Allentown Archaeology

When it comes to the history of industrial Allentown, the railroad buffs are among the current experts. Our heavy manufacturing base moved its materials on the tracks of several railroads. The Front Street area was crisscrossed with tracks and sidings. The West End Branch ran along Sumner Avenue, crossed Tilghman Street, looped around 17th Street and ended near 12th and Liberty. The Barber Quarry Branch ran along the Little Lehigh until it then followed Cedar Creek. It crossed Hamilton Street near the current Hamilton Family Restaurant and ended at what is now the Park Department Building. The rail buffs are current day archaeologists, looking for remnants of those glory days. Shown above is a portion of the Barber Quarry pier and track. This is at the bottom of Lehigh Street hill, near the former bank call center, near the former Acorn Hotel, in a former city still called Allentown.
photo courtesy of Mike Huber, Coplay

above reprinted from March of 2011 

ADDENDUM AUGUST 22, 2023:The bridge has just been rebuilt, and the portion of the earlier railroad bridge show above was removed.

ADDENDUM JUNE 12, 2025: Between the NIZ handouts and compliant city planners, future archaeologists will be wondering about two new projects. The 2013 blueprint and undersized parcel at 9th and Walnut has a new owner.  Compliant planners had kept Bruce Loch's pencil tower plan on the mini parcel marketable for over a decade. I remember back in the day in the mid 1980's, when Daddona sold Loch the undersized city parcels in the west end, and allowed him to build houses on them.

The second NIZ fueled project is an oversized building near the river on Front Street. This will be the second harvest for the boys building at the former Neuweiler site. Pat Browne's NIZ is the gift that keeps giving for a few developers, regardless of parking or other quality of life issues plaguing Allentown.

Both projects have supporters, and I'm not saying that they are bad for Allentown. I am, however, injecting some institutional knowledge into the projects, and reminding readers that they will be paid for with our diverted state taxes.

East Side 'Shootings

There were two gunfire incidents last weekend on the east side. Police Chief Roca said  The actions that are committed by people in this incident do not reflect the hard working people of Allentown. Maybe they don't reflect the hardworking people, but they do reflect too many others. In regard to a new basketball court being built at Stevens Park, Mayor Tuerk said (we can) start rebuilding trust...

Last week Allentown unanimously passed an anti-discrimination ordinance, despite that the last discrimination incident was staged by the victim. Seemingly, there are no longer any officials or institutions in Allentown interested in candor. Motivation appears limited to electability and inclusion and trust, even if it's including the wrong people or having the wrong result.

I'm just a simple small town pizza blogger, who thinks that a city hall should be preoccupied more with public safety, and less with inclusion and trust.

artwork by Mark Beyer

SpaceX and Mar-a-Lago

Chronic readers of this blog know that last year I revealed that molovinsky on allentown also maintains a low-rent office near the Space Coast in Florida. While not actually on the coast, it's close enough that I can see Musk's rockets taking off, and they take off several times a week. Consequently, they are a large part of the economy on the eastern side of central Florida.

Trump has been saying that if Musk doesn't shut his yapper,, there will be a price to pay. While it's true that SpaceX rakes $Billions from the government contracts, there is no competitor that can provide service anywhere near as safe and/or reliable. SpaceX actually softly lands its reusable rockets on the middle of a barge in the ocean. Last time anyone saw something like that was Flash Gordon make-believe in 1950. Even if Trump and Musk end up in the ring on McMahon's wrestling show, we'll still need SpaceX.

The pundits are saying that Trump won and Musk loses. Musk says that Trump is around for 3.5 more years, but he has 40 to go. I think Musk gives Trump's influence too long, it will be over by the mid-terms.

photocredit:James Robert

Allentown Urban Archeology

This blog over the years, and this weekend was the 18th year, has worn several hats. First and foremost, it has supplied local political scrutiny. I started scrutinizing the Pawlowski administration from day one. At first even fellow bloggers assumed that I had sour grapes, as an independent candidate who fared poorly in 2005.

I defended the former merchants of Hamilton Street against the real estate scheme called the NIZ, which to this day has avoided accountability.(Jarrett Coleman is working for an audit) I appeared as an opponent against the NIZ on Iannelli's Business Matters, and consequently was described as dour and misguided in a column by Bill White. 

I have campaigned against the Wildlands Conservancy using our iconic parks as a science fair project, and for the preservation of our WPA structures.

I have written pieces on our local history based on my experiences, rather than wikipedia pasteups. I've managed to save a few structures, notably among them Wehr's Dam and the Reading Road Bridge.

At this point in the endeavor, urban archeology gives me the greatest pleasure. Over the years I've turned my camera on things which are either now gone, or soon will be. Shown above is a railroad bridge used by the former Barber Quarry line, which ran west along the Little Lehigh.

The Morning Call, A Useful Tool

Yesterday's post about Emma Tropiano generated some expected replies. When I referred to an agenda at the Morning Call back in the day, people piped in with a 2020's point of view. Now we hear about left vs right, CNN vs Fox, fake news, etc.. Back then papers had local agendas, this mayor, that developer and this or that project.

The consolidation of the newspaper industry has certainly affected the Morning Call. Now a Tribune paper, it no longer has a building, office space or presses. The paper is composed in Chicago, printed in Jersey City and distributed in Allentown. The local reporters are, for the most part, young and new to the area. The editor's background is in digital production, which is not inappropriate in 2025.

In yesterday's post, I refer to a Bill White quote about Emma not having a new idea in forty years. Ironically, Bill is still the paper's columnist, and he's reprinting posts from forty years ago. The opinion page still has editorials from the same non-profit heads, writing about business in the valley. What they have in common is that none of them ever had a real job, and they're all gray now. However, the paper is a useful tool for the current local establishment, printing what they're given, with few, if any questions asked.

