Allentown On My Mind

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 my older brother would take me 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? His father had the whole basement setup year round with a huge model train layout. There were so many kids, 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. 

compilation of two posts from June 2008

The Weigh-In

                                            Madison Square Garden, March 27, 1942
When they met for the first time the previous March, Abe Simon battled Joe Louis for 13 rounds. The Detroit crowd went wild that the Jewish giant from New York could absorb Louis's punches. Louis had the power of Mike Tyson and the finesse of Muhammad Ali. When it was revealed that Simon had fought with a broken hand, the Madison Garden rematch became a big ticket. Louis knocked Simon out in the sixth round. It would be Simon's last fight.
click on photo to enlarge

reprinted from December 2012

Lunch At Allen

Up to the mid 60's, students at Allen High could leave the building for lunch. Scattered in alleys around the the school, garages had been converted into lunch shops and hangouts. The Hutch was in the alley between 17th and West Streets, in the unit block between Hamilton and Linden. Suzy's was behind the Nurse's Dormitory, between Chew and Turner. Another was across Linden from the Annex. They all had the same basic decor, a few pinball machines, a few tables and a small lunch counter. Most of the business was during lunch period, and before and after school. It's my understanding that occasionally a kid or two would skip school and hangout all day. Today these garages, turned into luncheonettes, have long ago reverted back to garages. Most of the current residents of West Park probably don't even know about this commercial history right behind their houses. I missed photo day at Allen for my yearbook, but if anybody has a picture of the gang from the Hutch, I'd appreciate a copy.

Reprinted from Sept. 24, 2008

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. 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 Nagys' 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 Nagys', 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 Dec. 23, 2008

Mayor Tuerk Wake-Up Call

There's another blogger and we often wonder who is the bigger bastard. I think after this post we can put that question to rest. This weekend there is another event in Allentown, a blues and brew event downtown. One thing is for sure, Mayor Tuerk will be there doing a live video which starts in Spanish. Mayor Tuerk, in all due respect, it's getting tired. Last weekend we had our 12th homicide. Don't know how many shootings, because the bullets are small(9mm) and the docs are good. I understand that part of your job is to rally public spirit, but let's not cultivate delusion. Some Hispanics are flattered by your bi-lingualness, but I suspect that even for many of them it's getting old. 

While Hasshan Batts' growing orange shirt brigade might keep some Blacks from complaining out loud, they also know that those shirts can't really keep them safe.

Brand new empty buildings on Hamilton Street are becoming like a Hollywood movie set, a facade with nothing behind them. 

It's time to put public safety first and foremost.

Allentown Post Office 1934

In the 1930's, the "New Deal" was good to Allentown. As I noted on earlier posts, our park system was enriched by monumental stone construction under the WPA. We also received one of the architectural gems of our area, the magnificent art deco post office. Constructed during 1933-34, no detail was spared in making the lobby an ageless classic. The floor is adorned with handmade Mercer tiles from Doylestown. Muralist Gifford Reynolds Beal worked thru 1939 portraying the Valley's cultural and industrial history. This incredible 74 year old photograph is the contractor's documentation of the project's progress. The back of the photo states; Taken Sept 1 - 34 showing lobby, floor, screens, desks, completed & fixtures hung

Reprinted from Oct. 25, 2008 

ADDENDUM JUNE 20, 2023:The post office, although an art deco masterpiece, remains for sale. Already the manificent lamp posts by the left front entrance have been looted. While Reilly's City Center Real Estate has purchased and demolished dozens of buildings on Hamilton Street, neither he nor other developers apparently have any interest in city architecture or history. Reilly has already built $One Billion dollars worth of tasteless buildings with our diverted state taxes. Allow me to also publicly criticize the Lehigh County Historical Society, Old Allentown Preservation, The Morning Call, Mayor Tuerk and the Allentown Art Museum for their silence on this crime against our local history.

Simon Gets Brother's Verdict

Louis F. Simon(Right) tell his heavyweight brother that he is proud that he lasted into the thirteenth round of his fight with Joe Louis last night. Mike Jacobs announced after the bout that the two would be rematched in New York on May 16th.

Blogger's Notes: The above is an Associated Press "Wirephoto" that appeared in newspapers across the country on March 22, 1941. The title and caption is the actual Associated Press copy. Mike Jacobs was Joe Louis's manager. Abe Simon actually ended up fighting four more opponents and waiting over a year before the rematch; they met for second time and the title in Madison Square Garden on March 27, 1942. Simon was knocked out in the 6th round, he never fought again. His career record was 36 wins, 25 by knockout, 10 loses, 1 draw.

reprinted from April 2008

Batts At Bat

J.B. Reilly aside, Hasshan Batts is another growth industry in the Lehigh Valley.  Combine our woke times with an enterprising Black activist, and he is in the right place at the right time. Every time you read the news, his Promise Neighborhoods is getting a new grant and another piece of the pie.  Talking of pie, he's now operating food banks in at least three locations...his Union Street headquarters, Hayes Elementary School and in the lower level of Zion Church, where he's serving hot meals.

