Allentown Alternative News

As a long standing local blogger, I'd like to think that the news presented here is that which is underreported elsewhere in this town. *

I was amused by a recent editorial in the Morning Call. The editor thinks that their news sources are too establishment and white. This from a paper which has used the same three old white opinion writers for the last 20 years, Jennings, Iannelli and Cummingham. Myself, and other alternative opiners, haven't been given space on their page for many years. But, the reason for this post is the silence concerning the tragic accident on Irving Street. 

Although it has been over a week since the accident, the name of the driver has not been revealed. This wall of silence has produced a stream of rampant speculation.  One rumor is that a city truck and employee was involved. Rather than the administration and/or police department being accused of a coverup, they should release a statement. Perhaps the driver was a juvenile, and it would be inappropriate to name him/her... But then they should release that information.

At any rate, this is a most sad story. I'd much rather be reporting about some financial corruption.

* Yesterday, the Morning Call reported that former chief Fitzgerald was hired in Denver. That story made this blog back on August 25th.

ADDENDUM 3:00PM: Since writing this post early this morning, I have learned of a case in Vermont, where the police determined that the driver had no fault, and that releasing his/her name would only create another victim. The facts in the Allentown tragedy remain to be learned.

photocredit:molovinskyonallentown/knocking down mercantile history for arena

Sideshow At City Hall

Last Saturday night I was offered two free tickets for the documentary Broke(n), shown at the Civic Theater. The film makers appreciated my institutional knowledge of Allentown, and subsequently mentioned me in the credits.  This post is about free tickets, and an issue with the mayor.

I was contacted during the fair by an offended, long term former employee of Allentown.  It was a long standing tradition that the free fair tickets, given to the city by the fair association, were then distributed to the city's retired workers.  This year, for the first time in memory, Mayor Tuerk changed the rules. Instead, he decided to give the tickets to his beloved diversity organizations. Although I don't doubt his genuine feelings for these groups, I suppose it's also good politics for an elected official in his first term.

The retirees, in mass, were not happy campers. For damage control, he invited any of them to stop by his house and receive some tickets and a glad-hand.  Several took him up on the offer.

So far, he hasn't invited me to stop by.

photocredit:molovinsky

Allentown Verite

On Saturday night, the proverbial red carpet was out in front of the 19th Street Theatre, and the well-heeled, after kissing cheeks, were invited for a photo-op in front of a special backdrop. They were there to witness the premiere of Broke(n), a documentary on the problems of the poor, struggling in Allentown or anywhere else in America. 

At the same time Saturday evening, vendors on Hamilton Street were wrapping up from the afternoon Beerfest held there. Mayor Matt Tuerk, in another one of his at the event videos, reminded his social media friends that Allentown would be cracking down on speeding, after the tragedy earlier in the week.

Also on Saturday, Nazareth held a gathering promoted as Kindness and Inclusivity. Announcement signs were distributed to merchants, and Allentown's Ce-Ce Gerlach, among others, was invited to speak. Despite the title of the event, there was tension between two groups, and even accusations of hidden agendas. There is too much Stimuli money floating around, and too many popular platitudes for eager grant writers chasing that money.

Matt Tuerk's Wake Up Call

After the tragic accident on Irving Street, a member of the victim's extended family blasted Matt Tuerk for too many photo ops, and not enough substantive action against those who lower the quality of life in Allentown.  While the comment didn't last long on Tuerk's facebook page, the mayor apparently got the message.

On a posting on Wednesday, Tuerk used the F-word to emphasize that Allentown would be cracking down on speeders.  I hope that he and Police Chief Roca take that pledge to heart.  Celebrating  diversity is good, enjoying public safety is better.  We don't need another heritage flag raising, we need basic policing, and plenty of it.  We don't need a promise neighborhood, we need a safe neighborhood.

Take all Stimuli Money from Washington and hire as many police as possible, we need them.  After the streets calm down, then we can celebrate different cultures. Right now things are way too rough on those streets to concern ourselves with lesser issues.

The Local Races For Harrisburg, 2022

After 28 years in office, Pat Browne's loss in the spring primary was a surprise upset. As the main critic of his brainchild, the NIZ, I have mixed feelings. Although I criticized him as recently as yesterday(about Rt. 22 funding), I always found him accessible.  As a longtime blogger and scrutinizer of local politics, I never felt resentment or hostility from him, as I have from many others in local government.

This election has two state senate seats in contention. Browne's former seat has victor Jarrett Coleman(R) against Democrat Mark Pinsley. Considering that Pinsley did well against the formally entrenched Browne,  I may have to refer to him as Senator Elect after November 8th. The second senate race is a new district for the area, featuring Dean Browning(R) against Nick Miller(D).

The newish 22nd state house seat pits Josh Siegal(D) against Robert Smith(R).  Coleman, Miller and Smith all cut their political teeth on school boards. The 22nd was added several cycles ago to accommodate the growing Latino population.  Matt Tuerk has promised to teach the victor, either Siegal or Smith, Spanish after the election.

photo: In 2014 I ran as an independent against eleven term Julie Harhart(R) and a Democrat

Rt. 22 Is A Crime

Although I no longer attend public meetings and functions, I do venture out on excursions.  Early Tuesday morning I decided to check out Rt. 22...Glad I got back in one piece.  Traffic was heavy heading east, and heading west it was even worse, at 5 in the morning no less!  Those warehouses need to be kept filled, and emptied, by an endless stream of tractor-trailers.

When State Senator Pat Browne endorsed that Rt. 22 widening money instead be used for Rt. 78 improvements, including making a new exit for Jaindl land interest warehouses, I complained about it here on this blog. When Browne lost the primary this past May,  I could shed no tears. Under his direction too much of our state taxes have gone to enrich J.B. Reilly, and too much of new federal infrastructure money to benefit Jaindl Land interests. I don't think of Browne as corrupt, just too preoccupied with privately owned development, instead of the public good.

Next time you're on Rt. 22, wedged between speeding trucks, think about the Rt. 22 widening plans being again postponed.

photo/graphic:NYT

Almost A Howdy Doody Bottle

When I was a young man in Allentown, for a few years I operated a small antique store on N. 7th Street. In between waiting for an occasional customer, I would set up shop at one flea market or another.  At some point in those years I packed away the inventory, and went on to another interest, photography.