The only local thing I enjoy reading is this blog, because by the morning, I forgot what I wrote the night before :)

Back To The Future With Emma

Although the Progressives, who campaigned against the waste to energy plant and the water lease this year, didn't like Emma Tropiano back in the day, or now, here's a history lesson they may find interesting. Shown above is Emma camping out by the entrance to Kline's Island on October 13, 1989. Her statement to the press. "The deal with the Lehigh County Authority to open Kline's Island to outside sewage sources has promoted massive development in western Lehigh County, drawing potential commercial and industrial development away from Allentown and resulting in higher taxes for city property owners." She was running against The First Mayor For Life Joe Daddona's fourth term. His reply. "It's obvious once again that Emma, because of her lack of knowledge and understanding of a problem, is shooting from the hip and hitting herself in the foot." She was also outspoken about the direction the city was heading in: Is Allentown in an ugly decline, with drugs, crime, filth and mismanagement rotting away the core of the Queen City, as challenger Emma D. Tropiano insists? Or is it squarely facing its problems and coming up with sound, creative solutions, as Mayor Joseph S. Daddona says?" The Morning Call, Nov. 5, 1989.

reprinted from November of 2013

ADDENDUM May of 2017: On Tuesday Bill White repeated his quote about Emma from 2001; I like Emma, but she wouldn't know fresh ideas and positive leadership if they were driving down Hamilton Street in a blue Cadillac. Bill has made Emma one of the symbols of his Hall Of Shame. Bill White protests against this designation, coined by yours truly years ago, and cites the philanthropic Cipko Brothers as proof that the Hall isn't limited to shame. However, I remember back when, and the gag about them was their ridiculous toupees, which White featured in photographs. Philanthropic or not, their toupees put them in the Hall, not their charity. Anyway, I digress. Bill White has been wrong about Emma for over 40 years. The problem is that now a whole generation of people disparage her, based on  Morning Call distortions.

ADDENDUM JUNE 5, 2025: Emma passed away in January of 2002. Many people who still disparage her, didn't even know her. Many of those from that era were fed misinformation. Back then some reporters and the paper had agendas, about both certain people and certain topics.

Kline's Island, An Environmental Frankenstein

Today, Kline's Island is synonymous with the sewer plant. It wasn't always that way. Originally, like Adam's Island, it was owned by a family, and had houses. It was the location of the first bridges across the Lehigh, being the narrowest point. Allentown doesn't have a good history with the environment. Besides allowing the Wildland's Conservancy to actually defile our park system with their inappropriate, token science fair projects, we're not much for islands. The sewer plant on Kline's will soon be transferred to the Lehigh County Authority. Far worse for the previous island, we are allowing a company to build a trash to energy plant, which will mix imported garbage and sewage into pellets to burn. This project isn't energy driven, but rather motivated by tax credits and finance. Allentown is the only community which was receptive to such such an environmental frankenstein. The top photo shows Kline's Island in 1939, when it was still an island. Allentown decided that Kline's would be a good spot to use as a fill dump, and filled in the entire western channel of the former island. Please join me in my efforts to save the small historic Robin Hood dam on the Little Lehigh. Believe me, Allentown City Hall doesn't know best. 




above reprinted from June 5, 2013

ADDENDUM OCTOBER 15, 2018. 

The public trash to private cash plant on the island was never built. If it was, it may have been part of the Pawlowski corruption trial. Unfortunately, the small Robin Hood Dam was demolished by the Wildlands Conservancy, and its rubble piled around the formally picturesque stone bridge piers.  It's five years later, and this blog continues to fight against the sacred cows, and for the traditional park system.

ADDENDUM JUNE 4, 2025: Although I remain an outlaw at City Hall, I still get back channel calls when some official needs to know something about the parks or city history. That arrangement is OK by me, and I keep their privacy. I still patrol the streets and parks, and don't hesitate to speak out on this blog.

Trump's Kindergarten Cabinet

Subscribers to this blog know that I don't think much of Trump's nominations to his cabinet and other posts. There was one exception, local wiz Jared Isaacman's appointment to NASA. Isaacman, in addition to being a business genius, is a space geek. Trump has withdrawn Isaacman's nomination, because apparently the geek has described himself as a moderate, and has contributed to candidates from both parties. 

Trump's obsession with those that kiss his ring has cast his presidency as flawed since before day one. Trump is to be given credit for closing the border, but everything since has been way too impulsive for my liking, and for good governance.

Trump will be studied in the future not by political scientists, but by psychology majors, studying narcissism.

County Executives Stammer

Our social studies teacher turned county executive has failed the federal test on sanctuary cities. He's now complaining that Lehigh County shouldn't be on the Fed study hall detention list, because we're not a full blown sanctuary conspirator.  Although we don't cooperate fully with ICE, we thought we cooperated enough.

Apparently, ICE and the Trump administration see it differently than Lehigh's Armstrong and Northampton's McClure. They both  thought that they could play it both ways, not cooperate, but not actively interfere. I witnessed a Lehigh County commissioner encourage Allentown City Council to adopt the Welcoming City ordinance, in which a city does not collaborate with ICE.

The fly in their ointment is that the Trump administration controls the funding that bleeding hearts depend upon. They will now complain about MAGA, and have their legal departments spin their wheels in reverse, hoping to get back to the starting line.

ADDENDUM: The Department of Homeland Security has removed the list of sanctuary locales from its website, responding to pushback from the Association of Sheriffs.

Deciphering Fetterman

I didn't vote for Fetterman, and at the time of his election, it was hard for me to understand why anybody would have chose him over Oz. But then again, being an independent, I underestimate party loyalty. 

However, since his victory, I have become somewhat of a fan. Overcoming the effects of a stroke is hard enough work, without being in the public spotlight. Going public with any malady, much less depression, also requires courage.

He is now combating accusations of poor attendance.  His independence from the party platform on several items, while a positive with me, hasn't helped his predicament. If he was a representative who had to run again next year, I'd consider him a long shot. But he's a senator, with over three years left to reestablish his popularity.

Removing The Undesirables From Hamilton Street, Circa 2007

In the fall of 2007, Allentown began the systematic removal of the undesirables from Hamilton Street, in cooperation with Lanta. At the time, I championed for the now former merchants and their customers. Among other things, I organized a meeting at a center city church. Below, three posts from that period are reprinted. For a more complete understanding of the bus stop issue, click on 2007, listed on the right side bar, under the archive section.

