few distractions. Among those are local history, boxing from the Joe Louis era, and stories from the Holy Land.  With all topics, the quality of the visual image presented here is paramount to me.

The Hibernating Morning Call Newspaper

A month ago I wrote a post entitled Top Brass To Cash In Chips. At that time, I wrote; Check with The Morning Call in ten days to two week, for what will be just a longer version of my exclusive. It actually took the Call one month. How is it that a blogger can scoop a paper? How is it that a feature story can be team written that contains virtually no new information? How can columnists use their bully pulpit to write about grammar, week after week? I think the answer lies in the recent bankruptcy period of the Tribune Organization. During that period business decisions were made from financial distress, not journalistic accomplishment. Those retaining their jobs were probably frozen somewhat, knowing that decisions were being made 1,500 miles away, by people who likely never even read The Morning Call. Now that the Tribune has emerged from bankruptcy, I wish the remaining staff well, with whomever their new employer turns out to be.

UPDATE: Question for Bill White.  Bill, should it be whoever or whomever your new employer turns out to be?

Sal Panto's Obsession

I became interested in Sal Panto years ago, when he first championed for a new parking deck behind the Wolf School. I'm somewhat familiar with center city Easton, and recognized that as a third rate location. Sal then pushed for a location further up Northampton Street, again away from the square. Finally, he bought into the Lanta Terminal/Deck formula, first done in Allentown. At the time, in Allentown, it removed the shoppers from the shops. Now of course, Allentown has removed the shops. Panto then paired the Al Bundy High School Museum of Sports with the deck, specifying that Sal's high school picture be included. He now wants City Hall in the proposed complex, so that he may view the picture through out the day.

An Attempt To Smear AlfonsoTodd

There is an effort under way to sabotage Alfonso Todd's candidacy by Bill Villa. Apparently, Todd has some issues with his driving record, which Villa managed to uncover, and distribute. I first started receiving emails from Villa smearing Todd several weeks ago. Alfonso is on Villa's enemy list, along with dozens of other people, who never in reality caused him any harm. When you're on Villa's list, he contacts your employer, and complains that you're sadistically provoking him, even though in truth he's harassing you. If the boss doesn't comply with Villa's demands, then the boss goes on the list, and Villa contacts the boss's superiors, making the same demand. It is in this way that all the local college deans made the list. Also included are ministers, priests and bishops. Todd decided to go public with this attack on him and submitted a comment to my blog. A little OT and I KNOW it won't make the Morning Call but this is how Candidates for City Council are treated.... So, I have received my first threat of BLACK MAIL since I began running for the office of ALLENTOWN CITY COUNCIL. Now, 3 people had warned me that this would happen and I was like OK. But when they dig up what they THINK is going to embarrass you and will make you drop out of a race that I KNOW will help Allentown,PA become a better place, then I have no choice but to do as I said I was going to do and offer full transparency ANSWER: Sure, parking tickets and a forgotten ticket. It happens and as a human (average person) I have made mistakes. I have paid or am paying my fines and i move on. It still has nothing to do with my desire to make Allentown, PA into a better place for my children, your children, and everyone else. My past has nothing to do with the great future I envison for Allentown. Thanks for the information by the way. It's appreciated! Alfonso Todd 484 619 6541 Todd's correct in that this would probably not have made The Morning Call. The only person less likely to be mentioned in the paper than me is Bill Villa, who has put most of their staff on his enemy list.

Allentown Becomes A Monarchy

Park and Shop Lots

Downtown Allentown boomed for about 100 years. During the prosperity years following World War II, the two car family emerged. Several business leaders of Allentown realized both the parking problem and the potential to enhance sales. Park and Shop was begun by Harvey Farr, Donald Miller and John Leh. The current small parking deck at 10th and Hamilton, above the current uptown police substation, was the first deck in the country. To make the parking lots, shown in the postcard above, houses were purchased and torn down. Although the gentlemen mentioned in this article profited from their influence, they always provided solutions for the betterment of the community. They seemed to be a benevolent oligarchy. As the viability of the Park And Shop enterprise declined along with the intercity shopping, The Allentown Parking Authority was conveniently formed by local politicians, and it purchased the lots using Municipal bonds; The process allowed the aforementioned gentleman to land on their feet, in a downward market.

Flash ahead thirty five years to another downward market, and we have one gentleman, J.B. Reilly, buying up center-city with municipal bonds backed by state taxes. Reilly has purchased far more property than ever owned by Park and Shop. He has purchased virtually the four square blocks surrounding the arena, a significant portion of the Neighborhood Improvement Zone(NIZ). Again the process was facilitated by our elected officials. Let us hope that the new monarchy will be as benevolent as the old oligarchy. reprinted from November 2012                                                                                                                                                                                                 UPDATE: There was never any criticism of the old oligarchy, because one of the members, Donald Miller, owned the newspaper, The Morning Call. Flash ahead thirty five years, and again there is no criticism of the new monarchy by The Morning Call. Instead, on the contrary, valid questions raised by the alternative media, such as this blog, are dismissed as misguided and snide. Morning Call readers know that Reilly acquired property, but they don't know that with three exceptions, he acquired all the property adjoining the arena block. They are given the deed transfer dates as proof of no insider information, while ignoring the real relevant dates when agreements of sales were pushed on the owners. This distorted reporting goes back to the beginning of the project. In the first meeting, between the former merchants of Hamilton Street and the Pawlowski administration, the merchants complained that they didn't know the identity of the real buyer. While Sara Hailstone admitted the buyer was indeed the city, and that the realtors involved were indeed strawbuyers, those details never made the paper, despite the reporter's presence at the meeting. Similar intimidation tactics were used by Reilly in assembling his current monopoly of adjoining arena property. Similar cover is again being provided by The Morning Call.