Move ahead fifty years, and I'm now faced with the proverbial downsizing. I billed my yard sale this past weekend as antiques, curios and collectables.  I believe that the few attendees thought that they stumbled upon their great grandfather's attic, and that what I really needed was a dumpster. 

In the process of setting up the sale, I unpacked a box of old bottles from the long ago store on 7th Street. Inside I found a Howdy Doody Bottle in great condition. None of my few customers noticed the bottle, and if they had, none would had any idea of who or what was Howdy Doody. On closer inspection, it wasn't even Howdy Doody after all, but rather an embossed Howdy soda bottle from Lehighton, Pa.

Although I can't yet bring myself to rent the dumpster,  now there is a Howdy Soda bottle squeezed onto an overcrowded shelf, in one of my overcrowded rooms.

Is Allentown Fair Also A Victim Of Shootings?

While the local news told us that there were two shooting victims last Wednesday night in Allentown, was there actually a third victim, The Great Allentown Fair?

Although I personally no longer attend the fair, I heard of people reluctant to take their children. The shooting incident at Musikfest offered them no encouragment. Pictures from the Fair's first night, and subsequent nights, both from social media and news sources, show the midways less than packed, compared to years ago. However, both fear of Covid, and inversely a pent up demand for entertainment from it, are also factors affecting attendance.  

While the mayor, fair society and media are concerned with positive spin, that sort of consideration doesn't occur to this blunt, politically incorrect blogger. 

photo by molovinsky taken in 2000

The King Has Abdicated

In 1958 my father had a food stand at the fair. It took him about an hour to realize you cannot sell hot dogs in the King's back yard, that is Yocco the hot dog king. When Yocco's claimed last year(2006) they were not at the fair because their canvas ripped, I was skeptical. This year it's official, they have abdicated their spot. Tonight the fair was jammed. In Ag Hall the granges still compete in vegetable canning. A wiseguy still incites you to dunk him. The world's smallest horse hasn't grown. Maybe Yocco's is gone, but the fair is still much more like 1958 than any other aspect of Allentown.

reprinted annually since 2007 

ADDENDUM SEPTEMBER 2, 2022: While another Allentown icon, The Brass Rail, recently closed on Lehigh Street, they have announced that a curtain call will be held at this year's fair... Last chance for a Brass Rail cheesesteak.

Hootchy Nights At The Allentown Fair

Morning Call columnist Bill White had a piece earlier in the week where he lamented that  Bobo the dunking clown was no longer at the fair. Although that's about as funky as it got for Bill in his era,  we older Allentonians remember much hotter nights at the fairgrounds. Up to the late sixties the fair had girly shows. I'm going back to the era of Gooding's Million Dollar Midway and Benny's Bingo. I'm going back to three midways packed between the Farmer's Market and Chew Street. I'm going back to when the fair only started after Labor Day.

I mentioned in one of my previous fair posts that Fred Schoenk and I made and sold printed t-shirts at the fairs during high School. At the Kutztown Fair we were hired by the burlesque show owner to letter a new banner for his show tent...as high school boys we would have paid him for the experience.

reprinted from September of 2018

photocredit:molovinsky...Black rock and roll review with strippers, 1969 Allentown Fair

The Great Allentown Fair

The Morning Call website is hosting an archive of Fair Pictures from over the years. Being a fan both of fair pictures and black and white photography, looking at the 111 photos presented was a treat.

The photo shown above, which I will get back to, reminded me of one of my unique fair experiences. In previous posts, I have discussed that both my father and myself had stands at the fair. While my father learned that you couldn't sell hotdogs near Yocco's, I learned that drunks leaving the beer garden loved to buy printed T-shirts.

But today's post has to with George Kistler, long time City Clerk during the 1950's and 60's. George loved the fair, and loved sharing his fascination with a large group of people. I was fortunate enough to be invited several times. The routine was always the same; Dinner at a local stand on the eastern side of the fairgrounds, followed by the wrestling show. I remember photographing Andre The Giant.

The Morning Call fair picture above is none other than Jim "Super Fly" Snuka, who was recently back in Allentown, for a most regrettable reason.

reprinted from September of 2016

The Mighty Atom

Years ago at the Allentown Fair, as one would push through a sea of carney delusion, tucked back by the 4H animals was an island of reality. There, in an old battered truck, an ancient Jewish strongman performed incredible feats of strength, to sell only homemade kosher soap. Standing on a platform on the rear of his truck, flanked by photographs from his performing youth, he would bent horse shoes and bite through nails. Many years earlier, my mother as a little girl in Bethlehem, saw him pull a truck uphill with his hair. Even as an old man, like a reincarnation of Samson, his grey hair was still long.
In the summers of 1964 and 1965, myself and a friend,(Fred Schoenk, retired Allentown art teacher) made and sold printed tee-shirts at the fair. We had the honor to know Joseph Greenstein(The Mighty Atom) and his wife. For those interested, there are various articles on the Mighty Atom and even at least one book. Enjoy the fair!

reprinted annually since 2007

Fetterman Push Poll

This weekend I had a surplus of patience, and participated in a 20 minute push poll for John Fetterman.  While the poll and interview questions started out somewhat neutral, toward the end each question wanted to know how I felt about some crime against humanity supposedly committed by Mehmet Oz, and if that information lowered my opinion of him.

The script seemed somewhat more sophisticated than the interviewer, who sometimes struggled reading it. While Oz was portrayed as the super-rich carpetbagger, in my limited exposure* Fetterman is outspending him.

In an apparent attempt to camouflage the push, there were a few other questions about other races. I was asked about Shapiro vs. Mastriano, and to rate Biden.

On the other election of local interest, Wild/Scheller, there were no questions. In that race, Wild has been filling up my mailbox with an endless barrage of expensive mailers, complaining about how much money Scheller has to spend.

*my select television stations do not air political ads

Art In The Park

Art In The Park formally refers to an annual art show in West Park. For those of us with gray hair, it also references the monumental sculptures Phil Berman had placed in Cedar Creek Parkway.

For me personally, it is the iconic WPA stonework throughout the park system. For many others, memories of MayFair come to mind. One summer about forty years ago, the late Greg Weaver had one of his sculptures in a pond at the Rose Garden. 