But this post is motivated by his proposed new location, the former Allentown Toy Company on N. 10th Street. With the appointment of Alan Jennings to the fifth board seat of the Redevelopment Authority, Batts' acquisition of that location seems inevitable.  His Islamic society made a proposal to use the location as a community center.  I say his society, because it's registered at Batts' home address, and doesn't appear to have a congregation. The director of the Redevelopment Authority and her assistant have resigned. Matt Tuerk said the resignations are an opportunity to recast the objectives of the Authority.

I write these posts about Reilly with his NIZ, and Batts with his Promise Neighborhoods, with some speculation... such players are not inclined to share their game plans with this blogger. Allentown is the perfect place for their ambitions. The newspaper has little to gain from going into an investigative mode.  Half of Allentown's population is too impoverished to care, and the other half is too indifferent. 

Both a burden and asset of mine is so much institutional knowledge of Allentown.  I actually did a very small project with the Redevelopment Authority forty years ago. My application was submitted to so much due diligence at the time, I thought that I was applying to be Ambassador to the UN. 

I write these blog posts for those of us who remember how things were done in what I consider better times.

shown above Hasshan Batts and Alan Jennings

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.

Above Reprinted from Sept. 10, 2008

ADDENDUM JUNE 15, 2023: In 2008, when I wrote that there were no shootings at the dance hall, little did I know that in 2023 there would multiple homicides before June ends. Forget a hormone filled dance club,  shootings now occur even on playgrounds. Rather than beefing up our police force, we look to social workers and mentor organizations to reduce the violence?  I would feel much safer if our police departments received the funding, rather than organizations that promise to make a difference.

Simon Fearless Against Bomber

The 1941 June edition of Ring Magazine featured the Abe Simon vs Joe Louis fight in March. Editor-writer Nat Fleischer was in awe of Simon's courage against the unbeatable Brown Bomber. Fleischer wrote "They (fans) saw Abe Simon give the Bomber the greatest battle he has had since he won the crown..." Although Simon Lost by TKO in the 13th, this image of Simon grinning at Louis while taking the 8 count in round 7, is one of my favorite photographs of that fight.

reprinted from December 2012

NIZ Rain

For the last decade I have been documenting the NIZ storm which has destroyed Allentown's former mercantile district, just like a tornado in Kansas wipes out buildings.  In addition to photographing the demolition,  I attended city hall meetings with the former merchants, where they were bullied into relinquishing their dreams. I'm sorry to report that none now remain in business, not even on 7th Street.

Yesterday, in regard to the imminent sale of the PPL Tower,  fellow blogger Bernie O'Hare recapped the 2012 Business Matters debate covered by the Morning Call's Bill White.  White dismissed the possibility of the PPL leaving the tower as hysteria.  Myself and another critic, Steve Thode, were accused of making wild claims.  As critical as we were then, it never occurred to me that almost all of the NIZ, with only a few exceptions, would be owned by one man. That man even came to own the Morning Call building itself, which now warehouses cigarettes. His NIZ allows him to collect the state taxes on cigarettes, which formerly went to CHIP, the Children's Health Insurance Program.

While photographing the demolition of the former Rialto property,  I took shelter from yesterday's rain under the overhang of the former Park & Shop deck on 10th Street, which is now the police garage. I remembered that when I was a boy my mother would park there while shopping.  In Hess's she would have to go up to the 5th floor to get her parking ticket stamped.  There was a lot of merchandise to view on the way up for that free parking validation. There were a lot of stores to pass on the way back to the garage.

shown above demolition of former Rialto property

$100 A Week

In 1935, a Jewish boy earning $35 a week carrying 300 pound blocks of ice, was offered three times more to fight; win, lose or draw. For one hundred dollars a week, Jock Whitney, British aristocrat and sportsman, owned Abe Simon. Abe won his first 14 fights, 12 by knockout. On his climb to fight Louis in 1941 he would knock out 27 opponents, including Jersey Joe Walcott.
reprinted from December 2012 

This blog has produced numerous posts chronicling the Joe Louis boxing era, many featuring Abe Simon, a Jewish heavyweight of the era; Simon and my mother were cousins. Lately, Allentown political shenanigans have allowed me little time and space to visit Madison Square Garden in the early 1940's. During the next couple of weeks I will reprint some of the Simon posts, while still assigning staff to City Hall. One of my attractions to the boxing world is the black and white photography produced during that era. The public would listen to the fights on the radio, and then see the photographs in the newspapers the following day.  I refer fight fans to December of 2012,  which can be found on the archive list on the right sidebar. 

reprinted from December 2014

Allentown Officially Becomes Reillyville

Yesterday the PPL Corporation announced that they are moving into a Reilly NIZ office building and putting the tower for sale.  The tower is more than  just an iconic building, it is the symbol of Allentown, and has been since 1928. 

The first question of course is what will become of the tower?  I suspect that J.B. Reilly has some insight in regard to that question.  With a glut of new office space available,  no commercial entity besides the PPL would have any use for it.  Its future is certainly residential, and its new owner I suspect has already been determined.

The second question is --what is really going on with our diverted taxes and the NIZ? If Reilly's first building at 7th and Hamilton has the room to accommodate the PPL, how much empty space is there in the subsequent buildings? 