Welcome To The Vendig

In 1933, with the end of Prohibition, my grandparents(maternal) started operating the Vendig Hotel. They were the working partners, another immigrant family, here longer, were the silent backers. The hotel was directly across from the current Main Street Depot Restaurant in Bethlehem, which was the old New Jersey Line Terminal. With my grandmother cooking, they became well known for crab cakes and other shelled seafood. What wasn't known, was that she was strictly kosher, and never even tasted anything she prepared. As some may recall, my grandparents came from Hungarian Transylvania (now Romania) in the early 20's. Family lore* says Bela Lugosi visited the hotel. Lugosi was born in the same area of then Hungary, and started his acting career playing Jesus in Passion Plays. In 1931, after immigrating to America years earlier, he got his big break playing Dracula. Typecast as a villain, Lugosi was reduced in later years to drug addiction and playing in low budget monster films. He died in the mid 50's and was buried in his Dracula cape.

* My surviving uncle, who as a boy lived above the hotel, has no recollection of Lugosi. The partner families would later merge through marriage and 40 years later come to own the old vaudeville theater in South Bethlehem known as The Globe. It too is gone.                                                      reprinted from June of 2008

The Morning Call Can't Spell Molovinsky

Out of frustration, J.B. and Kathleen Reilly have stopped reading the political blogs that snidely refer to downtown Allentown as Reillyville or Reillytown, so writes Scott Kraus and Matt Assad in today's feature story. Although a large portion of the article defends against criticism from this blog, including the phrases Reillyville and Reillytown, reporters and editors have once again chosen to not give attribution to molovinsky on allentown. Although perhaps J.B. has stopped reading this blog, I know that Kraus and Assad are reading these words: So boys, here's the biggie you missed today. You forgot to mention that the City gave Reilly $20 million (loaned from National Penn) in seed money, with no specifications, which he used to buy those 32 properties for $15.1 million. I say the City, because the loan was made even before the NIZ Authority was formed. You forgot to mention that some of the owners displaced by Reilly's buying spree felt intimidated, supposedly even including the possibility of eminent domain. Although you keep parroting Pawlowski's premise of risk on Reilly's part, the only real risk was ours. Although you have presented a defense against all the apparent connections, the fact remains that we now have Reillyville.
UPDATE: Kraus and Assad write; records show he(Reilly) didn't buy his first new property until March 2011 — three months after the new downtown NIZ map was adopted, and a week after the city publicly announced it was shifting the arena downtown. Public records refer to deed transfers, but when were the Agreements of Sale signed? Reilly wonders why other developers are not taking advantage of the NIZ.  Perhaps because Reilly has already purchased all the adjoining blocks? Perhaps because they are not assured that their project will be granted the same NIZ Authority approval, necessary for  the tax debt funding, being enjoyed by Reilly?  

Cliffsmanship vs. Disingenuity

At Tom Muller's press conference announcing his candidacy for County Executive, he said he created a word, Cliffsmanship, to describe the dreaded reform slate of commissioners. I have a hard enough time using existing words properly, but I do know disingenuous when I hear it. Muller said he isn't interested in the national debate on spending, that's an issue for our representatives in Washington. However, supposedly he was interested enough in the national discussion to change parties back in May. Speaking of last spring, here's his story back then: Cunningham indicated today he would choose Thomas Muller, the county's director of administration. Muller is a Republican, so he would not be eligible for the permanent job, and said he would not be interested in it anyway. After that statement, Tommy apparently scampered down to the lower level of Government Center and changed his voter registration. He will now be negotiating with the County unions as a Democratic candidate for Executive; Donny Cunningham the Second.

A Personal Journey

I was at a party where the host recently acquired a lawn sculpture. Unknown to him, a section of it was comprised of an old Jewish tombstone, of a wife and mother who died at the age of 25 in 1918. It's a beautiful carving of a branch less tree trunk, symbolizing a life ended prematurely. I became concerned as to where this stone had come from. Who would know if their great-grandmother's stone was taken?
I had no idea where my great-grandmother was buried. I searched for this young woman's grave. Finally, Rabbi Juda directed me to the old Agudath Achim Cemetery in Fountain Hill. There I found the woman, M. Azrilian, with a new grave marker. Next to her lies Jeannie Molovinsky, my great-grandmother. 
My thanks to Rabbi Juda and M. Azrilian (1893-1918)

I wrote the above piece on July 18, 1997. In my search for M. Azrilian, I discovered Mt. Sinai Cemetery inside Fairview Cemetery on Lehigh St., subject of one my early posts. The photograph above is the Mt. of Olives in Jerusalem.                                                                           reprinted from 2008                                                                                                                     UPDATE:   My grandfather came to Allentown as a young man in 1893. After working and saving for a number of years, he brought his parents over from the Old Country. The former synagogue on 2nd. Street had just acquired their cemetery off Fullerton Avenue when his mother died. Jewish tradition dictated that a man was the first burial in a new cemetery, so she was buried in an old Jewish Cemetery on Fountain Hill. Several years later her husband, my great grandfather, was hit in the head with a pipe and killed while being robbed on Basin Street. He is buried on Fullerton Avenue.