The hand-painted trash can shown above was the trigger for this post. I saw it at the storage barn by the park department office.  Painted by Tonya Romig, it may have graced a former Romper Day celebration in one of the parks. If and when more details become known, I will amend this post.

UPDATE: The can was illustrated by Ms. Romig in 2000, while still in high school. It was done for Mayfair, when that event was still held at Cedar Beach.  She assumed that the can was long gone by now.

Racial Profiling In Allentown

Christopher Fitzgerald, who was acquitted of brandishing a gun at detectives in 2014,  is now suing the county for false arrest.  In an earlier suit which was dismissed,  he also accused the detectives of racial profiling.  Readers may remember that the victim/defendant is the son of the former police chief in Allentown.  The chief was hired after a nationwide search.  The chief's son was then hired by Lehigh County Prison as a guard.  He slammed on his brakes on 7th Street with a car behind him,  and then displayed a gun when the car behind him came alongside.  The car happen to be occupied by detectives, and Fritzgerald was arrested by Whitehall Police in the parking lot of the Lehigh Valley Mall.

In a well covered trial, young Fitzgerald was acquitted of charges stemming from the incident.  He was defended by high power Philadelphia lawyer Jack McMahon,  who would later defend Pawlowski, who had hired Fitzgerald's dad as police chief.

The Fitzgerald's had no problem with racial profiling when the father was hired as police chief.  They had no problem with profiling when junior was given a job at the prison. That only happened when the Hispanic detective in the car behind him got annoyed at him waving a Glock handgun. 

above reprinted from September of 2018

ADDENDUM AUGUST 25, 2022:Since Fitzgerald's* departure, Allentown went through several chiefs, more less depleting its inventory of former homegrown brass in the department. Its current chief, Charles Roca**, is also homegrown, and Hispanic to boot. It is not an easy job, but Roca appears popular, with both the public and administration. 

* Being an experienced minority chief is very marketable in current times, and Fitzgerald was always willing to travel for for bigger and better. He most recently was hired as chief of Denver's large transportation system.

**Allentown now has a young department. It is my hope for Allentown that Roca stays in place long enough to gray on the job, and mentor future brass for the department.

The Mad Men Of Allentown

Back in the day, the titans of Allentown would fill the five barberchairs of the Colonial Barbershop, 538 Hamilton Street. That was when the town had three department stores. That was when Wetherhold and Metzger had two shoe stores on Hamilton Street. That was when Harvey Farr would meet Donald Miller and John Leh at the Livingston Club for lunch, and discuss acquiring more lots for Park & Shop. By 1995 all that was gone, but Frank Gallucci, 82, would still give some old timers a trim. The Colonial Barbershop property, closed for many years, has been purchased by J.B. Reilly. It is my pleasure to present this previously unseen portrait of Gallucci, toward the end of his career.

photocredit:molovinsky

reprinted since 2013

The (Former) Corruption Of Allentown Pennsylvania

Whether Mayor Edwin Pawlowski is convicted or not, nobody can have any doubt about the corruption this city has experienced over the last decade. Every contract was negotiated not for the taxpayer's sake, but rather the position of the mayor. These distorted criterion infected every department. Those who follow this blog realize that while both local politics and history are my topics of choice, the park system is my passion.

Although the Cedar Beach Pool contract was investigated as corrupt, it was not the only questionable decision made by the park department under Pawlowski. First and foremost,  two new parcels should have never been purchased; This is the land by Basin Street, and the former fertilizer plant land along Martin Luther King Drive. The existing park system has been neglected since Pawlowski was elected in 2005, with the iconic WPA Stone Structures literally crumbling.

If the administration and city council had taken suggestions made on this blog to heart, the entrance wall of Lehigh Parkway would have never collapsed. I do not possess unique insight, but rather the simple understanding that Allentown has a magnificent park system which needs only to be maintained.

blogger surveying  entrance road wall after it collapsed in Lehigh Parkway 

photo courtesy of Michael Adams

above, with title (revision), reprinted from February of 2018 

ADDENDUM AUGUST 28, 2022: This blog and I remain outsiders in the town of our birth. Nobody in either City Hall or The Morning Call wants to be reminded of the corrupt years, or their acquiescence to them. The new administration wants to think that the Pawlowski corruption was ancient history, and that they're a shiny clean new face. The mayor is a clean new face, but there remain remnants of the Pawlowski era in city hall.  

While the paper now occasionally promotes itself as a watchdog, their new young staff has no institutional knowledge of what and who is behind the curtains.

Needless to say I'm invited nowhere, but this blog is monitored by those concerned with revelations of previous and current shenanigans.

1953 In Allentown

In 1953 you could escape the crowds on Hamilton Street by walking down beyond the third department store, Zollinger Harned, to the 500 Block. The malls in Whitehall were still two decades away, and Hamilton Street was where the Lehigh Valley shopped. Although the photograph above shows a trolley and a bus, the last trolly would run in June of that year. South side Allentown was bustling with Mack Truck and General Electric. The first supermarket, FoodFair, opened that year on Lehigh Street, now the Parkway Shopping center. In addition to the three department stores, downtown Allentown boasted three five and dimes and five movie theaters. Ike was our President, and Brighton Diefenderfer was our mayor. In the scene above, Man In The Dark is playing at the Colonial Theater. In that 3D movie, a criminal gets a second chance if he submits to an operation to excise the criminal portion of his brain. I wonder if we could give elected officials that option?

reprinted from May of 2012

The Trump Card

On Wednesday morning the New York Times proclaimed in headline, The Party Of Trump. Their premise, and the premise of much of the media, is that Republicans are weak minded cultists,  even willing to drink poisoned kool-aid. The antiquated primary system often does nominate lesser qualified candidates in both parties... And it can result in non-competitive elections come November.

While this primary system can throw away what should have been slam dunks, as in Pennsylvania's governor race, don't count out a Republican presidential victory in 2024, unless Trump is the nominee.  While Trump's influence can defeat Cheney in Wyoming, he's way too polarizing to win the presidency again.  

While the Times hopes to see Trump run and lose, he won't be at the top of the ticket in 2024, and that's their fear.  With  DeSantis or even Pence, the liberal media will have to work much harder to sway the election.