MEETING AT CHURCH
As the organizer of the forum at Faith Baptist Church on Lanta, I would like to make some speculations on what was not said at the meeting. First and foremost, the meeting was not covered by The Morning Call. I sent the press release to two reporters,plus the local editor. I'd like to note the "Paper" is a "partner" in the new Lanta Terminal. It was built on land they sold to the Parking Authority and they receive free parking at the new deck; Their publisher attended the dedication with the three amigo's.(scroll down to earlier posting). All four democratic candidates for county commissioner were no shows, although one of the candidates, Kevin Easterling, expressed solidarity over the phone; but Kevin was recently hired by Ed Pawlowski as our new Recreation Director. My attempts to connect with Lehigh Carbon Community College in regard to the effect on their students at the Hamilton Street annex were unanswered. I would like to thank all the candidates who did attend, Ellen Millard-Kern from Senator Browne's office and Bernie O'Hare for his coverage of my efforts.
UPDATE: As a result of a inquiry by Ellen Kern, I did finally receive a call from a dean at the Community College. They approve of the bus stop being removed from in front of their facility because it has "reduced the litter". I inquired about the inconvenience for their students who now must walk to the Lanta terminal; they have received "no complaints". As one who tried to contact a dean myself and received no replies, I must question whether that comment has much value. As winter weather approaches, common sense would indicate a bus stop moved from in front of the building to two blocks away, is not student friendly.

 ALLENTOWN CELEBRATES

Allentown's latest Dancing in the Street, Octoberfeast, will have multi-cultural attractions. There will be genuine rickshaw rides, pulled by former Asian merchants who were forced out of business by the City Department of Gentrification. After this week's party for the Brewpub, the rickshaws will operate on a regular basis between Hamilton Street and our new Lanta Transportation Center.

 SILENCE OF THE LANTA
Hannibal Lecter has been offered parole on the condition he restrict his diet to Hamilton Street bus riders. Once a month he will be permitted an Asian merchant; on thanksgiving he may have a preselected blogger. Mr. Lector will be micro-chipped and given a new Hamilton Street loft apartment. He will be monitored by the new surveillance cameras. Mayor Pawlowski and Armand Greco will provide more details at a press conference early next week at the new Lanta Terminal.               

above reprinted from July of 2015

UPDATE MAY 10, 2021: Because J.B. Reilly is building more apartments on the northeast corner of 7th and Linden,  the Lanta Terminal,  bus entrance and exit, will once again be reconfigured. As local activist Erin Keller points out, these changes to the Lanta property, which is only twelve years old, will be at tax-payer expense. 

It started years ago when they took the bus stops off Hamilton Street. The bus passengers and the merchants had a historical relationship, dependent upon each other. Now of course the bus passengers are just cattle, whose pens are moved around at the convenience of the current establishment. The Morning Call article on the changes, characterizes them as improvements for rider convenience.

The Zucal Factor

Before the primary election last week, my hunch was that if Zucal could reach 40% of the Democratic votes, combining that with Republicans and independents, might take him over the top in November. Well Zucal came up short in the primary, by about 20%. Does that mean that November is a lost cause for him? 

I believe that Zucal is still viable for November, and here's why. Tuerk was a little nervous for the primary. Witness his absurd meltdown about Zucal being MAGA, and Police Chief Roca rolling out neighborhood crime stats, just a week before the election. The patter about violent crime being down is nonsense, witness a shooting last Wednesday at 18th & Chew Streets. Tuerk and Roca will not crack down on noise and litter, they're too woke for any culture clashes.

Tuerk got out his vote for the primary, but Zucal has plenty of people to mobilize. The. homeowners on the east and south sides knew and remember a better quality of life. Overcoming Tuerk will not be an easy task, Zucal will have to knock on a lot of doors.  He was essentially a one man band for the primary. Although not really a Republican, will the soldiers from that party get behind him?  I can tell you that as an independent, life long Allentonian and chronicler of this city,  Zucal has my support.

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

A Tailor From North Street

The Allentown Housing and Development Corp. recently purchased a home at 421 North St. That block of North Street was destroyed by fire, and the agency has built a block of new houses on the street's south side; it will next develop the other side of the street. The deed transfer caught my attention because Morris Wolf lived in the house in 1903. Wolf signed up with the Pennsylvania Volunteer Cavalry on July 18, 1861, in Philadelphia, when he was 22 years old. He was a private in Company A, of the 3rd Cavalry. This unit was also known as the 60th Regiment and was later called Young's Kentucky Light Cavalry.It defended Washington, D.C., until March 1862, then participated in many of the war's most famous battles: Williamsburg, Antietam, Fredericksburg and Gettysburg. Wolf had signed up for three years and was mustered out Aug. 24,1864.

Recently, to commemorate Memorial Day, the local veterans group placed more than 500 flags at Fairview Cemetery. If that wasn't enough of a good deed, the group also set upright more than 300 toppled grave markers. Visiting Fairview recently, I saw they had not overlooked the graves of either Mr. Wolf, or another veteran, Joseph Levine. I have concerned myself with Allentown's Fairview Cemetery for the last few years. I first became interested in the small Jewish section, called Mt. Sinai. This was the first organized Jewish cemetery in Allentown. Currently, all the synagogues have their own cemeteries, and Mt. Sinai has been mostly unused for many decades.

Mr. Wolf lies next to his wife, Julia, who died in 1907. Morris would live on for 30 more years, passing away in 1937, at age 98.
Mr. Levine, a World War II veteran, and his wife, Ethel, were the first and last people to be buried there after almost 25 years of inactivity. When Ethel died at age 93 in 2000, it was the first burial at Mt. Sinai since 1976. Joseph was 103 years old when he passed away in 2006.

The Housing and Development Corp. and North Street are now part of Allentown's new neighborhood initiative called Jordan Heights.Although soon there will be a new house at 421 North St., there is a history that will remain with the parcel. Once a tailor lived there who fought in the Battle of Gettysburg.

reprinted from 2010

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

ADDENDUM MAY 23, 2025:Although eight years have passed since the above post, I'm still fighting the same battles with the city and park department. Never-the-less, I remain an advocate for the traditional park system and the WPA. Although a new mayor and park director  now resent this blog, my message resonates with many more citizens than they like to admit.