Although this post is heavy on the questions and light on the answers, one thing is for certain...the Allentown of pre NIZ no longer exists.

shown above PPL Tower from the era of classic postcards

Weekly Reader

When I was growing up my parents would receive both The Morning Call and The Evening Chronicle.* This was their main source of news. Television in the late 40's and early 50's had national and world news, but there was no local programing in Allentown. The antenna on our roof would receive the three network (ABC, NBC, and CBS) stations from Philadelphia, and that was it. The morning and evening papers provided the local news, in addition to national and world stories. Hess Brothers and Leh's would compete with multiple full page Ads. We children also had our own little paper, Weekly Reader, handed out in the classroom every Friday. I think of it when I get the thin Morning Call on Mondays.

* The Morning Call and Evening Chronicle were both published by same company, Call-Chronicle Newspapers. 

reprinted from March 1, 2010

ADDENDUM JUNE 8, 2023: When my parents received the Call newspapers, and later when I had my own subscription, I never imaged that down the line that I would be writing my own local newsletter. I have been subscribing to the Morning Call for over 50 years, and writing this blog every weekday for 16 years. Unfortunately over these years I have offended some  elected officials and members of the press. Offending people is never the intention, my mission is to examine those things which would otherwise escape scrutiny.

Improving Strata's View

Your tax dollars circling back as grants are hard at work dressing up the store fronts in the 1000 block of Hamilton Street.  What we are paying for is a better view for Reilly's tenants in Strata 15.  That's not the real name of the new apartment building, but I call them all Strata.  

Now, we can't do much for the view from Strata 12, at 7th and Linden. Out the front they're looking at the 7-Eleven, scene of numerous shootings over the years. Out the back they see the hapless bus riders waiting on the cold steel benches for their Lanta seat.                                                                                                   But dammit, we can dress up the view on Hamilton Street for his 15th Strata, and we are!

Poverty and Violence Agencies Compete in Allentown

Two professional agencies will be directly competing to service Allentown's poor, courtesy of the Allentown School District.  Promise Neighborhoods, supposed violence reduction specialists, will work out of the new Hays Elementary School.  Community Action of Lehigh Valley, with their experience in attracting poverty, will be dispensing out of the former Cleveland Elementary School, which they purchased.  Both will operate food banks... Who will have the better menu remains to be seen. Enterprising patrons will need motorized shopping carts to make the rounds.

I followed Community Action for many years, their staff made a career out of poverty.  It appears as if Promise Neighborhoods may want to make a career out of violence. I can appreciate that my view on these agencies may appear dark.  I do realize that there are families in poverty with very legitimate food needs. I respect traditional faith based small food banks...My issue is with growth-oriented, grant seeking, arm bending agencies profiting from society's problems.

If the above sounds cynical, you may request a refund on your subscription to this periodical.

artwork/Mark Beyer

A Tale Of Two Cities

"We're a medium-size city

with big-city crime."
   -Mayor Ed Pawlowski, Allentown

For those of us who grew up in Allentown, we always considered ourselves a medium-sized city with a small town feel. We were literally designated the All American City. One of the most amazing aspects of this transformation, is that our total population has essentially stayed the same since 1928, when we first achieved 100,000 people. Twenty years ago we lamented the loss of Hess Brothers and other symbols of our prosperity, now we mourn the loss of basic civility and safety.

 above reprinted from May 12, 2010 

ADDENDUM JUNE 5, 2023:Although thirteen years have passed since I wrote the above missive, and the mercantile district on Hamilton Street has been replaced with a new urban office park, there have been no improvements in regard to basic civility and safety. Instead, those problems are now the status quo, and we who still lament losing those values of time past are considered dinosaurs or worse.

The Brass Rail

The Brass Rail was a fixture on Hamilton Street for many decades. At one time, to the left of the front door on Hamilton Street, was the women's entrance. A woman could use the special corridor to avoid walking through the bar room, to get to the dining room at the rear of the building. The business owners had all the bases covered. The front grill provided their famous steak sandwiches, for the take out lunch business on busy Hamilton Street. The back parking lot and service window specialized in takeout pizza, long before separate pizza shops become the norm. In the 1950's, pizza was more less limited to the Brass Rail and the Paddock, another long time food tradition. Having gone for the Brass Rail pizza's so often, I easily recognized the back of the Philly's Sport Bar, on the Morning Call shooting video. I patronized the first restauranteur who purchased the former Brass Rail location, Wellington's, but I haven't been there for years. Reading the article yesterday, I felt sorry for the new owner. He is petrified that his Philly's Sport Bar will be classified as a nuisance bar, and shut down. He, as were the owners of other "nuisance" bars and clubs, are also victims; They are the victims of what this town has become, and who the businesses are reduced to dealing with.

reprinted from April 10, 2010

ADDENDUM JUNE 2, 2023:A lot has changed since this post of 2010. The new NIZ libation spots don't have the problem clientele of this former era, but then again, they apparently have difficulty staying in business, despite all the new Strata apartments. Even the suburban Brass Rail on Lehigh Street has closed, but only because the owners aged out.