Molovinsky and The Morning Call

If anyone is wondering what the issue was with my rejected letter to the Morning Call about Wehr's Dam, the issue was me.  One of the consequences of having criticized the paper and various sacred cows over the last decade is that my letters are submitted to a much higher level of scrutiny. Almost all the letters that they print have assumptions and opinions.  It is, after all,  the Opinions Page.  My previous letter on Wehr's Dam, before the referendum, took over a month of negotiations to have printed.  In the end, it was only printed because Bill White declined to make corrections to his piece on Wehr's Dam, and suggested instead that I write an editorial.

One must understand that we live in the valley of sacred cows and denial.  Only here can the township manager of South Whitehall go to work for the townships largest property owner and developer, and not raise eyebrows. Only here can Allentown's biggest developer actually now own the newspaper building.

For the sake of journalism and access to news,  the Morning Call should be printing this blog as a daily column, instead of repressing my occasional letters.

above reprinted with minor revisions from February of 2017

ADDENDUM AUGUST 18, 2022: Although the editor of the Morning Call reads this blog every day, and even occasionally sends me a complaint about it, they never again printed a letter from me since 2016.  Although it took three editors and five years to get them to print an update on Wehr's Dam,  and the reporter even called me several times for information, they ended up white-washing the story and omitting any reference to me. 

I do have the satisfaction that the dam is being saved despite the conspiracy against it, and that the current commissioners realize the part I played in that long battle.

Allentown Not Much For History

Once you go a mile west beyond Bethlehem, there's not much interest in history.  There's also not much interest in art or architecture.  Boast as you will about Allentown's new NIZ buildings, but there won't be any awards given there for architecture.  The new waterfront NIZ district will remove the historic LVRR rail tracks.  The local historical society concentrates on shows about Abraham Lincoln, with no interest in local topics. The Allentown park department actually encourages the disregard to its original plans and structures.*  We're being led by people who seemed more concerned with their own future, be it in real estate or politics.

For years my efforts have concentrated on trying to save those historical structures unique to our area.  Although I may occasionally still succumb to that compulsion in the future,  hopefully, most of my protest will now be limited to posts on this blog.  I pleaded to no avail with too many commissions with predetermined agendas.  Let the less disillusioned plead to the deaf ears behind those dais.

Shown above is the former LVRR railroad station on Hamilton Street, which was demolished in the early 1960's.  The existing train station was the New Jersey Central.  Allentown never met a unique older building that it couldn't wait to tear down.

* This post is reprinted from July of 2015. Allentown now has a new mayor and a new park director. I am encouraged that the new administration might be more sensitive to our history.

Wrestling With Lehigh Valley Indifference

It's not  easy wrestling with the indifference of the Lehigh Valley. Once three cities of concerned citizenry, we're now an area of newcomers. The large growing Hispanic demographic is isolated from local issues by both language and poverty. The wealthy suburban migrants didn't move here to bother themselves with local politics. Consequently, we have an upcoming mayoral election with nine candidates, headed by our own Boss Tweed.

Our newspaper, once owned by a local family, is now part of a national media company.  Its building is now owned by the largest property owner in center city, and principal beneficiary of the largest tax incentive program in Pennsylvania's history.

Advocates who fight for issues, especially against local sacred cows,  are mostly reduced to private soapboxes, to publicize their cause.  Whether you're a blogger trying to inform the public that a municipality is trying to subvert the results of a referendum,  or a former president judge rallying against excessive profits from a tax-free hospital,  the sacred cows are protected by the media.  Furthermore,  the media is very indignant when you point that shortcoming out.  Never the less, there are a few of us who continue to dive into the ring.

reprinted from April of 2017

General Trexler's Streets

Allentown benefitted enormously from General Harry Trexler. Most obvious is the park system, which unfortunately has suffered continuous depreciation under Pawlowski's misguided priorities, and The Wildlands Conservancy's agenda.  The General's various business interests played an important part in Allentown's prosperity.  He was largely responsible for developing the West End, through his lumber, real estate and construction businesses. His connection with the Lehigh Portland Cement Company resulted in several concrete streets, which have lasted almost a hundred years.

Yesterday,  Chew Street was blacktopped over the cement, which had been there since the 1920's. Nearby, Allen Street is also still cement from that era.  Unlike cement which lasts forever,  blacktop lasts  about ten minutes;  I suppose that's why they use it now.

 

reprinted from April of 2017

The Lehigh Valley, From Factory To Warehouse

I was born in late 1946. Growing up in the 1950's, the Lehigh Valley was teeming with factories. Near my home in South Allentown was Mack Trucks and General Electric. Lehigh Structural Steel was along the river, and just beyond was Western Electric. Dozens of sewing factories employed thousands of women. Up to 30,000 people once worked at Bethlehem Steel, which stretched from the Hill To Hill Bridge down to Hellertown.


The next generation of business, like Kraft Food, was less industrial, and located here because of location and the ethic of the residual work force. Yesterday, we learned of a proposal to tear down Kraft, and replace it with warehouses. If not for our central location in the dense northeast, I fear we would be in dire straights. We are now becoming a major distribution center. Too bad that almost of the products being distributed are made in China.

above reprinted from June of 2016

Made In The Lehigh Valley

The other day I was self checking out of the grocery store, and across the aisle was Bethlehem Steel T-Shirts.  They were made to look retro, with pre-faded logo and copy, which said MADE IN USA.  Although, I knew the phrase referred to the steel,  I couldn't resist looking at the shirt's label.  Needless to say, it was made in China. Ironically, Bethlehem Steel was a self sufficient company, which even  produced ships with its own steel.

When I was a boy I worked in my father's meat market located at the foot of Union Street, where the Hamilton Street Bridge crossed over the Lehigh River.  Saturday was busy, with many customers who worked at the Steel, Lehigh Structural, Black and Decker, Western Electric, Mack and dozens of sewing factories.  A couple of guys who worked during the week at Arbogast & Bastian helped my dad out on Saturdays.  Both Swift and Wilson meat packers had wholesale branches near by.  They would be supplied by rail sidings,  which  criss-crossed that area of the city.  At that time everything was made in America, except for cheap novelty junk.  Now, in addition to losing our manufacturing,  we're even losing our retail,  as everything comes directly from online ordering and warehouses.    I suppose that soon the cashiers at the supermarket will be a relic of the past.

above reprinted from March of 2017

Allentown Is A Roller Coaster

Last night I attended an art opening at the Baum School of Art. It is a continuation of the art show at Muhlenberg College, featuring artists who worked in Allentown during the 1980's. While the show at Muhlenberg exhibits their older work, the show at Baum features their current work.

