Allentown's Desolation Row

When Allentown demolished its historic mercantile district, I was there.  I accompanied the former merchants to meetings at city hall, where they were lied to about straw buyers and eminent domain.  I photographed the buildings before, during and after their demolition. 

Despite all the new construction, Allentown is still desolate, even before the pandemic. While there is a slight pulse during lunch hour,  evenings and weekends remained deceased. 

Once the pandemic subsides, hopefully the arena will start scheduling numerous events.  In reality, most of the Hamilton corridor is now owned by one man, whose debt obligations are serviced by redirected state taxes. If the corridor remains the domicile of the invisible and walking dead, it matters little to his bottom line. Eventually he will be cashing out, a $Billion dollars the plusher for it.

Needless to say, nobody is hiring me to write brochures for downtown Allentown.  Unfortunately, those yarns are being spun by the Morning Call.

photocredit:molovinsky

Blogging Battles

As a blogger, over the years I have been in a lot of battles. Pre NIZ, the unwashed Lanta passengers were removed from Hamilton Street, and segregated to 6th and Linden. This social engineering deprived the Hamilton Street merchants of their customer base. Of course things would only get worse for the merchants, as they themselves were then removed.

During this period my posts caught the attention of fellow blogger Bernie O'Hare, who previously was a supporter of Pawlowski. O'Hare and I would join forces for a couple of years, defending the passengers and merchants. 

One common denominator of my battles was that the Morning Call was missing in action on all these issues of inequity. They were, and continue to be, part of the problem in Allentown. The current Lanta terminal sits on previous Morning Call property. 

As this blog transitions from a weekday daily to a weekly, I will review some of the issues which have made me an outlaw with the establishment.

photocredit: molovinsky    8th & Hamilton above; Save for the Farr Building, nothing else shown remains. While the historic mercantile district was demolished, this blogger and his camera documented the destruction. 

South Whitehall Commissioner Woes

Poor Matt Mobilio had to take down his commissioner facebook page, too many complaints. On his personal page he laments the perils of public life.

In the 13 months as an elected official I've accomplished more than I could have hoped. But the toxic nature of social media has made me question everything I've done, everything I hope to do and my own ambitions for higher office. My point is, your local politician is, many times, someone really trying to make a positive difference. Someone without ill will, someone who has a family and sincere intentions. I truly believe I can do more, solve serious problems and make Lehigh County a better place. For the most part we dismiss our detractors as haters and know-nothings. But sometimes, it's damn hard to go on.

Talking about damn hard, let's talk about Wehr's Dam. It wasn't that long ago that you publicly wondered aloud how the township could get out from under the obligation of keeping the dam, as voters chose by referendum. You're probably aware of the conspiracy by the Wildlands Conservancy to complicate the dam repair by interacting back channel with the state.

Mobilio doesn't support the dam or the voters' referendum to preserve it.  I've been fighting since 2014 to save the dam, and must be one of the know-nothings to which he refers.

As for your ambition for higher office,  you're apparently a student of the Mark Pinsley School Of Office Jumping.  As Pinsley stood with the protesters about the Dorney Park shooting,  you publicly support the striking municipal workers.  You publicly support Ce-Ce, who as a council member marched against the Allentown Police. While you wokettes are entitled to your personal private sentiments,  as public officials, you should be more circumspect about your public messaging.  Unfortunately, you currently have control over my tax dollars, but you will never get my vote, for any office to which you may aspire.

photocredit: Wehr's Dam by Tami Quigley.  

Pocket Change At Molovinsky Blog

After 14 years of publishing this blog early morning every weekday, holidays included, a change is in order. Henceforth, the blog will appear sans the rigid schedule. I have installed an email widget on the web version sidebar, for those desiring free home delivery.

Crimes By The Wildlands Conservancy

photo by Tami Quigley

The top photo shows the Robin Hood Bridge, before the Wildlands Conservancy demolished the little Robin Hood Dam, just downstream beyond the bridge. The dam was only about 10 inches high, and was built as a visual effect to accompany the bridge in 1941. It was the last WPA project in Allentown, and considered the final touch for Lehigh Parkway. Several years ago, the Wildlands told the Allentown Park Director and City Council that it wanted to demolish the dam. The only thing that stood between their bulldozer and the dam was yours truly. I managed to hold up the demolition for a couple weeks, during which time I tried to educate city council about the park, but to no avail. If demolishing the dam wasn't bad enough, The Wildlands Conservancy piled the broken dam rubble around the stone bridge piers, as seen in the bottom photo. I'm sad to report that the situation is now even worse. All that rubble collected silt, and now weeds and brush is growing around the stone bridge piers. I suppose the Wildlands Conservancy considers it an extension of its riparian buffers.

The Wildlands Conservancy is now going to demolish Wehr's Dam at Covered Bridge Park in South Whitehall. The township commissioners are cooperating, by having a grossly inflated price associated with repairing the dam, to justify a disingenuous referendum. Sadly, by next spring I will be showing you before and after pictures of that crime.

top photo by Tami Quigley

above reprinted from August 2016

UPDATE: To everyone's surprise, especially the Wildlands Conservancy and the South Whitehall Commissioners, the referendum to save the dam was approved by the voters in November of 2016. The Wildlands Conservancy and the South Whitehall Commissioners are now conspiring to have the dam demolished anyway, by exaggerating its problems with the Pa. DEP...I have documented the communication between the Wildlands, State and township,  As for Lehigh Parkway, the Wildlands Conservancy should be made to remove the former dam rubble that is despoiling the vista of the Robin Hood Bridge piers.  I have been trying to interest the Morning Call about the voter suppression in regard to the Wehr's Dam referendum.  In today's paper there is an article about the danger high hazard rated dams pose to residents downstream.  I hope the paper's article today is a coincidence, and not intended to serve the Wildlands conspiracy about Wehr's Dam.  BTW,  Wehr's Dam is rated low hazard, because it poses no danger to residents.

reprinted from November of 2019 and before

The Trains Of Union Street

Up to the late 1960's, Union Street, between the Jordan Creek and Lehigh River, was  crossed by numerous train tracks. In addition to the main tracks for the New Jersey Central and Lehigh Valley Railroads, the area hosted many sidings for the industries that once huddled along this historic river front area.  There was a small rail yard with five sidings between the UGI gas storage tank, which dominated Allentown's skyline, and Allentown Meat Packing Company.  The photo above dates from the late 1940's.  The map below from the early 1930's.



Small rail yard on bottom left of map. Allentown Meat Packing was the former H.H. Steinmetz Co. in 1932.

reprinted from 2017