Allentown's Great OPM Triumph

The skylight shown above was over Charles Snelling's conference room.  Although that name will mean nothing to newcomers to the area, which includes many of our current elected leaders, he is largely responsible for Allentown's current revitalization. Snelling was a great proponent of OPM*, using Other People's Money. Among his young disciples back then was J B. Reilly. Reilly is now rebuilding Hamilton Street, owns all the new buildings, and we're paying for them with our diverted state taxes.  Charles would be most proud of his former student.

Although I no longer partake in any public gatherings, I do venture out early morning on photo reconnaissance. While I remain a staunch critic of the NIZ on principle, I must confess amazement at the proliferation of new structures on Hamilton Street. If and when the envisioned people ever arrive, it could be impressive, but never-the-less, completely inappropriately funded.

As a historian, my new photographs are too current to use. However, I do promptly develop the film, and hope the future allows me to someday use them.

This post and the phrase OPM is based on collaboration with Michael Adams, who was employed by Lehigh Valley Hospital and close to a member of the Snelling family during the referenced time.

skylight shown above was in the 700 block of Hamilton

The above post is by Michael Molovinsky in conjunction with Michael Adams.

The addendum below is by Michael Adams

ADDENDUM BY MICHAEL ADAMS:Charles Darwin Snelling may correctly be remembered as the Spiritual Father of the contemporary NIZ. Charles preached the Gospel of OPM to a select group of acolytes, all extraordinary and ambitious young men including several prominent physicians. Charlie did a stint as a Board Member for the Lehigh Valley Hospital Center. An especially blessed member of his coterie might receive an invitation to Snellings private island nestled on the U.S. side of the St. Laurence Seaway, a stones throw from the Scull and Bones retreat. Snelling’s last public position was as Chairman of the Ronald Reagan International Airport, in the headlines last week after a runway near miss incident involving two passenger planes. Charlie was an avid amateur pilot and a major bundler of campaign finances for regional and national Republican Party candidates, utilizing OPM, naturally. Snelling himself, unlike his father, Walter O. Snelling, the innovative and entrepreneurial mind behind bottled gas as the world knows it, did not leave a a fortune to his heirs in the will he modified shortly before his death. 

Michael Adams

1953 In Allentown

In 1953 you could escape the crowds on Hamilton Street by walking down beyond the third department store, Zollinger Harned, to the 500 Block. The malls in Whitehall were still two decades away, and Hamilton Street was where the Lehigh Valley shopped. Although the photograph above shows a trolley and a bus, the last trolly would run in June of that year. South side Allentown was bustling with Mack Truck and General Electric. The first supermarket, FoodFair, opened that year on Lehigh Street, now the Parkway Shopping center. In addition to the three department stores, downtown Allentown boasted three five and dimes and five movie theaters. Ike was our President, and Brighton Diefenderfer was our mayor. In the scene above, Man In The Dark is playing at the Colonial Theater. In that 3D movie, a criminal gets a second chance if he submits to an operation to excise the criminal portion of his brain. In 2012, could we give our elected officials that option? 

reprinted from May of 2012

Mileage From The Violence

It seems that some are trying to get some funding or publicity from the current wave of carnage in Allentown. The Morning Call newspaper went to bat for Promise Neighborhoods, and got some funding restored for that organization.

Promoter Ed White recommended supporting a new organization he started.  By my standards, the most logical recommendation came from councilman Courtney Robinson...He recommends creating an inventory of existing activities available for young people. While little leagues for baseball and basketball have existed since my youth, there are also excellent existing facilities for after school activities. In addition to keeping school gyms open, there is the YMCA and Jewish Community Center. There are people like Pastor Jim Rivera, who has been engaging youth constructively for decades.

Realistically, those who engage in gangs and violence, resist partaking in such activities as enumerated above. While hopefully some kids will find alternatives to the street, we will also need beefed up police action. 

 

above reprinted from July of 2019 

ADDENDUM APRIL 19, 2024:Pastor Jim Rivera is starting a new program and citizen patrol called PULSE, in response to the growing drug traffic and violence occurring in the 1st Ward. I've known of Rivera for a long time. He once marched his congregation into City Council to protest Pawlowski using the Hamilton street cleaning contract as a political football. 

The developer of new apartments in the Ward on Front Street hired a private security firm to patrol, hoping to make his investment more marketable to a higher end clientele. 

Police Chief Roca and Mayor Tuerk should actually be providing the sense of security through the police department, but it's apparent to a developer and pastor that the city isn't doing its job. It is also apparent to more and more citizens everywhere in Allentown.

Depot At Overlook Park

Old timers have noticed that the contractor's building on Hanover Avenue transformed into a community center for Overlook Park. But only the oldest, or train buffs, realized that the building was the freight depot and office for the Lehigh & New England Railroad. Lehigh & New England was formed in 1895, primarily as a coal carrier. The line ran from Allentown to Maybrook, New York.

In 1904 it was acquired by the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company. The line ceased operation in 1961. Among it's infrastructure were impressive bridges across both the Lehigh and Delaware Rivers, both of which were dismantled. Ironic that a remnant of our industrial era is being utilized by the successor of a public housing project.

reprinted from February 17, 2011

End Of A Legend

When Joe Louis retired as Heavyweight Champion in 1949, he had beat all challengers for a dozen years. Before winning the title, he had avenged the only loss in his career by knocking out Germany's Max Schmeling, in one of the most famous fights in ring history. The only man he feared was the tax man, who wouldn't let Joe rest. On October 26, 1951, he climbed back into the ring to fight a young, undefeated Rocky Marciano, who had won 31 out of 36 fights by knockout. In the eighth round, the aging legend was knocked through the ropes, down and out, in what would be his last fight.

reprinted from May 2011

DECEMBER OF 2012 IS FIGHT MONTH, WITH 29 JOE LOUIS ERA FIGHT POSTS

Crime and Punishment in Allentown and America

When I see articles and statistics about crime going down, please excuse my doubts. In my simple mind, when crime goes down, the quality of life should be going up. I think even the most gullible out there don't feel any safer of late. It is apparent to me that law enforcement and the courts are the ones relaxing the guidelines. 

I think that there is a relationship between the myth described above, and people standing in the cold for a mile to hear Trump rant about deception. This post is not an endorsement for Trump, but rather a siren call against delusion.

My circulation is very local. I would ask Mayor Tuerk and Police chief Roca to also ignore the statistics, and please proceed as if crime is worse, because it is.