Some of the artists have passed away, those remaining are now in their sixties and seventies. I knew most of them at the time, through one association or another. Some would frequent Allentown Photographic, a business I operated on 8th Street.

Although, the show was well attended, I cannot say the same for center city. Despite all the current new construction,  even though there were vacant buildings and empty lots in the 1980's, the town was more vibrant back then. Despite Billy Joel's song,  there was even more pride in the town back then.

I do believe that all this new construction will revitalize Allentown, but it hasn't happen yet.

The art shows at Muhlenberg and Baum will run through August 2nd.  Shown above is Life Is A Rollercoaster by Jessica Lenard,  Mixed media, 30X22 inches. 

above reprinted from July of 2017 

ADDENDUM AUGUST 10, 2022:Five years have passed since the above post. Although new construction has continued, especially with the Strata type loft apartments, I do not yet feel the expected revitalization. In fairness to the failure to invigorate, the Covid pandemic remains with us. Infrastructure has been provided which will enable people to congregate, and there certainly will be pent-up demand for such interaction.

No Thirst For Local News

In a recent post,  I noted that The Morning Call seems to be lowering their firewall  between news and opinion in regard to Mayor Ed Pawlowski.  On what planet have I been stranded?  Firewall is a historic term from the dinosaur age.  It no longer exists in news, whether print or broadcast.  Quite to the contrary,  the media seems to wear their bias as a badge of conviction.

Here at the molovinsky on allentown blog,  being a completely unmonetized endeavor,  I can afford to strive for objectivity.  I even proclaim myself as non-partisan.  Truth be told, it would be very difficult to monetize the blog.  There is less than a thirst for news in this community.

Another truth be told,  I'm interacting with less and less people.  I now only attend meetings to advocate for something or other.  Since our esteemed elected officials actually do very little deliberating at the public meetings,  attendance is becoming less and less productive.

However,  I do survey people at the diners and grocery markets.  Their knowledge or interest in local decisions is minimal. Acutally,  they're  perplexed why people even concern themselves with such matters.

above reprinted from July of 2017

ADDENDUM AUGUST 9, 2022:I no longer attend meetings or even survey people at diners. If Mayor Tuerk makes two small but way overdue repairs to the our WPA structures, I will conduct a public tour of Lehigh Parkway. However, that offer expires in two months.

Allentown, Pawlowski and Molovinsky

When I started this blog over ten years ago, one of the things that motivated me was the direction Allentown would be going in under Pawlowski.  The Morning Call writes today that Pawlowski began his political career defeating William Heydt in 2005 for mayor.  There was actually a third candidate, an independent,  also on the ballot that year.

Although, The Morning Call denied me equal coverage,  I held underreported and unreported news conferences on what would become Allentown's most pressing problems in the coming years.  While the paper held interviews and debates with seven Democratic primary candidates this year, they claimed that three was too many when they excluded me from their sponsored debate in 2005.

Back in this blog's earliest beginnings,  I was a chorus of one.  Even bloggers Bernie O'Hare and Chris Casey assumed that the issues I was raising were just sour grapes on my part.

I will not be reporting on the nuts and bolts of the indictment.  To me it's already old news.  I will be reprinting some of my early posts.   Despite the tone of this post,  I take no satisfaction with the current events.  Despite all these new buildings, Allentown has been depreciated over the last ten years.  Our center city streets have become danger zones.  Our schools are failing.  Even our famous parks are falling apart.

above reprinted from July of 2017 

ADDENDUM AUGUST 8, 2022:Although five years have passed since I wrote the last paragraph in the above post, little to nothing has changed. As for the local government, there isn't much to say, except that no one can accuse them of not being progressive. As for the local media, while there is no longer any institutional knowledge, there are fewer and fewer readers who would know or care. The NIZ, essentially a private club for a few connected gentlemen, continues to build a privately owned empire with our public funds. 

While of late much material on this blog is mined from the archives, I still return to present time, when such reportage can even possibly make a difference.

Depot At Overlook Park

Old timers have noticed that the contractor's building on Hanover Avenue transformed into a community center for Overlook Park. But only the oldest, or train buffs, realized that the building was the freight depot and office for the Lehigh & New England Railroad. Lehigh & New England was formed in 1895, primarily as a coal carrier. The line ran from Allentown to Maybrook, New York.

In 1904 it was acquired by the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company. The line ceased operation in 1961. Among it's infrastructure were impressive bridges across both the Lehigh and Delaware Rivers, both of which were dismantled. Ironic that a remnant of our industrial era is being utilized by the successor of a public housing project.

reprinted from February of 2011

PARK & SHOP

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. 

above reprinted from 2012

ADDENDUM AUGUST 4, 2022:Although the Morning Call certainly promoted the NIZ, analysis and critical commentary has pretty much been limited to this blog. While the NIZ has enriched J.B. Reilly beyond comprehension, and the streetscape to a passerby looks improved, if quality of life for Allentonians has improved, it is not clear. It certainly has not provided the promised tax relief for weary homeowners.

When 6th Street Was West Allentown

In 1903, the 600 block of 2nd Street housed one Russian Jewish family after another. They built a small synagogue there, which was kept open until about twenty years ago. My grandfather, who then worked at a cigar factory, had just saved enough to bring his parents over from the old country. They lived in an old house at 617 N. 2nd. The current house at that location was built in 1920. By the time my father was born in 1917, the youngest of five children, they had moved to the suburbs just across the Jordan Creek.