Double Down(Towns)

People often speculate as to why Bethlehem now is a destination, while, too often, Allentown is considered a place to avoid. The long answer will not fit within this short post, but here may be a few reasons. Bethlehem had two downtown's, on both sides of the river. While downtown Allentown certainly was the premier shopping area for the Lehigh Valley prior to the malls, it may have become a victim to over-planning. In the late 60's, early 70's, Allentown attempted to compete with the suburban malls by building a canopy on Hamilton Street. The viability of Hamilton Street was extended for a few years, but the magnetism of Hess's could well have been the reason. Bethlehem also built a pedestrian mall on Broad Street, but the historical quaintness of Main Street remained. Although the commerce in its southside business district languished, the architecture remained. By the time Allentown removed the canopies in the late 90's, the architecture of its buildings had long been bisected and altered. As historical became chic, Bethlehem profited from having done less in the past.

It's southside business district is a time capsule, architecturally unchanged since the turn of the last century. It now is becoming a mix of boutiques and bistros in a fashionable historic setting. Last, but not least, Bethlehem benefited from consistency of developmental leadership. While Allentown has had a succession of Economic Directors, Tony Hanna, with benefit of his institutional memory, has led Bethlehem for many years.

Shown at the top is pop up photo matches from the 1930's, promoting Julian Goldman's Fine Clothes For The Family on the South Side, East Third Street. Also shown is Tony Hanna, along side of the former Goodman Furniture Store.

reprinted from April 1, 2020

ADDENDUM JUNE 1, 2023: Because of the NIZ, Allentown's former mercantile district has transformed into an urban office park, complete with new company housing for the office workers. Like an office park owned by one entity, downtown Allentown is now also essentially owned by one person, and it looks it. I do not believe that Allentown can ever again become a destination, it simply has no atmosphere.

Flash From The Past

Occasionally, some of the older boys in Lehigh Parkway would get saddled with taking me along to a Saturday matinee in downtown Allentown. We would get the trolley, in later years a bus, from in front of the basement church on Jefferson Street. It would take that congregation many years to afford completing the church building there today. The trolley or bus would go across the 8th Street Bridge, which was built to accommodate the trolleys operated by Lehigh Valley Transit Company. Downtown then sported no less than five movie theaters at any one time. Particularly matinee friendly was the Midway, in the 600 Block of Hamilton. Three cartoons and episode or two of Flash Gordon entertained our entourage, which ranged in age from five to eleven years old. We younger kids, although delighted by the likes of Bugs Bunny, were confused how the Clay People would emerge from the walls in the caves on Mars to capture Captain Gordon, but our chaperones couldn't wait till the next week to learn Flash's fate. Next on the itinerary was usually a banana split at Woolworth's. Hamilton Street had three 5 and 10's, with a million things for boys to marvel at. The price of the sundae was a game of chance, with the customer picking a balloon. Inside the balloon was your price, anywhere from a penny to the full price of fifty cents. The store had a full selection of Allentown souvenirs. Pictures of West Park on a plate, the Center Square Monument on a glass, pennants to hang on your wall, and picture postcards of all the attractions. Hamilton Street was mobbed, and even the side streets were crowded with busy stores. Taking younger kids along was a responsibility for the older brothers, the streets and stores were crowded, but predators were limited to the Clay People on the silver screen.

reprinted from April 13, 2009

Ce-Ce Rocks The Block

Ce-Ce Gerlach rocked South 16th Street this afternoon with a block party to raise funds for school uniforms. The block was packed with people enjoying several carnival attractions, music and food. From all reports, the new Allentown school uniform policy seems to have gotten off to a good start, but one issue is the cost of the  clothes.  With a large, low income student body, this can become a family hardship.  I'm sure Ce-Ce's organizing abilities  will help with this problem.  I've had a couple of conversations with Ce-Ce this past month, and I believe she will be a factor in Allentown's future.

above reprinted from September 7, 2013

UPDATE January 30,2018: Last evening I attended an early kickoff for Ce-Ce's campaign for Allentown City Council in 2019.  I've known Ce-Ce for years, and am glad to see her again offering her time and energy to Allentown.  In this sorry time we need people with her sincerity and integrity.

In regards to this sorry time,  it's my understanding that the prosecution against Pawlowski had a strong showing in court yesterday. Numerous witnesses, including former city employees, described bid rigging and a pay to play culture. Supposedly, the defense attorney seemed exasperated, and Pawlowski himself somewhat forlorn.

ADDENDUM MAY 30, 2023: This post harks back to 2013. Over the last ten years I have posted often about Ce-Ce. While she was trying to raise money for student uniforms back then, they have just become optional. While her progressive politics didn't earn my endorsement for the recent primary, come November Ce-Ce will certainly retain her City Council seat. 

Show above is the street party she organized in 2013. She is speaking with a member of the Buffalo Soldiers, a Black motorcycle club which visited the event.