Rusting Away By Union Terrace

In 2010, I learned that Lehigh County had fast track plans to demolish the 1824 stone arch bridge by Union Terrace. Several decades earlier in 1980, Mayor Joe Daddona had the accompanying pedestrian bridge built, to insure the safety of both Union Terrace and Raub students.

Back in 2010, when I successfully defended the old Reading Road stone bridge, the steel on the pedestrian bridge was already rusty. Here we are over a decade later, and the city still hasn't painted it !!!

I was just watching a video of the mayor congratulating himself and the city workers on his victory. He said that they accomplished a lot, but there's still more to do. Mr. Mayor, may I suggest that the city spend a couple $thousand now and paint the steel beams? Or, you could wait until the steel needs replacing, spend $millions, but have a ribbon cutting.

Another Crime By Allentown Park Department

While Mayor Tuerk and his park department brag and cut ribbons for a new gimmicks in the parks, they allow irreplaceable historic icons to deteriorate. Recently they demolished the large cherished picnic pavilion in Cedar Park, after submitting it to a decade of benign neglect. Likewise, they're submitting the historic barn to their neglect schedule.

The barn and current park office was the A.H. Balliet Pastime farm, predating most of Allentown's west end. The trolley to Dorney Park ran along the creek.Through the vision of Harry Trexler and others, the city acquired the farm in 1929.

Vines are extremely destructive to structures, both to the masonry and wood components. We need park leadership and personnel who have some understanding of infrastructure.

Pandering On Hamilton

In a wholesale vote pandering extravaganza, Allentown held a Latino Festival two days before the primary election. Tuerk stood on the stage speaking Spanish and waving Caribbean flags at Fiesta On Hamilton.

What this event costs the taxpayers, we'll probably never know. How many police officers were there on overtime, and how many street department workers to set up and clean up?  Yesterday, Promise Neighborhoods held an open house. Again, just a coincidence, I assure you.

The picture above I grabbed off of the mayor's Facebook page, although this blog probably wasn't the intended audience.

Allentown Comes To Macungie

When the shots rang out last week in Macungie, welcome to Allentown. Chief Roca just released neighborhood crime statistics, but who cares about them with the music blaring? 

The question in tomorrow's election is, will Tuerk's pandering pay him a dividend? Will all those flag raisings buy him another term?  Unfortunately for Tuerk, he probably won't know the answer until November. Even if he wins the primary tomorrow, he may still face Zucal in the general election, if Zucal gets enough Republican write-in votes.

Tuerk says that Zucal can't have it both ways, he can't be both a Democrat and a Republican. Zucal says he is an Allentonian, first and foremost. Allentown's minority-majority communities are maturing. They're less faltered by the pandering and more concerned with the quality of their lives. Nobody is fooled by these new initiatives just announced last week by the Tuerk administration.

SPECIAL EDITION, TUERK OBSCURES THE TRUTH

Matt Tuerk sent a mailer claiming that there was no tax increase under his administration. His opponent, Ed Zucal, took him to task for that distortion.

 "Most people received a mailer from Matt Tuerk claiming to have not raised taxes during his first term as Mayor. What he forgot to tell you is he wanted to raise taxes 5.4% in 2023. Remember when he threatened to take away Lights in the Parkway if he didn't get his way. Council shot his 5.4% down. Then he came back with a 2% raise. Council shot that down to. So the real truth is Mayor Tuerk would have raised your taxes. If you also remember Council had a vote of "No Confidence" as a direct result of this caous. Thank Council for no tax increases not Matt Tuerk."

As we approach Tuesday's election, my support goes to Ed Zucal. I believe that an emphasis on public safety and quality of life issues will benefit all our citizens, more than raising flags and having festivals.

ADDENDUM: Zucal press release Friday Evening 

                  Mayor Matt sends in the Machine ALLENTOWN — 

In the final days of Allentown’s mayoral primary, the Ed Zucal campaign is responding to a wave of anonymous attack ads with a warning: voters are witnessing a coordinated, last-ditch effort by entrenched political insiders to prop up Mayor Matt Tuerk and silence opposition. As reported by the Morning Call, the ads in question are funded by shadowy PACs, including the Civic Growth Initiative, a group tied to former mayoral candidate Charlie Thiel—a longtime ally of the political class surrounding Mayor Tuerk. The group has ads attacking Zucal and other candidates while boosting allies of the current administration. “Despite trying to hide his involvement, it’s clear that Tuerk is behind these shady efforts, ” said Zucal. “The individual who has attached his name to this effort —Ray Lahoud— has also donated thousands of dollars to Tuerk. He wants voters distracted from the outsiders and special interests that are bankrolling his campaign. ” “Voters will see through Matt’s dirty tricks and dark money. On May 20th, they will vote for truth and transparency.

A Personal Memoir

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

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

reprinted from March 12, 2009

When Republicans Ruled Allentown

I remember 1955 pretty well. I was nine years old, and Hurricane Diane roared through Allentown.  I remember the sound of the metal trash cans blowing around the neighborhood, hitting houses and cars. Living in Little Lehigh Manor, my neighbor's large willow tree blew over. The creek was way over its banks. My father had spent the night moving meat from the first floor cooler to a second floor cooler, with his market being next to the Lehigh River. What I don't remember is that Republicans ruled the city back then.

But I do remember the prosperity of Allentown. The factories were going full tilt, some with two and three shifts. More mothers were staying home, with the father's union wages being enough to support the family.  The southside was booming, with new factories between Lehigh Street and Emmaus Ave. Mack 5C was putting out an endless line of truck cabs.

I was about fifty years away from thinking about local politics. I couldn't tell you who the mayor was until Joe Daddona in the late 70's. We're learning that Ed Zucal is asking Republicans to write him in on May 20th, and that Matt Tuerk and Dems are in a huff about it. 

Although conservative, I'm a true independent. By that I mean that I vote for people, not a party. There hasn't been a Republican voted to any Allentown office this century, but a shakeup sure wouldn't hurt the town. When nobody from the Baum Art School, which just started building a new addition, doesn't complain about the Museum moving away to 10th Street, we have become mired in go along to get along. It is my contempt for that attitude which fuels this blog.