My grandfather lived on the corner of Chew and Jordan Streets. He butchered in a barn behind the house. The house is still there, 301 Jordan, the barn is gone. He would deliver the meat with a horse and wagon. On the weekends, when the family wanted to visit friends, the horse insisted on doing the meat market route first. Only after he stopped in front of the last market on the route, would he permit my grandfather to direct him. excerpt from My grandfather's Horse, May 13, 2008

Allentown has just designated the neighborhood west of the Jordan to 7th Street, and between Linden and Tilghman Streets, as Jordan Heights. The area encompasses the Old Fairgrounds Historic District. Allentown's old fairground, in the years between 1852-1888, was in the vicinity of 6th and Liberty. It was an open space, as is the current fairground at 17th and Chew Streets. When my grandparents moved to Jordan Street it was a modern house, just built in 1895. Many of the Jewish families moved to the suburbs between Jordan and 7th. The Jewish Community Center was built on the corner of 6th and Chew, today known as Alliance Hall.
I wish the Jordan Heights initiative well. There's a lot of history in those 24 square blocks, and hopefully much future.

reprinted and retitled from previous years

photo: Opening of Jewish Community Center, 1928, 6th and Chew Streets.  Now Alliance Hall

The Corner Market

Although I doubt that there will ever be a show at the Historical Society, or brochures at the Visitors Bureau, perhaps nothing encapsulates the history of Allentown more than the corner grocery stores. Allentown proper, is mostly comprised of rowhouses built between 1870 and 1920, long before the era of automobiles and suburban supermarkets. Most of the corner markets were built as stores, and over the years many were converted into apartments. Up until the late 1940's, there may have been well over a hundred operating in Allentown. Some specialized in ethnic food. The bodega at 9th and Liberty was formally an Italian market. Live and fresh killed chickens were sold at 8th and Linden, currently H & R Block Tax Service. A kosher meat market is now a hair salon on 19th Street. The original era for these markets died with the advent of the supermarket. In the early 50's some corner stores attempted to "brand" themselves as a "chain", as shown in the Economy Store sign above. That market is at 4th and Turner, and has been continually operating since the turn of the last century. Ironically, as the social-economic level of center city has decreased, the corner stores have seen a revival. Most of these new merchants, many Hispanic and some Asian, know little of the former history of their stores, but like their predecessors, work long, hard hours.

above reprinted from March 2012

photo of Yost Market in Phillipsburg, N.J. by Carl Rubrecht, 1970 

ADDENDUM: The enamel Economy Stores sign has been removed.  I hope that the owner sold it,  because it was valuable. As for the A-Treat sign, the era of painted signs on brick buildings is long over, although some ghost images still remain in Allentown.

When Allentown High Was Pennsylvania Dutch

In 1950 when 16 year old  Jayne Lichtenwalner made this plate in art class,  Allentown for the most part had a Pennsylvania Dutch demographic.  Jayne's family lived at 642 Chew Street.  The principal of Allentown High was Clifford Bartholomew.  After Bartholomew retired from being principal,  he later would go on to become mayor.

Move ahead seventy years, and the Pennsylvania Dutch student is an endangered species in the Allentown School System, perhaps even extinct. The new superintendent of the system is from Detroit,  and the mayor is from Chicago.  The dominant demographic in center city is now Hispanic, and they just elected the Chicago mayor for a fourth term, even though he's indicted for corruption.

I grew up on the south side near the Mack Truck assembly plant. I graduated from Allen in the middle 1960's, and remember when Bartholomew was principal and then mayor. I worked in center city when the stores died and the neighborhoods changed.  This blog was designed to be the juncture of local history and politics.  Because I find the politics at the moment so distressing,  I'll be conducting  more history classes. 

above reprinted from November of 2017

ADDENDUM AUGUST 1, 2022:This past weekend Allentown's current majority, Puerto Ricans, celebrated their heritage. A new mayor, fluent in Spanish, presided over the festivities. The New York Times had already noted the demographic transition as a sociological phenomenon twenty years ago. Recently, CBS News unfortunately tried to link the changes to the current national divide, culminating in the January 6 insurrection.

Outside analysis aside, Allentown is faring well. Like America itself, the new century has brought many changes to the valley. Allentown's location and quality of life continue to attract newcomers.

A Former Factory and Neighborhood of Allentown, Pa.

The Wire Mill was a sprawling industrial plant along 13 acres of the Little Lehigh Creek, just east of Lehigh Street, near the current Martin Luther King Drive.  An 1899 map of Allentown contains the footprint of various industries of the time, and the Wire Mill was the most prominent.  The Lehigh Valley RailRoad constructed two bridges over the Little Lehigh, to bring its Barber Quarry spur line into and out of the plant. Began in 1886, it produced wire and nails until 1943, and then sat abandoned for another twenty years. During WW1, it employed up to 1,200 men around the clock, producing barbed wire for the trench warfare in Europe. The factory sat on the south side of the former Wire Street, which housed narrow row houses on the other side of the street, and the neighborhood above it.



That entire neighborhood was demolished in the early 1970's, as Allentown embraced the modern urban renewal models of the time. The old, modest neighborhood of small row houses, between Lawrence and Union Streets, and on both sides of Lehigh Street, between 4th and 8th Street, were bulldozed away.  It was, in a large part, home to Allentown's black community. How ironic that we destroyed the cohesion of a neighborhood, but renamed Lawrence Street after Martin Luther King. The only remnant of that community and neighborhood still there is the St. James A.M.E. and Zion Church. A former vibrant neighborhood was replaced by a sterile bank call center, sitting alone on a large vacant hill. That building is now the new Building 21 city operated charter school. I would have complained about that urban renewal plan if I was blogging back then. Now, 50 years later, I still consider that plan a failure. Hopefully, future bloggers will have something better to say about Allentown's current revitalization.

The Wire Mill was at the bottom of the Lehigh Street hill, shown above

reprinted from March 2016

Allentown's Double Parking

Yesterday, Paul Muschick of the The Morning Call speculated on the reason for all the double parking in Allentown.  Being politically correct,  he overlooked the oblivious answer... We have  herds of Rude and Crude living in Allentown.  Why has this problem persisted for so long?  The Allentown Parking Authority doesn't want to deal with face to face confrontations with the offensive offenders,  they prefer placing a parking ticket on an empty car and then running away.  The Allentown Police consider the problem beneath their law enforcement pay grade.  Muschick mentioned N. 7th Street as ground zero for the problem.  Fellow activist Robert Trotner referenced Muschick's column on facebook, and a Hispanic business owner complained about the lack of parking spaces on 7th Street,  for the volume of current businesses.  He does have a point, but the double parking in Allentown occurs everywhere in center city,  even with many empty spaces.