Treasures Lost On Hamilton Street

                                                   click photograph to enlarge

The merchants who built Hamilton Street counted on architecture to attract shoppers into their emporiums. Large neon signs wouldn't appear for another fifty years. The soffit and fascia shown above, halfway between 7th and 8th on Hamilton, is one of the most elaborate facades in Allentown. One thing you can say about Allentown City Hall, they never let culture, art, or history get into the way of their plans. As successful cities come to value and profit from their history more and more, Allentown keeps using the standard catalog of proven failures. I know from other projects on Hamilton Street that Pawlowski isn't big on history. The Cityline Building in the 800 Block was permitted to stucco over beautiful brickwork. Sad that the puppies, who are directors at the Art Museum and Historical Society, remain silent on the planned destruction. It's hard to describe the magnificence of the skylight shown below, also in the targeted block. It's very large in three sections, in pristine condition. Should be quite a snack for Pawlowski's bulldozer.
The bulldozer prevailed, and the former architectural treasures of our mercantile history were not preserved, save for this blog's archives. Above is reprinted from May 2011

ADDENDUM:   This past weekend, a member of Old Allentown Preservation Association, and an active local Democrat, bragged on facebook about how he had recycled an old second floor office door from the demolished buildings in the arena zone. In truth, Old Allentown also turned a self serving, callous eye to the destruction noted in the above post. Although I'm glad the door was recycled, allow this post to note the irony and hypocrisy of the Association.

reprinted from January of 2015


UPDATE NOVEMBER 16, 2017: Although there's always some group bestowing some award on any new development, the Allentown NIZ is certainly no architectural destination.  Although I've taken hundreds of photographs in Allentown, including the ones shown here,  I have yet to buy film for any new building in the NIZ.

UPDATE MAY 29, 2023: In the original post above from 2011, I lament the loss of architecture for the arena.  At the time I couldn't imagine that they would go on to demolish virtually all the buildings on Hamilton Street, only to construct new bland boxes for offices and their workers.  What brings back this post is that a local NIZ cheerleader last week stated that the demolished buildings were old, tired and in need of replacement. That of course is nonsense...  One hundred and twenty years for a building is nothing. The same cheerleaders delight in visiting Europe, staying in two hundred year old hotels, and shopping in three hundred year old shops. 

Save for this blog, none of the cultural or historic institutions of this city utter a peep about our lost treasures. Rather, these baby birds remain dutifully silent, hoping to be rewarded with another grant.

The Wagon Trail

Most of Lehigh Parkway lies in a deep ravine. The slope up to Lehigh Parkway South, across the creek from Robin Hood, is very steep, about 60 degrees. Unknown to many people, there is a diagonal trail on part of the slope, which comes out halfway up the hill behind the Stone and Log House.

We kids who grew up in the Parkway called it the Wagon Trail. I believe it was part of the Kemmerer Farm (Stone and Log House), which dates back to the late 1770's. In the 1950's, the foundation of a small kiln was still visible on the trail. The subsequent years had not been kind to the old trail,  and it is no longer maintained by the Park Department. About halfway between its entrance and exit on the hill, the trail has been blocked by a large fallen tree. People had dumped debris on the trail, and it remained there for years.

In April of 2010, I organized a cleanup.  The park director at the time cooperated on the project. I agreed that no power tools would be used, and he arranged for the city to pick up the rubbish.

It is my hope that the new administration will realize that our parks are more than just space to cram more recreational gimmicks.  They are steeped in history, and places where children can explore.

reprinted from previous years

The Livingston Club, Allentown's Benevolent Oligarchy

Back in the day, when the town had three department stores, the major decisions affecting Allentown's future were made at the Livingston Club. Harvey Farr would meet Donald Miller and John Leh at the Club for lunch, and discuss acquiring more lots for Park & Shop. The bank officers of First National and Merchants Bank would discuss loans with the highly successful merchants, many of whom had stores in all three major Lehigh Valley cities. As the heydays wound down, likewise the exit plans were made there. The City of Allentown acquired the Park & Shop lots, becoming the Allentown Parking Authority. Leh's became the Lehigh County Government Center.

The new oligarchy consists of much fewer men, they could all meet at a small table in Shula's, and be entertained by watching street people arrested. The former 1st National Bank location is now a new Reilly building. The former Livingston Club building is now a parking lot, and future site to another Reilly building. Shula's is also a Reilly building....

reprinted from August of 2015

UPDATE February of 2019: Dear readers,  I found the demise of older Allentown depressing, and new Allentown painfully boring.... Shula's, referred to above, didn't last... of course referring to an alley as an Art Walk, didn't make it so.  In spite of the Morning Call (now also a Reilly building) compromising its journalistic integrity to outright promote the NIZ district, it remains a sterile collection of new tasteless buildings.

UPDATE MAY 25, 2023 5:36PM: The Morning Call has become considerably less subservient to the NIZ, and filed Right To Know requests during the past year concerning tax revenue information. 

The Misconception Of Hamilton Street

There's not many mid size cities that can boast having two national chain stores within one center city block, Allentown could. Not too many cities could say that one of those stores was one of the biggest producers in a chain of over 7000 stores, Allentown could. There's not many cities that are ignorant enough to tear down their most successful block, a virtual tax machine, Allentown is. This horrible mistake took a combination of political arrogance and public misconception. The arrogance is well known, so let me concentrate on the misconception. The perception was a few undesirable people, buying cheap things. The reality is Family Dollar sells the same merchandise in their suburban and rural stores. Rite Aid fills the same prescriptions and sells their standard merchandise. The new upscale stores, visioned for the arena front, will never produce the sales tax produced by Family Dollar and Rite Aid. The arena will never have that amount of employees, nor produce that much earned income.* The traffic congestion and lack of parking for arena events will destroy the new restaurants. Welcome to the white elephant, welcome to the ghost town.
Shown above and below is the early morning delivery to Family Dollar, every week of the year.
*sales tax and earned income currently going to city and state will now go to debt service for arena
reprinted from December 5, 2011

ADDENDUM DECEMBER OF 2018: While The Morning Call promotes Allentown's new NIZ zone, only this blogger documented the reality of the former Hamilton Street. While the Moravian Book Store could have been restocked from a small hand basket once a month, the previous Family Dollar Store needed a full tractor trailer every Sunday.  Retail is virtually destroyed on Hamilton Street. Over seven years later, and the Morning Call is still deceiving about Hamilton Street, and this blog is still delivering the truth.

