A Tailor from North Street

A Tailor from North Street

ADDENDUM: I have suspended the word verification step from the  comment section.

E-ZSmile

E-ZSmile Cunningham even brought a smirk to my stern face the other morning. I was reading about the press conference over at the new Bennett Toyota site on Lehigh Street. Although the dealership will be simply moving from Hanover Avenue to Lehigh Street, supposedly the workforce will increase from 100 employees to 250, that's a 150% increase. Bennett also claimed that although national Toyota sales are down 16%, his are up 22%. I suppose if you're doing 38% better than your competitors, you could hire 150% more employees. Anyway, the frozen grin never left Don's face. Cunningham can even talk while he's grinning; He called the move "economic growth." Nothing was said about was what to become of the large existing facility on Hanover Avenue when it closes.

Macadam Mayhem

When the Administration recently claimed that their interest in the South Mountain timber was purely ecological, I wondered if it was the same Pawlowski and Weitzel who laid down tons of macadam at Cedar Park?

Although The Morning Call has requested the timber report through the Freedom of Information Act, the Administration is still legally resisting. One would think that Administrators, who now use phrases such as invasive species, would be more transparent about their intentions. At any rate, the macadam mayhem continues in Cedar Park, especially at the new Pavilion of Shame.


This picnic area across the creek from the swimming pool, which is often under water in heavy rain, has been paved with up to two feet of macadam. Previously, as shown in this photo, it was at ground level with a compacted stone surface.

Jordan Heights

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

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

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

Bridging Our History

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






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

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





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

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

* a former manager under Mayor Daddona, recalls walking bridge constructed in 1980.

click on bridge photographs to enlarge image

ADDENDUM: An engineer familiar with the bridge told me that he if was asked by supervisors to justify replacing the bridge, he will cite flooding; He added that in reality it's a moot point, because the stream flow in high water situations is also impeded by the nearby Hamilton and Union street bridges.

The Bridge Slayer

Lehigh County is known for the Covered Bridge Trail. Fortunately for us, former Lehigh County Executive Dave Bausch has a great appreciation of history. In the future, there will be no stone arch bridge tour. Current Executive Donny Cunningham is preparing to tear down his second stone bridge, but rest assure he will be grinning at the new bridge ribbon cutting. Shown above was the historic Linden Street multi-arch stone bridge, built in 1884. It was rehabilitated in 1950 and destroyed in 2008 by Cunningham. Cunningham now plans to destroy and replace the Reading Road Bridge.* The Reading Bridge was built in 1824 and rehabilitated in 1980. In Europe bridges are 700 years old, but preservation and restoration doesn't lend itself to press conferences and career building.

*Reading Road Bridge is small stone arch bridge on Walnut Street by Union Terrace

related article: The Morning Call