The city should identify parcels close to 7th Street that can be acquired for additional parking.  Peter Lewnes has done an excellent job developing 7th Street into a business district, as it was in Allentown's distant past.  Being as politically incorrect as I am,  I cannot refrain from noting that the same merchants and clientele now on 7th Street, were deemed undesirable when they were previously on Hamilton Street.  As I have written before, there was actually more commerce on Hamilton Street with the so called undesirables, than there is now.  However, the NIZ wasn't really meant to increase commerce, but rather to increase the real estate portfolio of certain individuals. Another recent article in The Morning Call,  on the NIZ,  avoided such realities.

above reprinted from June of 2018

ADDENDUM JULY 28, 2022: In Paul Muschick's current column, entitled You Can't Fix Stupid, he laments that the double parking continues, despite a new $million dollar parking lot and signs in Spanish. Although he speculates on numerous possible causes and solutions for the problem, he avoids my insensitive Rude and Crude analysis....Reality can be so awkward!

Only The Best For Public Housing

For an Allentown historian with an interest in photography, the photo above is as good as it gets; Eleanor Roosevelt visiting Hanover Acres, Allentown's new public housing project in 1942.  Paul Carpenter has a column where he brooded about public housing recipients complaining that they can't smoke, while living on our dime. I'll do him one better. They're now griping about it in new housing, Overlook Park. Hanover Acres and the newer project, Riverview Terrace, were both torn down several years ago to construct new townhouses. It's supposedly a mixed income project, with homes both for sale, and Section 8 rentals.

Over the years Hanover Acres became a "terrible" place to live, a crime-ridden eyesore. Overlook Park, the $88 million development that's sprung up in its place, however, is "beautiful." Daniel R. Farrell, executive director of the Allentown Housing Authority, described turning Hanover Acres into Overlook Park as "an amazing transformation."The development features 269 rental apartments and room for 53 single-family homes.

It was built by Pennrose Properties, which specializes in politically correct and politically connected housing for profit. They have done well in Allentown with Mayor Ed. Not long before Hanover and Riverview were demolished, they were completely remodeled, with high end kitchen cabinets and counters. Shown below is yours truly, in Little Lehigh Manor, built in 1944. Those brick houses of the same vintage are still new enough for home buyers today. Most of Allentown's existing row houses were built between 1895 and 1930. If Carpenter is upset about smoking, he should drive over to Overlook Park and see what they're now smoking in.

above reprinted from July of 2012

ADDENDUM JULY 27, 2022: When I first wrote this post a decade ago, the issue was tearing down Hanover Acres to built Overlook Park.  It never occurred to me then that Allentown would now be tearing down the new public housing on the Lehigh Street hill, to replace them with more modern units. 

The Parkway houses of my youth still stand, and I still remain confused about public housing.

Wildlands Conservancy Responsible For Fish Kill

reprinted from July of 2014

In their indiscriminate haste to remove all dams in the Lehigh Valley, the Wildlands Conservancy is responsible for the massive fish kill this week at the Fish Hatchery. When General Trexler had the trout nursery expanded, they also revised, just upstream,  a small dam, to insure and regulate a water supply for the nursery. Last fall the Wildlands gleefully demolished that dam, removing an important component of the trout nursery. Although the heavy storm Monday night occurred hundreds of times in the last century, this time the dam wasn't there to regulate the fast moving water. Over 1,400 fish were flooded out of the holding pools and died. Last summer, I watched the Wildlands Conservancy give a power point presentation to Allentown City Council on dam removals. When I invited City Council to Lehigh Parkway to defend the Robin Hood Dam, the Conservancy crashed my event, and asked the council members instead to come with them to the trout nursery dam, to see their wonderful plans. I hope yesterday that the Conservancy had the decency to help pick up the dead fish.

The lesson here is that not all dams are without purpose.

The Morning Call article on mcall, Tuesday afternoon, contained a paragraph describing how the fish hatchery workers believe that the dam removal factored into the fish kill. That paragraph was edited out of both the hard and soft copy editions Tuesday evening.  I have no doubt that that the deletion was done to shield The Wildlands Conservancy.

Reggie Rickard an Allentown resident who has been volunteering at the hatchery for 45 years said the fish kill is probably the worst in the hatchery's recent history. Initially, he estimated as many as 2,000 may have been killed, but the final tally was about 1,400.

Fish have been lost in other heavy rains storms, but Rickard said this was a major fish kill. He and other volunteers who joined city workers in collecting and counting the corpses Tuesday believe the death rate may have been exacerbated by recent upstream dam removals on small streams.

photo:April Bartholomew/The Morning Call/July15,2014

ADDENDUM: Above I have combined and reprinted two posts from July of 2014. The fish hatchery again experienced a massive fish kill in this recent storm of August 2018. The former fish hatchery dam, and its removal in connection to the fish kills, has been removed from the Morning Call archives and the memory of its news' reporters. However, this blog knows the truth, and so will my readers.

reprint from July of 2014

UPDATE JULY 23, 2020: The Morning Call continues to protect the Wildlands Conservancy, and will not report about the Conservancy's back-channel with Pa. DEP to demolish Wehr's Dam, nor will allow any opinion pieces about it.

ADDENDUM JULY 26, 2022: A complete new slate of South Whitehall Commissioners has asserted themselves to respect the voter's referendum and save Wehr's Dam.  The Morning Call wrote a whitewash story last year justifying the previous delay to commit to the dam, and ignored the back channel communications between the Wildlands Conservancy and the Pa. DEP, which was an attempt to sabotage the dam. 

A Baby Boomer Allentown

molovinsky on allentown is meant to intersect local politics and history. I grew up during a very prosperous era in Allentown's history. The post war (WW2) factories couldn't produce enough goods, despite some having three shifts. Local government was small, concerned mostly with infrastructure and public safety.  There was little concern with affordable housing and other social programs. Then, as now, there were always poor people. Eleanor Roosevelt visited Allentown for the opening of Hanover Acres, the public housing above the east side of the Lehigh River. For many residents of that project and Cumberland Gardens, the public housing was a stepping stone, not a lifestyle.