Don Cunningham the Second

I always had an affinity for older objects and construction, they tended to be overbuilt. They were built to last, and past the test of time. New things are engineered for cost and landfills. Allentown will never again see the likes of the former multiple stone arch bridge which spanned the Jordan Creek on Linden Street. When Don Cunningham ran for County Executive in 2005, eight county bridges were deemed unsound by state inspectors, including the Linden Street Bridge. I learned from a source, high up in the new bridge project, that the historic bridge could have been repaired at a fraction of the cost of the new concrete slab monstrosity now in it's place. However, that would have interfered with Cunningham's plan for a ribbon cutting. Cunningham, and his project manager, Glenn Solt, went into the bridge business. They have already replaced fifteen bridges, seven of which didn't need replacing. They also want to replace the historic stone arch Reading Road (Walnut Street) Bridge by Union Terrace (Daddona Park). Yesterday, flanked by Ed Pawlowski and other members of the local Democratic Machine, Tom Muller announced his candidacy for County Executive. Muller was Cunningham's top administrator, and architect of the reassessment. Problem with the reassessment is that real estate prices have dropped so dramatically in the last seven years, that the values are very close to the 1990 previous assessments. Muller didn't have the flexibility to realize that market changes made the new assessments unnecessary. Yesterday, he also praised the unnecessary bridge replacement business. He's a bureaucrat straight through, apparently void of creative thought. Muller thinks that if something has been planned for years, you do it, even if circumstances change. He thinks that if the money worked it way down the tubes through the years, you spend it, even if the project is no longer relevant. Now, if only he had Cunningham's smile and played the guitar.                                                                                                                      UPDATE: I did not attend Muller's press conference yesterday, but Bernie O'Hare did. Bernie thought that Cunningham could walk on water, and will also try and sell you on Cunningham the Second. Today Bernie reports on Muller's speech, video records Muller's speech and prints Muller's speech.

A Blog and a Cemetery

About ten years ago, I began searching for the grave of a young Jewish woman, who died around 1900. Among several Jewish cemeteries no longer in use, I searched Mt. Sinai, a small section of the sprawling Fairview Cemetery on Lehigh Street, just west of the 8th Street Bridge. The cemetery is the history of Allentown past, including the graves of Harry Trexler, John Leh, and Jack Mack. As one proceeded deeper into the cemetery, away from sight on Lehigh Street, conditions worsened. As is the case with many old cemeteries, fees paid for perpetual care, 100 years ago, were long gone. Complicating the situation, the current private operator wasn't particularly assessable. In addition to extended family members upset about conditions, the situation was compounded by his refusal, with few exceptions, to allow private upkeep. My early posts on the situation drew response and phone calls from people with no interest in local political blogs; They were just exasperated relatives, with a family member buried long ago at Fairview. After beginning a series of posts, and letters to the editor, I prevailed upon The Morning Call to write a story one year later. The Call's story appeared on August 11, 2008. Within two weeks, the cemetery operator agreed to a public meeting I had organized at a local church. Arrangements were made between the operator and several parties. As with several of Allentown's older cemeteries, the issue of maintenance will be ongoing. This would be a worthwhile project for City Hall.

Mt. Sinai in Fairview Cemetery

Jews have been buried in a small section of Fairview Cemetery, called Mt. Sinai, for over 138 years. Although the markings on several stones have worn away, Hannah Dreifuss was buried there in 1868. The September 10th Chronicle in 1875 reported that two members of the Jewish faith, prominent Hamilton Street merchants, Joshua Schnurman and Simon Feldman, purchased a section from Fairview Cemetery and applied for a charter for Mt. Sinai Cemetery,* thus creating the first Jewish Institution in Allentown.
Fairview Cemetery itself was not formally laid-out until 1870, when the renowned architectural firm Lathan of Buffalo was hired to create the premiere resting place in the Lehigh Valley. The giants of Allentown would be buried there, among them Harry Trexler, the Leh's, and the Mack's of truck fame.
The History Lehigh County, published in 1914, notes Mt. Sinai contained 29 graves.** Among them was Julia Wolf, who died in 1907. Her husband Morris served with the local regiment in the Civil War, and lived to be 98 years old. Feldman and Schnurman were among the earliest Jews in Allentown, immigrants from Germany who practiced the modern "Reformed" Judaism. These gentlemen and their extended family members would go on to form the "Young Ladies and Men's Hebrew Society" in 1883***, a predecessor to the Keneseth Israel Congregation organized in 1903. Mt. Sinai remained the resting place for Reformed Jews till 1928, when Keneseth Israel established its own cemetery. Burials continued at Mt. Sinai through the 1940's as spouses and passing family members joined those previously departed in family plots. Today there are 78 graves. In July of 2006, thirty years after the previous burial in 1976, Joseph Levine was laid to rest at the age of 103.

