As Allentown Turns

Linden Street is reduced to one lane today, as a private contractor installs stencils on the street for the bike lane. I had forgotten about this idiotic plan. Let us hope that the projections for the arena's success are more realistic than their vision for the bike lane's use. Also observed on my patrol today was the unbelievably slow progress of the 15th Street Bridge project. More concrete and steel is completed in one day on the arena and City Center buildings, than has yet to be completed on the bridge. The entire southside of Allentown remains prisoner to misplaced priorities. Talking of misplaced priorities, yesterday the Administration applauded itself for starting the eastside fire house, a year and half late.
UPDATE: ABOUT THIS POSTCARD- Earlier this week I used a postcard of Lehigh Parkway in the Give A Damn, Save A Dam post.  Both cards have a similar coloration and were photographed by Harold Becraft in the early 1950's.  Becraft was a photographer from Suffern N.Y.,  who produced many of the images used in the postcards of Allentown's parks.  These cards were produced locally by E.H. Schall Co.  In addition to Becraft's name on the front, they're also marked Kodachrome.  Although Becraft did many park scenes for Schall, the image shown above is one of his few cityscapes.

Local Current Artists: Alison Bessesdotter

Usually, when you meet a good artist who is prolific, they are also so versatile it's hard to define their work.  Among many other descriptions, it can be said that Alison Bessesdotter makes tranquil paintings and watercolors that resemble fabric. She also makes fabrics which resemble paintings. Her tools, paint, brush and sewing machine are used interchangeably, sometimes all on one piece. If that merging isn't enough, she also puts her art on wearables, both jackets and wristbands. Bessesdotter recently moved her studio from Hamilton Street to the Banana Factory in South Bethlehem.

Images of Allentown Past, #1

photocredit:molovinsky
Over the years my camera has caught many images which can no longer be seen. Some have been recent victims of the changing city, others not seen for decades.

Evil Eva's/South end of 8th Street Bridge/2005

The Gordon Street Paint Shop

As a boy growing up in Little Lehigh Manor, I vaguely remember the trolleys. The final switch over to buses occurred in 1953. Although the major trolley and bus barn was the Fairview facility near my house, the Lehigh Valley Transit Company also had other storage and work sites. The west end trolley barn, at 14th and Gordon Streets, also served as their paint shop. Although the location has been a wholesale plumbing supply business for many decades, until recent years the tracks leading into the current warehouse were visible. The photo above dates from 1938, and shows a freshly painted trolley.

Dam Removal Threatens Bridge

An on site engineering consultation made the following points.

Removing a dam is one thing, removing a dam next to a bridge is another. 

After the dam is removed, expect the creek bed to be several feet lower. 

The bridge piers must first be evaluated for depth and condition.

Did the Wildlands Conservancy provide the City of Allentown with the proper engineering studies to confirm that removing the dam will not have an adverse effect on the bridge?  Is the City of Allentown willing to jeopardize the citizen's iconic Robin Hood Bridge to accommodate a pet project of the Wildlands Conservancy? The dam removal will significantly increase the velocity of the stream and accelerate pier scour. Will the Wildland Conservancy indemnify the City for consequential bridge re-mediation or replacement?

Give A Damn, Save A Dam

The post card above dates from the early 1950's. Allentown's Lehigh Parkway, especially the Robin Hood area, attracted national attention for it's beauty and integration of the spectacular WPA structures. This occurred because two years prior to the WPA era, General Trexler had plans made up for the Parkway. Allentown, in the current vernacular, was shovel ready. The bridge, little dam, and double stepped structure provided the park visitor with both beautiful sights and sounds. The Wildlife Conservancy has received a grant for close to half a $million dollars to remove dams in Allentown's park system. Nobody is paying attention. Mayor Pawlowski, not too interested in the parks anyway, is consumed with his development projects. The Conservancy is politically correct in this era of ecology. The thing is that this park, and especially this area of the park, is not a wildland, but a historical icon of Allentown. Please help me save our heritage, help me save this little dam.