Allentown Has No Shame

As a long time critic of the NIZ, the newest article by the Morning Call is right up there as an infomercial. It involves placing an arch over the street by Reilly's new buildings, and installing a statue of, no less, a Greek g-d. The icing on the cake is that it is being promoted by none other than Pat Browne, patron saint of Reilly's good fortune.

The new Morning Call reporters are following a tradition at the Morning Call, writing good news about the NIZ, and skipping any unpleasant realities, like the 7th Street drug and gun bust at Strata #5, aka The Hive. The paper has also taken to using stories from former editors and reporters, who now have news letters and blogs.

I keep resolving to be nicer, but I just can't find any justification for it. Meanwhile, back at the upcoming election, Tuerk is claiming that Zucal lies!!!! That he can't be both a Democrat and Republican! Of course Zucal is entitled to ask Republicans to write him in on May 20th, and Allentonians are entitled to vote as they see fit come November.

shown above WW1 Victory Parade arch in 1919, 500 block of Hamilton St.

A Giant Among Midgets

Here's a story you will not read about on any official City of Allentown website. It's a story of private gumption, instead of the usual public subsidy. It's the late 1990's, and I stop in and visit infamous Allentown landlord Joe Clark. He's sitting at a desk in the middle of a large empty storefront at 7th and Turner, surrounded by landlord supplies and building materials. The phone rings and it's Mayor William Heydt. Heydt just learned that Clark purchased the vacant Eastern Light Building on Hamilton Street, and wants to know Clark's intentions. Clark tells him he's going to build the best nightclub Allentown has ever seen. Heydt doesn't offer any help, but tells him that he'll be under close scrutiny. Clark does go on to build the club, without a nickel of help from Allentown. Years later, when the BrewWorks would open with unlimited city subsidy, a public parking lot on 8th Street was given exclusively to the BrewWorks. A few weeks ago Clark asked if he could rent the Parking Authority lot behind the nightclub; Request Denied. This week, based on ticket sales, Crocodile Rock was rated the 60th most successful nightclub in the world for 2011. The midgets at City Hall pay for consultants, when there's a genius half a block away.

above reprinted from January of 2012

ADDENDUM February 8, 2023:What brings this decade old plus post back today is the news that J.B. Reilly's CityCenter Real Estate will build a band venue within their new projects in the 900 block of Hamilton Street. The Morning Call doesn't mention that Reilly purchased the old Croc Rock building and virtually all of Hamilton Street, except for a few holdouts who wouldn't sell. The Morning Call also doesn't mention that Croc Rock was run by Joe Clark, less, but still infamous. I can't tell you how much the current Call article amused me, but Joe got to laugh all the way to the bank.

ADDENDUM MAY 13, 2025: Joe Clark passed away last week. Recently in Allentown homelessness and affordable housing have been news items. I can tell you that there would have been considerably more homeless in Allentown without Clark...He took chances renting to tenants that other landlords wouldn't touch. Bill Heydt also recently passed away...He was the last Republican mayor in Allentown.

Protecting Who From Whom

When Strata 13 was built on the northeast corner of 7th & Linden, Lanta reconfigured the bus flow to accommodate it.  Actually, Lanta has been accommodating Reilly's NIZ since before the beginning. They started by relocating the bus stops off Hamilton, and herding the sheep to 6th & Linden. Actually, Strata 13 is called the Hive, but I call all Reilly's residential buildings Strata. 

On Friday police raided the Hive, seizing a gun and marijuana. Reilly's City Center Real Estate has it own security force to protect the tenants. That seemed appropriate, especially with the infamous 7/11 across the street. After reading about the police raid, the question now is who is going to protect the street people from Reilly's tenants?

With us taxpayers footing Reilly's debt service, I always figured that Reilly would  keep a unit empty rather than rent to the wrong element.  I suppose with the housing storage, the do-gooders pressure him to make units available. At any rate, it appears as if the Hive is fitting into the neighborhood. 

photocredit:WFMZ

Señor No Credit

Although the Poison Hemlock is already thriving along Cedar Creek, I notice two short strips by the Rose Garden that are being cut for the first time in well over a decade. That would be the narrow area between the bridge and first pond, behind the stone house currently hosting Friends Of The Parks. The second strip, which is very narrow, is after the last pond, before the middle walk bridge. While he who cannot ever be mentioned will receive no credit, subscribers of this blog know that I have been complaining since day one about the weed wall.

Over the years there has been a few other suggestions of mine adopted, such as the three large stone landing, next to the middle walk bridge mentioned above. Among my current campaigns, I hope to see the broken up pieces of concrete removed from around the stone piers of the Robin Hood Bridge. Another high priority item on my list is to see the small walk bridge from the Walnut St. side of Union Terrace replaced. It was removed about five years ago, rather than repaired.

Although I remain he who cannot ever be mentioned, occasionally officials have privately sought my opinion, on one topic or another.

Know Thyself

On yesterday's blog post I commented that I don't like slogans, having placed one myself on a photo of Ed Zucal, which I had cropped and turned from color to BW.   So, I suppose I don't like a slogan unless I wrote it :)

On this know thyself topic, I didn't plan on plugging Zucal until closer to the May 20th primary. However, who knows what news will preoccupy this blog in the meantime. While most of my readers trend conservative and are receptive to Zucal, beating Tuerk will be no cakewalk. Tuerk's a flatter machine, and people eat that up.

Ed Zucal's background as a policeman appeals to those of us who believe that the ship should be run tighter in Allentown, while Tuerk's constituents enjoy the carefree attitude about enforcing quality of life issues.  Of course, in reality, that attitude really benefits no one.

Who Is Repressing Crime Reporting In Allentown?

Mayoral candidate Ed Zucal reported Monday on social media that someone was stabbed on Friday near West Park, and that two cars exchanged gunfire near Hayes Elementary School. As of Tuesday evening, neither incident was reported by the Morning Call or WFMZ.

Being a small town pizza blogger only claiming informed commentary, rather than investigative reporting, I have not checked the police blotter or with those news outlets to analyze the crime repression. However, I do know that both Mayor Tuerk and police chief Roca claim that crime is down. They're not bashful about complimenting themselves when someone is caught, as was the person firing a gun on 2nd St.. From my excursions around Allentown, I can tell you that quality of life is down, and that reality is what affects most of us.