* Chronicle source courtesy of Frank Whelan
** states "people of Hebrew faith" purchased section in 1881
*** Congregation Keneseth Israel 100th Anniversary History

Blogger's Note: Mt. Sinai Cemetery is unaffiliated with any synagogue, and with few exceptions, has been unused for 60 years.

reprinted from February 2012

Parkway Tears

Director Harms Lehigh Parkway
February 04, 1993|The Morning Call
To the Editor:

How much longer must park devotees put up with Allentown Park Director Donald Marushak's misuse of evergreen trees, no trespass signs, and wrecking tools to destroy cherished elements of the people's parks?

First Marushak closed off a much-used slope by planting a dense cluster of 60 evergreen trees across its width.

Next, four "No trespass" signs were posted to prohibit access to 30 acres of deciduous woodland with its magnificent understory of many species of plant life. Trespass, a legal term, is defined in a children's encyclopedia as intrusion on private land. The term has no application for restricting passage on public land.

The WPA in the 1930s created a three-acre island by diverting water from the Little Lehigh Creek. The island had remained a source of joy for birders, naturalists, and nondescript strollers. No one foresaw Marushak arriving on the scene with wrecking tools to rip up the bridge, terminating public access to the island. Three masonry piers remain in place. Also remaining are 12 discarded auto tires gathering silt in the small stream.

BERT LUCKENBACH
ALLENTOWN (February 4, 1993)

20 years later......
Most people have long ago forgotten that there was a bridge to the island, although the stone piers still remain, obscured by overgrowth. The curved wall and landing of the Boat Landing, shown in the lower right of the photograph, are buried. In 2009, with help from others who appreciate our treasured parks, I had the privilege to rescue the steps which lead to the landing. This Spring, in conjunction with Friends of The Parks, I will conduct a tour of current and former WPA sites remaining in Lehigh Parkway.  Michael Molovinsky

The Candidacy of Alfonso Todd

Todd's Fuzion 2012

I've known Alfonso Todd for number of years. While the City hired special event coordinators, and created whole bureaucracies, Alfonso outdrew them at his own promotional events, at no cost to the tax payer. While the City events hosted the usual non-profits that clamor every year for grants, like baby birds for worms, Alfonso attracted minority entrepreneurs who will be part of Allentown's real future. There is a self starting, pragmatic aspect to the man. Over the years, starting in 2008, I attended a number of his events, and was always impressed with his attention to detail. Alfonso has decided to offer that same due diligence to the citizens of Allentown, and run for City Council.

The Sunday Drive

My family wasn't much for recreation.  My father worked six days a week, from early morning till early evening.  We did go for a long car ride on Sundays.  Back then gasoline was cheap, and having no destination wasn't thought of as wasteful.  Children were more content to sit in back seat and look out the window, now they want a video screen in the vehicle.



Even children's play then involved more imagination and interaction.  Howdy Doody was just a puppet on strings,who spend most of his time talking to an adult, Buffalo Bob, can you imagine?

 Sitting in that back seat in the mid fifties, I might well had



my "coonskin" hat with me.  Fess Parker was a genuine American hero.  It mattered little if he played both Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone, both were king of the wild frontier.  The ride probably lasted for two hours and then we would go to a restaurant to eat dinner.  Compared to now, there were very few restaurants.



My mother would cook all the other meals that week, and we probably ate out more than most.  Supermarkets were the new rage in food shopping, but the butcher, baker and candle stick maker were still going strong.  If my father headed west or south, chances are we ended up at Shankweiler's Hotel, famous for chicken and waffles.   They were at the intersection of Old 22 and Route 100.  The building still exists and currently is a bank.  The family also owned another hotel on Route 309.  Both locations also operated adjoining Drive-In movies.



If my father headed north or east,  we would end up at Walp's, which was on the corner of Union Blvd. and Airport Road.  Walp's was a much more urban place.   While Shankweiler's was an old country inn,  Walp's was built as a modern restaurant.  I enjoyed those rides, they were a learning experience.

reprinted from May 2010

Remaining Merchants Pay For Reilly's World

Pat Browne is confident that 2012 is the only year in which the Arena Authority will have to dip into the base state tax, I'm confident it is not. Browne's excuse for breaking the promise not to use those funds was the delay caused by the lawsuit, filed by the surrounding municipalities not wanting to pay for J.B Reilly's real estate empire. Of course they also were promised that their taxes would be returned. Sy Taub, Authority Chairman, said it stands to reason that during the period of the hole, before revenue starts pouring in from completed construction, that there would be a shortfall. He has more confidence in the pending success of both the Palace of Sport and Reilly's Office World than I do. They used up the taxes of the small merchants this year because the NIZ law allows them to do so. Expect more broken promises and excuses in the coming years.                                                                         commentary based on Morning Call report by Scott Kraus and Matt Assad