ADDENDUM MAY 24, 2023: Another five years and Hamilton Street remains a dead zone, despite over a 1000 new apartments. Why these new tenants are never seen, and where they eat and shop remains an unsolved mystery. Why does the centerpiece arena only have a few shows a year?  What sort of state tax eating monster is the NIZ that Reilly can keep building his empire with no signs of street life? What sort of  State Representatives do we have who do not ask or answer these questions?

The Demolition Of Hamilton Street

In addition to three major local department stores, Allentown also sported three national chain five and dimes. Two of these emporiums stood side by side on the 700 block of Hamilton Street; F.W. Woolworth and McCrory. Those discount stores of their day sold everything, including souvenirs of Allentown and even Hamilton Street. The large buildings remained intact all these decades, still hosting national chains. Although Family Dollar and Rite Aid have other locations in Allentown, their demolition closes the chapter on Allentown's retail history. The two photographs were taken from the same location, sixty years apart. Click on images to enlarge.

above reprinted from February of 2012

Toying With An Allentown Authority

When the Redevelopment Authority acquired the former Allentown Toy Company, the intention was for a non-profit to use the first floor, with affordable housing on the upper stories.

However, two of its four board members now want the parcel to go to the Islamic Society of Greater Allentown, chaired by Hasshan Batts.  One of these board members works with Batts, and that member made a sizable payment to the other board member, for work on a political campaign.

Hasshan Batts is a gift to Virtue Signalers.  If being a rehabilitated former convict wasn't enough, he is also a Muslim. Not only does Batts have these cards in his deck, he plays them.  When the Redevelopment Authority failed to turn over the former Allentown Toy Company building to the Muslim Association, Batts said.."I get the impression they don’t want us there,”  Already every government official throws money at his organization, Promise Neighborhoods. So far in recent memory he has received $1.5 mil from Susan Wild, and another equal wad from Gov. Shapiro. 

Mayor Tuerk will be appointing a fifth member to the Redevelopment Authority.  I hope the new member has more real estate expertise and less conflicts of interest.

shown above a teddy bear, manufactured for and distributed by Allentown Toy Company

Light Rail, Circa 1935

The Lehigh Valley Transit Company ran a trolley between 8th and Hamilton and just outside Philadelphia between 1901 and 1951. In 1913 the company completed the 8th Street Bridge, which remains one of Allentown's icons to this day.



The Liberty Bell functioned as a trolley as it stopped in Coopersburg, Quakertown, Sellersville and the different towns along the way, but approached speeds of eighty miles a hour on the open track between them. At the last station in Upper Darby, passengers could transfer to a different company to complete the ride into center city Philadelphia.










Here in the Valley the company transitioned to buses by the early 1950's, and became part of Lanta in 1972. Lanta and Easton officials might take notice that the Allentown Ticket Office, shown in above photo, is only 75 feet from 8th and Hamilton, which was the center of the business district. The intercity rail beds are pretty much gone now. The same people who now advocate light-rail, couldn't wait to tear up the tracks and make bike paths.

reprinted from May 4, 2010

Coffee With Emma And Ce-Ce

This blog did not take any overt positions on the recent primary election. Instead of profiling any candidate, I reprinted my piece on Emma Tropiano, The People's Candidate. I believe that Emma has a kindred spirit in Ce-Ce Gerlach. Now, I understand that a lot of people will take exception to my comparison, maybe even Ce-Ce herself.

Because of inaccurate media reports, Emma was falsely portrayed as bigoted. Her memory now unjustly bears that misconception. Most people today who repeat that slander never knew her. Emma was immensely popular, and easily won reelection to city council, election after election. Ce-Ce Gerlach was the top vote getter this primary, receiving almost double the votes of her fellow candidates.

As someone who knew both women, there are many similarities... Both being extremely accessible, down to earth, and making people comfortable.

Emma was energized to work hard for Allentown, as is Ce-Ce. Emma was passionate about the issues she championed, so is Ce-Ce.

I sat in diners having coffee with both of them, many years apart. I think that they would have understood and liked each other.

above reprinted from May 28, 2019

ADDENDUM MAY 18, 2023: Once again Ce-Ce Gerlach was the top vote getter on Tuesday.  That result does not surprise me...Nobody has knocked on more doors in the last 15 years than her. She is well liked in all sections of the city. Although I did not endorse her for re-election because of her progressive agenda, that agenda suits the majority of the current population. I believe that she knows that my congratulations on her victory is sincere.