Hamilton Street was a thriving shopping district.  No subsidies needed there.  Those successful merchants handled their own parking system, no Parking Authority needed.  There might have been some nepotism and cronyism in city hall, but no need for FBI investigations.  Information and news came from your television screen and newspapers, but without agendas and misdirection.

A reader asked me why I made commenting more difficult.  Question.......isn't one of the purposes of your blog to foster discussion of the matters you raise? Purposely seeking to curb comment responses and possibly readership, seems counterintuitive to me.  Topics are not chosen in regard to expanding readership, nor do I count comments as a gauge of success. This blog is not monetized, directly or indirectly. I address those topics which are either under-reported, or misrepresented by the local main stream media. Consequently, I want the comments to be as relevant and responsible as possible.

When Walter Cronkite gave the news in the early 1960's,  he signed out each program by saying, "And that's the way it is."  

reprinted from July of 2016

ADDENDUM JULY 25, 2022:Not much has changed since I wrote the above piece six years ago. The downtown subsidy program, the NIZ, is on steroids, having pumped so far over a $billion in real estate to one private owner.

During this current heat wave the city is concerned with New York and New Jersey using our parks for recreation. Maybe for the last twenty years they should have been more concerned about New York and New Jersey using our housing and schools? However, such awkward questions have only come mostly from me, on this blog.

I still don't fish for comments...I don't ask readers what they think about some controversial topic. While I still reject comments which don't add to the post, your readership is nevertheless appreciated.

Blogging, The Last Watchtower

Anybody who buys The Morning Call on a Monday knows what slim pickings are. The paper is produced on Friday, with a one man weekend crew, to cover the police blotter. There's hardly enough paper to cover the bottom of a bird cage. That leaves the news junkies forced to read the likes of me.

 I'm fascinated with how much Allentown has changed within the last 50 years, and find the railroads  a good metaphor. In my youth the city was serviced by several rail branch lines with dozens of sidings, supplying many industries with raw materials to produce products distributed all over the country. Those industries fostered a large middle class, and a high standard of living. We were the truck capital of the world, we were home to the first transistors, and a retail legend. The tower shown above in 1963, and the gas tank in the background, were on Union Street. Although they are both now gone, this blogger will continue to combine history, news and commentary for those of us who still remember a different era.

reprinted from November of 2013

Pennsylvania's Old Tax Joke

There's an article in today's Morning Call about how some of our elected officials are surprised that the long promised property tax relief didn't make it into the final budget. How Shocking!!!

Pennsylvania absorbed the Casino revenues, without ever providing property owners with meaningful tax relief. Not only didn't the casinos bring relief, neither did its gambling predecessor, the lottery... That false promise hasn't delivered in over forty years.

Neither did hydraulic fracking, or even pot, when they legalized it for medical use. I don't know if marijuana will make you insane, but voting for the same candidates and parties, with the same false promises, election after election, is nuts. 

Pennsylvania's problem was never lack of revenue, it's always been a lack of priorities and ethics.

The Trexler Greenhouse

The former greenhouse at the current Trexler Park was the pride of Harry and Mary Trexler. The General was very specific in his will about its future;

I, Harry C. Trexler declare this to be my last Will and Testament: ......into the Treasury of the City of Allentown, for the perpetual maintenance of said Park, (Trexler) as well as the Greenhouse thereon located. This bequest shall include all the plants and other contents of said Greenhouse (1929)

Although nobody in charge of Allentown remembers, the greenhouse was a thing of wonder... Full of banana trees and other tropical plants, it was a true escape from winter for all visitors. The park director at the time touted all the money in maintenance to be saved if it was demolished. A couple years later the same director replanted the creek banks by the intersection of Cedar Crest Blvd. and Cetronia Rd.. That planting cost $750,000. I recall the price, because Longwood Gardens built a new greenhouse for that same amount, we had just lost our greenhouse, and only had a new creek weedwall to show in its place.  

Several years ago Allentown Park Department cut down all those plantings, and we now have nothing to show for our loss of the greenhouse. Even back then, I was an advocate for the traditional park system. Current visitors to Trexler Park don't notice that the weed wall has been cut down, and certainly don't know that they lost a beautiful greenhouse in the backstory.

reprinted from 2014. Postcard of Trexler duckpond from the glory days of the Allentown Park System

A Fitting Birthday Present

In a recent puff piece in The Morning Call about Allentown's 250th birthday, Mayor Ed Pawlowski used the phrase, "City Without Limits," no less than three times. What does that slogan mean? First, let me tell you that it is just a slogan, created by a paid image consultant. How ironic that the current leadership in Allentown, which was the sanctuary of the Liberty Bell and a bastion of industrial America, can only describe our city in paid-for, meaningless slogans. Truth be told, the current leadership has no institutional memory of Allentown. They didn't live here when Allentown was the All-American City. The proposed hockey arena is referred to as "transformational." Allentown was transformational in creating the American dream. "Built like a Mack truck" was a meaningful slogan. It meant the people of Allentown had the work ethic and skill to produce the best. The Western Electric plant on Union Boulevard first produced transistors and then silicon chips as Lucent. A hundred factories required several train lines to haul raw material and finished products in and out of Allentown. Hess Brothers taught store owners all over the country how to merchandise their products. Before somebody reminds me that there is no more strawberry pie at the Patio Restaurant in Hess's basement, let me get back to 2011. 

If we are to celebrate our 250th birthday, let us honor some historic icons that still exist. In the mid-1930s our park system benefited from magnificent stone structures built by the Works Progress Administration during Roosevelt's New Deal program. These icons of our nationally known park system are in need of major restoration, if they are to remain standing. Such a restoration would be a most fitting tribute to our upcoming birthday.

reprinted from November of 2010

ADDENDUM JULY 19, 2022: It has been over a decade since I started my campaign for Allentown to maintain our WPA treasures. The steps at Fountain Park have been renovated due to the generosity of the Trexler Trust. The Parkway entrance wall has been rebuilt by necessity, after it partially collapsed. Unfortunately, maintenance of the icons is still not a priority of the park department. 

However, the durable stone structures mostly still stand despite the neglect, and there are still those among us who appreciate their value.