As long as the car stereos vibrate a block away, and people feel free to stop their cars anytime, anywhere, Tuerk and Roca lack credibility with me. Tuerk has been playing his Latino card harder than in his first campaign, but I don't think that compensates with the residents in West Park and other affected neighborhoods.

Pickup Hoops At Jordan Meadows

Subscribers to the blog know that I bill myself as an advocate for the traditional park system and the WPA structures within them. However, since 2005 the Allentown parks and recreation departments have been combined, and I claim no expertise about the recreation programs. On the contrary, I know very little about them.

I do know that the basketball courts at Cedar Beach are heavily used. I do know that the baseball field in Fountain Park is heavily used. I do know that whenever kids are playing sports, it is positive for both them and the city.

With the above disclaimers, allow me to opine that the recreation sector of the park department should refrain from those activities for which there may not be much long term demand, such as was the case with roller hockey in Jordan Meadows. Near the parking lot at Robin Hood in the Parkway, it's painful to see a disk golf tee located at the neglected WPA spring pond, with its quaint miniature bridge. 

Shown above a pickup game of hoops at Jordan Meadow.  The handball court was also in use this past Saturday.

Homeless and Roller Hockey on Jordan Creek

This past Friday I visited the Jordan Meadows pathway for the first time.  The pathway itself is on the west ridge above the creek, while the large homeless encampment is down the slope, on the creek itself.  The city organized a trash pickup over several days, the last occurring on Friday. I passed a few do-gooders with a photographer in tow.

While the park department has built a large multi-sport complex on the east side of the creek, the purpose of the west side walk path, beyond accommodating the homeless, isn't clear to me. While the east bank sports a new lighting system,  the only recent investment on the west side was by Nat Hyman, to his lawyer. Hyman, after donating land for the walkway, feels forced to sue the city to maintain quality of life for his tenants, impacted by the homeless encampment. Rather than relocate the homeless, the city is encouraging the situation by supposedly supplying porta johns and trash containers. A previous homeless encampment near Basin Street, which was not impacting any rent paying tenants, was dismantled by the city to facilitate a commercial real estate deal. Furthermore, they built that commercial developer a $million plus private bridge off Martin Luther King Blvd.

As an advocate for the traditional park system, the placement of the sports complex puzzled me.,,Bucky Boyle served the area for years. Saturday found me back at Jordan Meadows, this time on the east sports complex side. Speaking to guys playing both handball and basketball, none of them have ever seen any activity at the roller hockey field. Hopefully that will change, because the city has just reconfigured the field for soccer.

Crime In Cedar Park

Subscribers to this blog know that for years I have been advocating for the park department to keep the large pavilion in the picnic grove. Instead, with typical bureaucratic mentality, they submitted the structure to benign neglect, intent on replacement. 

That former beautiful structure met its demise yesterday.  A park employee gave me the company line that it wasn't safe. What won't be as safe is its metal lightning rod replacement. In addition to bad planning, talk about bad timing!! Now, after all these years, they tear it down right before the picnic season begins?

While some in the administration don't appreciate my unsolicited sidewalk supervision, I actually have been holding my tongue on many items. If I printed my punch list for the parks, I'd have to have five posts a day. Like Popeye, now-a-days I only speak out on the things I can't stand anymore.

A Meat Market In Easton

When I was in high school my father owned a small meat market in Easton. It was called Melbern, and was on South 4th Street. That small row of old buildings was replaced in the early 1980's by the current KWM Insurance Agency. I spent my high school summers working in the meat market, and exploring Northampton Street on my lunch breaks. 

Recently, I returned to retrace my steps. Back then I would walk down to the circle for lunch, usually stopping to visit a friend who worked at the lunchmeat counter in the five and dime. The circle is still busy with a lunch crowd, even without a NIZ subsidized by Pennsylvania taxpayers. 

The buildings, for the most part, are original and charming. Easton is up and coming, because it wasn't lucky enough to become revitalized with sterile towers of architectural mediocrity.

I even stopped in to visit Sal Panto at the new city hall. I suspect he saw me coming through a surveillance system, because his secretary assured me that he wasn't in. 

 reprinted from April of 2018 

Freight train crossing river in Easton in 1939

Allentown's $10Million Dollar Joke

Allentown is embarrassed about the Gateway appearance entering downtown Hamilton Street from the west.  Allentown has a lot to be embarrassed about, but the condition of the sidewalk is the least of its problems.  People are concerned about the lack of people on Hamilton Street, and more so, the character of the ones that are there!

Our city leaders and planners are taking about a new sidewalk and new trees. Over the years I have seen them reconfigure that sidewalk at least half a dozen times. Add trees, cut down trees, wrong trees, right trees, add bricks, remove bricks, and never have those things mattered.  

What's sad is these planners know that it doesn't matter, that it's a joke, yet they still do it.

If the new buildings in the above rendering of the new Gateway sidewalk/tree project look lifeless and nondescript, it is because those new buildings are lifeless and nondescript. If I have offended any of the planners, then we're even.

above reprinted from December of 2022

ADDENDUM APRIL 30, 2025: A current piece in the Morning Call is about Urban Forestry. Apparently, there is a grant for sidewalk trees. I can tell you that today's trees are tomorrow's sidewalk replacement, and in Allentown that is generally at the homeowner's expense. Trees and sidewalks are not compatible for the long term.

Weber, The Wizard

During the vaudeville heyday of stage magic, star magicians such as Thurston and Blackstone, while performing at the Lyric Theatre(Symphony Hall), could be found staying and visiting at the Weber household in Allentown. Herman L. Weber, a contemporary and friend of Houdini, was known as Namreh, the Magician and also as Weber, the Wizard. Twice, during 1930's and 40's, he traveled coast to coast with his traveling magic show. Allentown has a rich tradition of magic and a long standing chapter of the International Brotherhood of Magicians.

Herman Weber lived on N. 17th St., and had two sons, Robert and William

reprinted from December of 2008, in memory of Robert and William Weber

Neuweiler Nights

The Limey drove an old Plymouth to work. My friend Johnny walked 3 blocks to work. I rode the bus. We all slaved in the dye house at Third and Allen Streets in Allentown about a hundred years ago.