Allentown's Real Riverfront Story

As readers of The Morning Call are being fed the mayor's version of Transformation at the riverfront, here's the sordid history not revealed elsewhere. In the early 70's, the City and Redevelopment Authority subdivided the Neuweiler property. The actual brewery portion, the front, went to a supposed developer with long time ties to former Mayor Daddona. The rear portion, formerly garages for the Neuweiler trucks, went to a roofer. Under the city's watch, the developer removed windows and exterior walls, braking through to remove the brewing tanks and piping for scrap. All metal, wires and any object of value were crudely ripped out in an orgy of demolition. With a large opening in the back wall smashed out, the basement mysteriously got filled up with roofing debris. Still the building remained iconic, because of it's rich industrial architecture. In 2003, a New Jersey investor bought the building for over $200,000 in the condition shown in the photograph. The building has been in that condition since the late 70's. HIs hope was at some point the City would appreciate the landmark and cooperate in its revival. He must have found the building citations from the Pawlowski administration mind-numbing; Can you imagine being held responsible for carnage committed by a previous owner? Before seizing the property, Pawlowski actually had the hapless new owner jailed when he came to Allentown to discuss the situation. Meanwhile, the roofer was rewarded with an $876,000 buy out. This is how the city reunited the property; Welcome to the Transformation.

Nagy Novelty Company

In Downtown Allentown's commercial years, stores extended 3 blocks out from Hamilton Street. The only remaining remnant of that era is the parking meters, which apparently haven't noticed that the stores have been gone now for over 30 years. A magic shop mentioned in the previous post was on 9th Street, between Linden and Turner. On 8th Street, also a couple blocks off Hamilton, was the Nagy Novelty Company. The dictionary defines novelty as a small, often cheap, cleverly made article, usually for amusement. The Nagy's had thousands of them, floor to ceiling. There were little jokes and gags, sometimes risque, passed around parties in the 40's and 50's. When you pulled " Miss Lola, The Snappy Bubble Dancer" leg's out, your finger got snapped. The Nagy's, an ancient father, son and dog, stayed open till around 1980. I was never sure which one was the son. To me, as an aficionado of the old and curious, the store was a shrine. Items which they sold for a few cents, now sell on ebay for many dollars. They manufactured their own greeting cards. Shown here is the front and inside of an embossed card probably dating back to the 1920's.
reprinted from December of 2008

The Transfiguration of Ed Pawlowski

This post was going to be entitled the Transformation of Allentown, but I think the new title is more appropriate. Last week, in the State of the City Address, Mayor for Life Ed Pawlowski once again touted the Transformation. Although the long term benefit of the arena project remains to be seen, light has surely been emitting from our unchallenged leader. His press agents, Scott Kraus and Matt Assad of The Morning Call, paste up the Transformation Gospel on a regular basis. Scrutiny of the project rests mostly with this blog. Last week, Precious Petty of The Express Times, did quote Jeanette Eichenwald's doubts about some aspects of the arena project. Perhaps Pawlowski's richest statement last week was that arena project involved collective sacrifice. I doubt if he was referring to the displaced merchants, or the children who will not be receiving insurance benefits from the CHIP program this year, because the cigarette tax is being used for Reilly's debt service.

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.

A Personal Memoir

I'm not sure memoir is a good title, rather than facts and records, I have hazy recollections. Assuming my memory will not improve at this stage of the game, let me put to print that which I can still recall. In about 1958 my father built Flaggs Drive-In. McDonalds had opened on Lehigh Street, and pretty much proved that people were willing to sit in their cars and eat fast food at bargain prices. For my father, who was in the meat business, this seemed a natural. As a rehearsal he rented space at the Allentown Fair for a food stand, and learned you cannot sell hotdogs near Yocco's. He purchased some land across from a corn field on Hamilton Blvd. and built the fast food stand. In addition to hamburgers, he decided to sell fried chicken. The chicken was cooked in a high pressure fryer called a broaster, which looked somewhat like the Russian satellite Sputnik. The stand did alright, but the business was not to my father's liking, seems he didn't have the personality to smile at the customers. He sold the business several years later to a family which enlarged and enclosed the walk up window. Subsequent owners further enlarged the location several times. The corn field later turned into a Water Park, and you know Flaggs as Ice Cream World.

I'm grateful to a kind reader who sent me this picture of Flaggs

reprinted from January, 2011

The Political Blogosphere

Bernie O'Hare usually doesn't post on weekends, but he made an exception to note and link to Chris Casey's piece bashing Wayne Woodman, a sore spot they share in common. In Casey's mind, Woodman is a wealthy manipulator of local politics, which left to it's own, would be magnanimously run by Democrats. Democrats don't have a problem with wealth processed by their own, be it a Kennedy or kerry/Heinz, but when those Republicans spent their money, it can only be for evil intent. Seems as if Percy Dougherty is facing a primary challenge. In most circles, including Democratic, that's healthy democracy. In Casey's treatment, speculation presented as fact, Dougherty is being punished for his moderation. Rather than respect the potential challenger, Scott Aquila, for the accomplished and politically involved person he is, Casey assumes that he is a puppet, who must be paid for and controlled by Woodman.  For my varied interests, it's way too early in the election cycle to concern myself with candidates, however, fairness and balance demands this short rebuttal.