Grooming And Litter

Years ago in downtown Allentown there were about a dozen barbershops and virtually no litter. Today, with the same population, there are about 60 shops and tons of litter. Apparently there is no longer a correlation between nice appearance and good manners. In the past men would wait their turn. Many of the new shops seemingly have an express system. A doorman with a walkie talkie informs the "barber" who is coming, and the patron can receive his service in less than a minute. Over the years I photographed most of the shops now gone. Although I'm sure many of the new proprietors are hardworking honest people who would not tolerate any criminal behavior, the days of taking my camera into barbershops has passed.

photocredit: molovinsky

reprinted from January 7, 2009

Before Musikfest

In 1909, Bethlehem city fathers decided it was time to improve on the Broad Street Trestle Bridge built in 1871. The new concrete arch bridge was a major project, still serving Bethlehem well, 101 years later.

reprinted from August 13, 2010

The Landed Gentry

One of the popular misconceptions in our granola society is that our open space is threatened. Consequently, in addition to welfare and corporate welfare, we now have landed gentry welfare. We purchase land, at almost market value, and even allow the owner to keep it. Although there is a deed restriction prohibiting development, who can guarantee it will be enforced in future generations? In every case I'm personally familiar with, the owner never had any intention of development; In one instance, the owners were compensated over $1million.

In some cases the owners are working farmers, in many, just gentlemen farmers with country homes. An article in Sunday's Morning Call laments the reduction in the farmland preservation funds. Nothing in the land preservation compensation really guarantees continued farming, that would be somewhere between indentured servitude and slavery. In 2006, Pennsylvania spent $102 million in Growing Greener handouts. Although the program has been cut back in recent years, there is a long list of applicants hoping to get some of this handout. The granola eaters should drive across Pennsylvania. There is a lot of open space even in this heavily populated state, over 8 million farm acres. While we close mental hospitals and sell nursing homes, we pay yuppies playing weekend farmer, development rights on land they never intended on subdividing anyway.

reprinted from August 9, 2010

Waterfront By Jaindl

While I was at the Lehigh River to scrutinize the Neuweiler money pit, I decided to check on Mr. Janidl's project, just slightly upstream. 

As subscribers know, I'm not a fan of the NIZ. That prejudice aside, my compliments to the Jaindl Company. They have built an impressive building, nicely situated on the river.  The riverscape has been enhanced with artifacts from Lehigh Structural Steel, which was the river's previous longterm tenant.

This first building will be joined by more commercial and residential opportunities. American Bank, Jaindl owned, already has an office there. That may well mean that the bank's payroll is now going through an NIZ address, allowing Janidl to harvest the state taxes for debt service on the new building.  The same shenanigans are taking place up on Hamilton Street, with the LVHN payroll servicing Reilly's empire.

At least Janidl's river project is aesthetically pleasing. Wonder how he would feel about a blogger as tenant?

The Neuweiler Money Pit

People love nostalgia, and they hate thinking about the mechanisms of government.  That combination has already wasted untold $millions on the Neuweiler Brewery, but just a drop in the bucket compared to what is to come.

I have criticized development, or the lack thereof, at the brewery for almost a decade. Pawlowski bagman Mike Fleck ushered in the first developers to the brewery. That group was given the option on the property, with no actual experience in either operating a brewery or real estate. They were, however, proficient in website building, and did manage to raise money with their option.  They were also given a couple $mil to modernize the distribution portion of the building, now recently demolished.

The current option owners do have experience in real estate, and are rehabbing a nearby former factory into apartments. The problem with Neuweiler is that the building is in such poor condition, especially the upper portion with the iconic dome. However, being an NIZ project, money, aka our diverted state taxes, is no issue.  Allentown will end up with a very expensive nostalgia parcel.

City Council Charms Public About Parking Victims

Last Wednesday evening City Council passed a few reforms in regard to the Parking Authority.  Changing the curb parking distance from 6 to 9 inches doesn't seem very meaningful to me...Actually seems more like an off color joke.  Likewise, eliminating jail sentences for overdue fines just does away with debtor's prison. To this blogger the real issue was the alley parking. Although the Parking Authority proposed allowing parking under certain conditions,  city council declined to pass that reform. That failure to reform takes me back to the beginning of this controversy, and my issue about city council members also being on the Parking Authority Board.  Was there any real reform, or just another Allentown performance?

If the APA doesn't relax enforcement in the west end, and continues its crass harvest of revenue, City Council participated in nothing more than another dog and pony show to placate the public.

ADDENDUM:The current director of the APA and the current board of directors should ALL be removed...when an Authority in a city the size of Allentown writes 250,000 tickets in just one year, and they don't think there's anything wrong about that, it's time for them to move on. 

photocredit:Coney Island snake charmer by Arlene Gottfried

Another Dam Election Endorsement

As an advocate of Wehr's Dam since the Wildlands Conservancy conspired to demolish it in 2014,  I'm grateful to two current  candidates for re-election as South Whitehall Commissioners,  Diane Kelly and Jacob Roth. They did not become commissioners to save the dam, rather they first become involved in local government to bring transparency to the township because of the Ridge Farms Development.  The same former commissioners who pushed through that development also conspired with the Conservancy to ignore the referendum to save the dam. 