Danny Bokeko, Subby, Joe Alizirri Jr., Jimmy the numbers runner, and George ("me rent and me eats") were some more of us.

We were all pretending to be tough guys. But Johnny really was tough. It was the way he had been brought up. Yet, although he was a bruiser, he was amazingly tolerant and gentle (in contrast to his dad). He was actually John Eugene Vasilik, III. When you called him on the telephone, his father John, Jr., usually answered and you had better ask for John Eugene Vasilik, THE THIRD. The whole enchilada! "WHO do you want--the father or the son?" "Why don’t you ask RIGHT?"

Johnny’s father was shorter than his two sons, but a nasty SOB if there ever was one. He was continually belligerent and would never back down. He badmouthed a bartender at the Dial Inn down in the ward one night and got beat up. The very next day he was back at the Dial Inn tormenting the same guy, arguing, provoking, and cursing--just totally nuts!

The Limey would pick me up at night and we would hang on the corner at 3rd and Hamilton Streets with Johnny. There was always something happening. We got to know the cops fairly well. Sometimes we would sit in Jim The Greek's. The cockroaches were big as mice. Johnny was always hungry and ate with impunity. I would only have bottled soda.

I worked at the Allen Dye House for two and a half years and then my father died and my brother and I took over the business that my Dad had started from our home. So I sort of drifted away from the colorful life down in the ward. Two years later Harry Birch (The Limey) went back to England and Johnny left the dye house to work at Neuweiler’s Brewery with his Dad.

Johnny’s father had a round depression sunken into his forehead about the size of half a golf ball. Very noticeable. Johnny never knew the story behind it. Can you imagine even ASKING? Johnny worked in the brewery while his Dad drove a beer truck. So how did their coworkers differentiate between these two Johnnies? They called the FATHER, "John." And they called the SON, "Hole-In-The-Head," or just "Hole."

After Johnny needed to wear eyeglasses, however, they began calling him, "Four-Eyes." Some time later he thought he would outfox them by getting contact lenses. You guessed it. Johnny had earned the moniker, "Contact."

Everyone called me, "Clint," because I resembled a guy on a TV show, "Clint and Bullets." I had never seen the show. Maybe it is just as well.

Two days after the September 11th tragedies, a phone call from England came on my answering machine. It was The Limey, Harry Birch; after all of these years asking for Clint and wishing me well.


NARRATIVE BY WILLIAM WEBER, WEST PARK ICON, HISTORIAN AND REALTOR OF CHOICE (BONDED REALTY)

reprinted from April 20, 2009, in memory of William Weber

Art Museum, Another Sad Relocation

The Art Museum move to the NW corner of 10th & Linden is about as cultureless as it gets. In addition to having no history there, it will be separated from both Baum Art School and the art park. It will most likely be another architectural monstrosity. 

If the move was to the post office, an art deco masterpiece, it would have some merit, but 10th & Linden is tasteless.

“This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reimagine the Allentown Art Museum as a vibrant cultural hub,” Max Weintraub, the museum’s president and CEO said in the release. “By relocating to 10th and Hamilton, we are not only expanding access to the arts but also contributing to the revitalization of downtown Allentown and creating a legacy for future generations.” City and state officials lauded the museum’s plans to relocate, which will bring the museum to an up-and-coming Allentown neighborhood that developer City Center Group has dubbed Downtown West. The Da Vinci Science Center and Archer Music Hall recently opened in the same area.

The above press release and snippet from the Morning Call, inadvertently reveals Allentown's reality. We learn that Reilly's 10th & Hamilton is up and coming, who the real piper is, and who is following him.  I suppose another charter school will take over the former art museum on 5th Street.

shown above is the magnificent post office, left to languish by our cultural elite.

Political Manna For Printing Industry

Earlier in the week, the Morning Call had a story about campaign contributions already flowing to Ryan Mackenzie.  The Mackenzie-Wild race in 2024 cost $38 Million. Considering that we have one newspaper and one television station, most of that was spent, or wasted, on oversize postcards. If you weren't offended and annoyed by the endless stuffing of your mailbox, you should be nominated for sainthood. 

I have serious doubts about how many votes those endless cards actually swayed, I believe very few. If you divide the few who were swayed by the cost of the election, that per vote cost was astronomical. I find it so wasteful, I will not contribute to the candidates that I do support.

On my last post about Trump, the comments said "give him time, you'll see and it's worth the short term pain." Come 2026, I believe Mackenzie will be facing a headwind of voter discontent about the Trump administration. I suspect by then he won't be touting the company line. Trump and the Republican victory, along with the coattails, were by a very large part from the independents like myself, sitting out the election. For Mackenzie to get my vote in 2026, he'll have to cut bait with Trump, and much sooner than the mid-terms.

Plywood Coming To Allentown

I don't see myself as an expert in real estate. Generally, I have alway bought high and sold low. However, I have lived through several real estate cycles, and see the current market not boding well long term in center city. When a row house in an alley sells for $200,000, I see trouble coming. Unless the new homeowner is a dedicated urban pioneer with deep pockets, those payments will soon become a bitter commitment. Walking away might be the easiest choice for the newly disillusioned, and the mortgage company will order plywood for the doors and windows.

If the property was purchased as an investment, that $2000 plus rent will have to be collected month in and month out, or plywood will be coming. However, $200K currently floats in the city, with astronomical  $500k and $600K in the suburbs. The astronomical prices are being driven by an incredibly short supply. When the supply and choice increase, the frenzy prices will subside...Then reality will return to center city real estate.

In a couple years there may be a glut of available houses for those advocates for affordable housing. If my dire prediction comes true, blight will be the next buzz word.

When Alleys Aren't Alleys

The most intractable issue in the Allentown Parking Authority controversy is alley parking. Although the Authority itself offered a compromise on that issue, at least two members of council, Candida Affa and Daryl Hendricks, won't budge. They see the topic as a slippy slope. They find the 12 ft. proposal too unenforceable... one person may perceive the width as 11ft., and another 13ft.

As a lifelong resident, I know that all alleys are not created equal.  An alley in center city with houses actually fronting on it is a very different animal than the alleys farther west. 