Relics Of Our Past

One of the surviving relics of our industrial past is the right of way of former railroad spur lines. Allentown literally had hundreds of factories serviced by dozens of spur routes and rail sidings. The area between Second and Front Streets was crisscrossed with dozens of spur lines. Even the west end had service. A line ran behind the current site of B'nai B'rith Apartments, across 17 th St. and up along side of the dry-cleaners. The B'nai B'rith was the site of the former Trexler Lumber Yard, which burned to the ground in a spectacular fire in the mid 70's; The heat from the fire could be felt in West Park. The rails and ties are gone, long ago sold to scrap yards. In many cases the space occupied by the right of ways can still be seen to the knowing eye. They appear as alleys which were never paved. Here and there a surviving loading dock provides another clue. Show in this photo from 1939 are the Mack Truck factories on S. 10th Street, now part of the Bridgeworks Complex. Here the components for Mack Trucks were manufactured. The parts were then trucked to the Assembly Plant (5C) located on S. 12 Street, right off of Lehigh Street. "Built Like A Mack Truck" became a figure of speech across America. It was a prouder time than the lyrics from Billy Joe; little did we know that things could get worse. reprinted from September of 2009

The Reading Road

Part of Don Cunningham's political patter as a candidate and elected official is repairing or replacing bridges in the county. When you replace a bridge which doesn't need replacing, you're wasting taxpayer money. When you replace a historic bridge which doesn't need replacing, you're stealing our culture






The Reading Road Bridge, scheduled by Cunningham for replacement, is in excellent condition. Although my observation and top photograph clearly shows that, I did confirm it's structural integrity with someone formally with the City engineering department.

The bridge was built in 1824 and totally rehabilitated in 1980. At that time a separate walking bridge was built next to it for pedestrian safety.*





Although the beautiful two arch stone bridge needs no work, and Cunningham has been in office since 2006, the steel beams of the walking bridge are in dire need of paint. How sad that inexpensive maintenance is ignored, while $million dollar projects are planned.

Let Don smile and cut a ribbon somewhere else, please join me in saving our history. Call Cunningham and our County Commissioners. Let them know our past means more to us than their political future.

* a former manager under Mayor Daddona, recalls walking bridge constructed in 1980.
click on bridge photographs to enlarge image

UPDATE: The above post was written in 2010. I'm happy to report that this blogger had some success in regard to saving the bridge, and it still stands.  Earlier in the week, The Morning Call reported that the historic Youell's Oyster House burned to the ground.  The seafood restaurant was at that location for about 20 years, what was historic was the building; It was one of the inns along the Reading Road, the connection between Allentown and points west.  With the inn gone, the little bridge shown above is one of the few remnants of that era still standing in Allentown.  Although the county project manager was stymied in his attempt to destroy the bridge, he has failed to perform any maintenance on the structure since.  Let us not lose the bridge by neglect.

The Anonymous Comment

Occasionally, I have an urge to insult blog readers, and always try to do it on Bernie's blog, instead of here. Some people who comment anonymously have a legitimate reason, most simply want a venue for expression, with no risk of any repercussion. Some people establish a recognizable pseudonym, so that they can have some credibility and consistency with their point of view, others just comment under the generic anonymous. The Red Meat posts, where the blogger accuses or insults someone or something, draws the most comments. The anonymous can't throw enough stones. Some bloggers cherish comments, I try to tolerate them.

Monument To Better Times

The concrete monolith still stands five stories above Lehigh Street at the Parkway Shopping Center. Currently it sports a clock and a sign for St. Luke's medical offices. It was built in 1953 as the modernistic sign tower for Food Fair supermarket, which then was a stand alone store. Behind it, on South 12th Street was the Black and Decker Factory. The shopping center would not be built to decades later, connecting the former supermarket to the bowling alley built in the 60's. Food Fair was started in the 1920's by Russian immigrant Samuel Friedland in Harrisburg. By 1957 he had 275 stores. 1953 was a rough year for the butcher, baker and candle stick maker; the huge supermarkets were too much competition, even for the bigger independent markets, such as Lehigh Street Superette; it was further east on Lehigh, now the site of a Turkey Hill Market. The sign tower also remains at the 15th and Allen Shopping center, which was another stand alone Food Fair. That parcel remains an independent supermarket. Food Fair would eventually absorb Penn Fruit, which had a market on N. 7th Street, then turn into Pantry Pride. When the Food Fair was built, there was as yet no 15th Street Bridge. Allentown only connected to the south side by the 8th Street Bridge and the Lehigh/Union Street hill. (stone arch bridge, near Regency Tower, was route to West End) Allentown was booming and Mack Trucks were rolling off the line, a block east off Lehigh Street, as fast as they could build them. The factories on S. 12th st. are now flea markets. Mack Headquarters is being sold to a real estate developer. Perhaps those concrete monoliths are the monuments to better times, by those of us who remember.

reprinted from June 14, 2009

Sign Of The Times

As Allentown eagerly awaits the opening of the Cosmopolitan Restaurant and banquet facility on 6th Street, lets go back in time. Before the former Sal's Spaghetti House was demolished on that parcel, preservationists from Bucks County saved the historic sign. Had the couple been somewhat more familiar with Allentown's history, they may have realized that the sign was neither very historic or iconic.