As advocates for new honesty and transparency in township government, Kelly and Roth recognized that the referendum to save the dam must be honored.  I'm personally happy that all the former arrogant  commissioners who conspired against the wishes of residents are gone, and proudly endorse Diane Kelly and Jacob Roth for your vote on May 16.

photo by Y Tree Photography.com

King Charles' Grandmother

Long before Charles' coronation in Westminster Abbey, his grandmother, Princess Alice (Princess Andrew of Greece), walked there during the wedding of her son Phillip to Princess Elizabeth. Princess(Alice) Andrew, later at the Coronation of Elizabeth, wore the habit of a nun. An extraordinary woman, she had founded a nurses order composed of nuns in Greece. She modeled the order after one started by her aunt and mentor in Russia, whom she had visited many years earlier. Born Princess Alice of Battenberg, she married Prince Andrew of Greece in 1903, assuming her new title.
During the Second World War, she hid a Jewish widow and her children in Athens, saving their lives. In accordance to her wish, she is buried in Jerusalem, next to her cherished aunt Duchess Fyodorovna, in the Russian Orthodox Church of Maria Magdalene. 

When Prince Charles attended Simon Peres' funeral in Jerusalem in 2016, he visited the church and his grandmother's tomb.

The first version of the above post dates back to 2011

Growth Industry In Allentown

Yesterday I went to the Social Security Office, across from the prison, to discuss my retirement options. I was given number 199. In addition to retirement, Social Security also dispenses money for disability. I would say from the gray hair, there were about three of us contemplating retirement, all the others were for disability. A few middle age men were carrying their fake canes. The canes aren't fake, it's the disabilities. I saw one such gentleman walk in from the parking lot, clearly the cane bore no weight, and was merely a prop. Most of the people waiting were quite young, in their twenties. Disability has been expanded to include mental conditions such as depression, anxiety, addictive personality and anger management. I will say many of them did look angry to me. It was hard finding a parking space. Business also looked good at the prison. If Johnny Manana's had gotten these crowds....

reprinted from Nov. 18, 2008 

ADDENDUM MAY 5, 2023:This was a very politically incorrect post when I wrote it fifteen years ago, and it remains so today. At the time, Johnny Manana's was a short lived restaurant in the new PPL Plaza building. Now, in our NIZ era, that building couldn't compete with the tax subsidized new buildings and went to foreclosure. Although there is a new owner from a tax sale, I don't think it's doing very well. We have become a poor town with a distressed school system, and quality of life issues.  I remain politically incorrect and continue blogging.

The World Of Mirth

Allentown at one time had two very productive railroad branch lines... The West End, and the Barber Quarry. The Barber Quarry, for the most part, ran along the Little Lehigh Creek. It serviced the Traylor Engineering plant on South 10th, and continued west until it turned north toward Union Terrace. It lastly serviced Wenz's tombstone at 20th and Hamilton Streets. Previously, it had crossed Hamilton Street and ended at the bottling company on Linden Street, which later became the park department garage until demolished. The West End, for the most part, ran along Sumner Avenue, turning south and looping past 17th and Liberty Streets. It proceeded east, ending at the current small shopping center at 12th and Liberty Streets.

The photograph above shows the World of Mirth train at 17th and Liberty. World of Mirth was the midway operator at the Allentown Fair during the 40's and 50's. In the background is Trexler Lumber Yard, which burnt down in the early 1970's. The B'nai B'rith Apartment houses now occupy the location.

photograph from the collection of Mark Rabenold

reprinted from November of 2010

City Council Endorsements

It would be my preference that Allentown was having a robust primary election, with half a dozen candidates on both tickets... That Allentown no longer exists. Once again there are no Republican candidates. 

I'm a conservative, who is recommending the candidates I perceive as the most traditional in terms of city policy. They are the candidates who commit to give the police department the most support.

Candida Affa has been a voice in Allentown for decades.  Of all the candidates, she has the most institutional knowledge of an older Allentown.

Tino Babayan is an advocate for youth in the city, especially in the Ward. This is his second attempt for a seat at the dais.

Santo Napoli is a stakeholder in the new Allentown. As a merchant on Hamilton Street, he has a realistic view of 2023 Allentown.

Although I would prefer that they were still serving strawberry pie in the Patio at Hess's, that Allentown isn't coming back.  I recommend the three candidates listed above for your consideration on May 16th.

Landlords For A Better Allentown

Santo Napoli operates a men's clothing store and is also a landlord.  As a candidate for City Council, he has some proposals for land lording.  He does not sell the shirt shown above, I sincerely doubt if there still exists another like it.

In 2000, then mayor Heydt proposed the current Rental Inspection Law.  A number of landlords, normally  loner types, met together a couple of times to discuss our reaction to the proposal.  Allentown's most controversial landlord at the time, and perhaps still, asked to address us. He told us that he very much favored Heydt's proposal. He figured after he crossed the T's and dotted the i's on inspection reports,  that his units would then have the same legitimacy as ours. Our take away was that you can stigmatize the good landlords, but you cannot legislate pride of ownership with the bad ones. 

Twenty-three years later a candidates for city council, despite the Rental Inspection Law, still campaigns for better landlords.

shown above a former landlord and current blogger, with his shirt from a small, short lived organization