Softball With The Mayor

After a no confidence, but no consequence grilling at City Council Wednesday night, Hasshan Batts provided the mayor with the Promise of a friendly Neighborhood on Thursday. Promise employees packed the mid-size room with shoulder to shoulder chairs around the perimeter, with a small circle of chairs in the middle for good measure.

Tuerk's communications manager, Genesis Ortega, gently asked scripted softball questions, allowing Matt to showcase what a wonderful budget he had prepared for 2024.  He explained how just a few more dollars in this and that department would make a great city even better. He mentioned how the fire department was benefiting from a substantial grant, and that grants were something that people in the room were familiar with. A woman in attendance later wrote on her facebook page: We are lucky to have this committed, accessible, optimistic, and realistic public servant at the helm. There was also one elderly homeowner there for a few minutes, who receives no grants, but worried how any tax increase would add to the already announced school and water increases. 

If Tuerk's pared down 2% increase budget gets passed, or council instead overrides his veto of their no tax hike version, remains to be seen.

Images Of Allentown Past

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 

reprinted from May of 2013

Distraction And Reality In A Spinning Allentown

While Allentown's attention will be distracted tonight by a possible no confidence vote at City Council, the real political news will take place tomorrow afternoon, at the Promise Neighborhood headquarters. Then and there, Tuerk and Hasshan Batts will reaffirm their mutual beneficial alliance. 

Batts' blackness will certify that Matthew Tuerk and/or his administration does not discriminate against people of color.

Mayor Tuerk's presence signifies that Promise Neighborhoods is indeed a legitimate vessel for our city directed grant money and corporate contributions.

Never mind that the Promise agenda is in conflict with city policy. Hasshan's grab for the former Allentown Toy Factory undone the long standing Allentown Redevelopment Agency.  His mentor program is part and parcel of the defund movement.

While the local MSM will cover the dog and pony show at City Hall,  this blog will concentrate on the real back-scratching fest taking place on Union Street.

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.

reprinted from May of 2013

Junkyard Train

Today, once again we ride a freight train of Allentown's great industrial past. In the early 1970's, the Redevelopment Authority tore down the neighborhood on either side of the Lehigh Street hill. At that time they had persuaded Conrail to move the the Barber's Quarry Branch line exclusively to the southern side of the Little Lehigh. The branch had crossed over and back to service the great Wire Mill. After crossing Lehigh Street, the train would proceed along the creek passing under the 8th Street Bridge. At the 10th Street crossing it would service another great industrial giant, Traylor Engineering. In 2009 President Obama visited a successor, Allentown Manufacturing, which has since closed. The line would continue along the creek until it turned north along Cedar Creek to Union Terrace. After crossing Hamilton Street by the current Hamilton Family Diner, it would end at the current park department building. Nothing remains of the line, the tracks were removed. The Allentown Economic Development Corporation recently received a grant to rebuild the line to 10th Street, even though the plant Obama visited has closed. The neighboring former Mack Plant now houses a go cart track. How the money will be squandered remains to be seen. The top photograph was taken by local train historian Mark Rabenold in 1989. It shows the later relocated section of the track that was just east of the Lehigh Street crossing.

reprinted from March of 2011

The Barbershops Of Allentown's Past

I was never a frequent patron, but one of my reoccurring photographic interests was barbershops. Although Allentown now has more barbershops than ever, mine are from a different era. Some of the shops still exist, although the name and clientele has changed. Shown above is the former K&K, on S. 6th Street.*

All photos on this blog will enlarge when clicked.

ADDENDUM: This post first appeared on this blog in 2013. With the proliferation of many local history facebook groups, including my own Allentown Chronicles, I see much subject matter I covered years ago now being repeated by others.  So, even at the risk of seeming less than original, I still repost older images for the benefit of new readers.

* my photograph is from 1996.  The building no longer exists.