Before Hamilton Street was bi-sected architecturally by the now gone canopy, the street was lined with large neon signs, many of which were much more elaborate than Sal's; That sign became historic by default. Interestingly, the Sal's sign for most of it's


business days, said Pat's. Pat's and the sign go back to the mid 1950's. In the late 70's, the business was taken over by Sal, and the P and T were simply changed to an S and L. But time goes on; Sal's family is now in the sauce business and have a most interesting website. Congratulations to Mayor Pawlowski and Myron Haydt for bringing the Cosmopolitan to 6th Street; May they have the success that both Pat's and Sal's enjoyed.

1963 Pat's advertisement courtesy of Larry P
Hamilton Steet watercolor by Karoline Schaub-Peeler                                                   UPDATE:  Although today The Morning Call and Myron Haydt remember Sal's Spaghetti House. molovinsky on allentown first presented the above post on July 23, 2010.

8th Street Bridge

When opened for traffic on November 17, 1913, with seventeen spans, the Albertus L. Meyers Bridge, then known as the Eighth Street Bridge, was the longest and highest reinforced concrete arch bridge in the world.
The Lehigh Valley Transit Company organized the Allentown Bridge Company in 1911 for the sole purpose of building the bridge. The bridge was designed by the engineering firm of B.H. Davis and built by McArthur Brothers of New York City. Costing in excess of $500,000, construction of the bridge required 29,500 cubic yards of concrete and 1.1 million pounds of metal reinforcing rods.
The structure operated as a toll bridge from its November 17, 1913 opening until the 1950s, at which time the toll was five cents for an automobile. The concrete standards that once supported the trolley wire are still standing on the bridge to this day.*

This iconic bridge is a monument to our industrial history; epicenter of both the cement and steel industries. Unfortunately, bridge is suffering. Weeds and undergrowth are being allowed to penetrate the roadbed. Spalling concrete is not being replaced, submitting the reinforcing rods to rust.

Harry C. Trexler, founding member of the Transit Company and Lehigh Portland Cement Co., was a principle player in the construction of this bridge. General Trexler's gravesite, in Fairview Cemetery on Lehigh Street, affords unique views of the bridge and center city Allentown.
*Wikipedia

reprinted from February 2010

The Fleck Machine

The Morning Call on it's blog, 610, announces that Cythnia Mota is running for City Council, and that her campaign will be managed by Mike Fleck. Fleck will also be managing Julio Guridy's fourth run, as well as Mayor for Life, Ed Pawlowski. As a local political junkie, I do not recall any city council members previously employing a paid manager. As incumbent Democrats one must question how hard they must even campaign. The last elected Republican was Dave Bausch in 1998. This blogger would not be surprised if Fleck's fees are being underwritten by Pawlowski.

Drag Races and Such at Dorney

Dorney Park is celebrating it's 125th Anniversary, as noted by The Morning Call and Remember*, by blogger Andrew Kleiner. A landmark that old, has provided memories for five generations. As a teenager in the 1960's, friday nights at Castle Rock, a dance hall from the twenties, were literally a Freddy Cannon moment. Park admission was free, and there were many attractions which no longer exist, most victim to fire. In addition to the dance hall, there was also a roller skating ring and a stock car race track. The picture above was part of a large neon sign on Hamilton Blvd., on the northwest corner with Cedar Crest Blvd.

In 2007 John Travolta,dressed in drag, portrayed Hollywood's version of Hairspray, initially made by campy underground film maker John Waters, and shot at Dorney Park in 1988. Travolta's part was originally played by a less wholesome, real life female impersonator named Devine, who died shortly after the movie was released.

In my father's time, you could get the trolley at 8th and Hamilton and take it to Dorney Park. Through the 1980's, you could still drive on the road which went right through the middle of the park. Now, combined with a water park, Dorney has become a regional attraction. Busloads of children and families come from New York and elsewhere, but it will always remain a rite of passage for local youngsters.

* rememberkleiner.blogspot.com                                                                                           reprinted from May 2009

Sacred Cows

Yesterday's post questioning the expanded mission of a popular local charity drew only one reaction from a indignant reader, I thought there would be more. Alfonso Todd, local activist, actually complimented the concept of applying diligence to our giving. About twenty years ago I formally opposed a Habitat For Humanity Project. Their plan for three new houses would have blocked the side window in a property I managed, denying my dwelling both light and air. Habitat's plan was endorsed by the City, The Redevelopment Authority and defended by the city solicitor. After the hearing, at which I prevailed, Habitats Regional Director came up to apologize to me. Seems they went with their standard straight wall plan to save time and money, even though everyone knew blocking a neighbors window was improper. He told me they were such a sacred cow that nobody had ever opposed them before. UPDATE: I reprint this post from May of 2008 to provide a reality check to the current controversy over the proposal by the Lehigh County Commissioners to eliminate an additional tax for Affordable Housing. Although the Habitat homes were to be helped built by the lucky recipients, they never in reality put in any sweat equity. The reality was one organized group after another lining up to work and feel good about themselves. One home was occupied by recent immigrants to Bethlehem, the other two by relatives of the first family, who also came directly from outside the area. A statement in today's Morning Call about the North Street Project costing more than the homes sell for is correct. Build a stronger poverty magnet, infuse it with guilt and few strong advocates,  let it simmer for twenty years, and you get Allentown.