Past 17th Street, there are no houses in the alleys. Past Ott Street, there's not even many garages in the alleys.  In the deep west end, many former alleys no longer exist.  While the city accommodated some owners by vacating certain ones, others were just appropriated. People put private driveway signs and gates up...others were absorbed into lawns.

Leaving the alley ordinance as is leaves the issue up to the discretion of the parking authority. That discretion, or lack thereof, is what brought this current controversy to the front burner in the first place.

Show above was a "private" alley with gate. Before the gate, it was a public alley.  Farther downtown the same alley has a street name and even houses. The gate has since been removed, and it's now a garage driveway.

above reprinted for May 1, 2023

ADDENDUM APRIL 22, 2025: What recycled this post today isn't the alley issue, rather the affirmation of Allentown's west end. It is my policy not to dox people or their property, so please mention neither in any comments, I won't print them. 

Real Estate prices in Allentown are going through the roof everywhere, even in downtown alleys. That phenomenon is a topic for another post, but this one concerns construction and additions in the west end. The large lots in the deep west end were suitable for sub-division and additions, and numerous owners have done so in the last few years. I see this expensive new construction as an affirmation of that section of the city.

No Egg Hunt

For the first time in over 60 years, the children of Little Lehigh Manor will not be enjoying an egg hunt on the same slope of Lehigh Parkway. The event was started in the late 1940's by the homeowner's association, then taken over by the local chapter of the Optimist International in 1960. That chapter now has been reduced by the years to three men, all in their eighties, and one of them now lives in Florida. Ever the optimist, Dave Jordan put up the sign above, hoping to create some interest for next year. So far, he has received only two calls, one from an older Jewish blogger, who hunted for eggs there as a child, growing up in that wonderful neighborhood. If you have an interest in volunteering to take over the event, please phone Dave at 610 XXX-XXXX

reprinted from April of 2012

ADDENDUM APRIL 21, 2025: I do not know if an egg hunt ever was restored to the Parkway neighborhood, but otherwise, the hunts are alive and well in Allentown. Last Saturday there were hunts in Midway Manor and Mountainville. This Saturday, there were hunts in Percy Ruhe, Jordan and Bucky Boyle Parks. Over the weekend there were also smaller hunts,  among them, one organized by the Ortiz Foundation in Stevens Park, and another by a book club in Cedar Park.

When Mack Was Allentown

I grew up around the corner from Mack's famous 5C plant, on the corner of Lehigh and S. 12th Streets. In the early 1950's, the brightly colored truck tractors would cover the lot next to the old assembly plant. All day long, a new tractor would leave for delivery somewhere, with two more piggy back on the coupling hitches. Over the years I have written a lot of posts about Mack, especially how their workers would use the Fountain Park WPA steps, walking to their jobs on S. 10th Street. Mack made all their own truck parts there, except the tires. Built Like A Mack Truck, was a result of the local craftsmanship.

In Saturday's Morning Call article about Mack investing in the Macungie plant, the vice president is quoted as saying that Mack was here to stay. By Saturday evening, that vice president was no longer with the company, according to WFMZ. I remember when the larger share of production was moved to South Carolina in 1987. Shortly before that plant closed in 2002, they handed out sunglasses to symbolize their bright future there. I remember when the World Headquarters on Mack Boulevard moved to North Carolina. I don't know about Mack's long term future in the valley, but I do know that the ties that bind have long since been broken.

Jack Mack, one of Mack Truck's founding brothers, was killed in an auto accident in 1924. He is buried in Fairview Cemetery on Lehigh Street.

above reprinted from 2016 

ADDENDUM APRIL 18, 2025: Mack has announced an upcoming layoff of about 300 workers, citing the tariffs and uncertainly about demand. Local Democratic elected officials, Josh Siegel and Nick Miller, have wasted no time blaming Trump's half hazard approach to tariffs. Mack union officials are also joining the chorus, not against tariffs per se, but the way the administration has implemented them. While local Republicans have not yet commented, they know that Trump's coattails are already turning into a liability. How did this fall from grace happen so quickly? Trump's appointments have been the worse in my memory, and he's a man who certainly needed good advice.

Allentown As Charlie Tuna

One girl gets a new hair-do and wardrobe, but the other one gets asked to the prom?!?  While a $Billion Dollars of our diverted state taxes went to Allentown's Hamilton Street, Bethlehem was voted Best Main Street in the nation. 

Years ago, Starkist Tuna had a campaign where Charlie Tuna, although dressed in the best, was never picked. Starkist wanted tuna with good taste. Nobody has ever accused Allentown of having good taste.

Children learn that all the king's men couldn't put Humpty Dumpty back together again. Despite one promotion after another, Hamilton Street remains dead. I suppose I should be glad that only the street is dead, as opposed to the people walking on it. Last Friday we learned of a shooting off Tilghman Street. Almost a week has passed, but not another word on the incident. When shootings became so common place in Allentown that there was no follow-up story in the paper, we were in trouble.

The Depreciation Of Union Terrace

I have been advocating for Union Terrace since I stopped then-mayor Joe Daddona jogging to complain about some work needed on the structure. Likewise, I stopped Bill Heydt and his wife on a walk, and badgered both Pawlowski and O'Connell.

Matt Tuerk, consider this an open letter to you. Union Terrace (now Joseph Daddona Terrace) has never looked worse, or never was it in more immediate need of intervention.

The double stairwell down from St. Elmo Street is degraded. Worse yet, shown above, the northern end corner of the stage mound wall is about to collapse from shameful neglect.

Mr. Mayor,                                                                              Please don't allow the park department to tell me that they will seek a grant from Trexler Trust, and that they will send a consultant to recommend what kind of mortar to use on the repair.  Please just send a mason and fix it.

Sincerely, Michael Molovinsky, Advocate for the traditional park system and the WPA

reprinted from June 2022 

ADDENDUM APRIL 16, 2025:Union Terrace has been repointed, and the mason did an excellent job. Expect some fanfare this spring/summer from the city and Parknership about the restoration. While they're basking in their accomplishment, hopefully they will put the Parkway double stairwell landings on the schedule, because that job is way overdue.