Growing Up Parkway

I'm a baby boomer. I was born in December of 1946. As soon as my mother climbed out of the hospital bed, another woman climbed in. I grew up in the neighborhood now called Little Lehigh Manor, wedged between Lehigh Street and the top of the ravine above Lehigh Parkway. That's me on our lawn at the intersection of Catalina and Liberator Avenues, named after airplanes made by Vultee Corporation for the War. We had our own elementary school, our own grocery store, and the park to play in. On Saturdays, older kids would take us along on the trolley, and later the bus, over the 8TH Street Bridge to Hamilton Street. There were far too many stores to see everything. After a matinee of cartoons or Flash Gordon, and a banana split at one of the five and dimes, we would take the bus back over the bridge to Lehigh Street.




Not that many people know where Lehigh Parkway Elementary School is. It's tucked up at the back of the development of twin homes on a dead end street, but I won't say exactly where. I do want to talk about the photograph. It's May Day, around 1952-53. May Day was big then, so were the unions; Most of the fathers worked at the Steel, Mack, Black and Decker, and a hundred other factories going full tilt after the war. The houses were about 8 years old, and there were no fences yet. Hundreds of kids would migrate from one yard to another, and every mother would assume some responsibility for the herd when it was in her yard. Laundry was hung out to dry. If you notice, most of the "audience" are mothers, dads mostly were at work. I'm at the front, right of center, with a light shirt and long belt tail. Don't remember the girl, but see the boy in front of me with the big head? His father had the whole basement setup year round with a huge model train layout. There were so many kid's, the school only went up to second grade. We would then be bused to Jefferson School for third through sixth grade. The neighborhood had its own Halloween Parade and Easter egg hunt. We all walked to school, no one being more than four blocks away. Years ago when I met my significant other, she told me she taught at an elementary school on the south side, but that I would have no idea where it was.

compilation of two posts from June 2008

reproduced and retitled from Dec. 21, 2009, reprinted from June 2011

The Morning Call's Lost Memory

A lead story in today's Morning Call features the temporary construction jobs created by the arena, which will end by 2014. Although the article was written by two reporters, and included proud quotes from the city's community development director, none of them know or appreciate the thousands of jobs that block provided for over 100 years. The Palace of Sport and False Hope is not being build on previously vacant land, but on Allentown's mercantile history. While the reporters wrote about what the job means to one construction worker, they never showed the same sensitivity toward the displaced former merchants. Ironically, over the years, those 34 demolished buildings  provided the paper with many advertising dollars. We will see how revenue comes to The Morning Call from the arena.

CastleRock

CastleRock took place in the cavernous Dorney Park dance-hall, Castle Garden. The "Garden" was built in the early 20's and hosted all the famous big bands of that era. By the late fifties it was called CastleRock. The Philadelphia recording stars, such as Frankie Avalon and Freddy Cannon would routinely perform. By my teenage era, in the early mid 60's, it was mostly disc jockeys. The Park was free, no admission. Pay to park, and maybe a buck or so for the dance-hall.







By then the nightclub tables shown in the photograph were gone, and sitting was around the sides. There were no shootings, and rowdiness was restricted to sneaking on a ride without buying a ticket. The dance-hall overlooked the lake, it was destroyed by a fire on Thanksgiving in 1985.

Reprinted from January 2010

Allentown 1951

1951 was a good year for Allentown. Industry found the combination of location and work ethic conducive to production. Western Electric had built their new plant on Union Boulevard in 1948. General Electric joined Mack Trucks on the south side. General MacArthur himself visited the fair that year. Hamilton Street benefited from a retail genius, Max Hess. When the Allentown High basketball team won the state championship that year, the celebration took place late that night, at 7th and Hamilton. Although Lehigh Valley Diary was built in the late 1940's, there was very little way out on 7th Street. The Allentown Cardinals played at the stadium, Breadon Field, now occupied by the Lehigh Valley Mall.

Allentown 1950

Sixty years ago downtown Allentown hummed. It was fueled by the vision of people who developed empires, not cookie cutter ideas from the National Magazines for Bureaucrats, like the arena. Shown here is the Transit Office and depot at the side of 8th and Hamilton. General Trexler had been a principle in the Trolley Company, which also built the 8th Street Bridge, to connect Allentown with points south, all the way to Philadelphia. In addition to being the terminal for the Philadelphia bound Liberty Bell, it also fed the merchants of Allentown with thousands of shoppers from its many Allentown routes. The shoppers now sit on the cold steel benches at the Lanta Detention Center on 7th Street, as the non-visionaries prepare to demolish the center of town, to build a monstrosity.

The light and shadows reveal that this is an early morning photo. In a few hours 8th and Hamilton (behind the trolley) would be clogged with shoppers                                                               reprinted from December 2011