Allentown's Vanishing History

A reader sent me the above image last night. It looks down the hill from 7th and Hamilton, north, toward Linden Street. He has been attempting to locate the old Lafayette Radio store on 7th street, because of a pleasant memory from his childhood. By my day, the store had moved onto the southern side of the 700 block of Hamilton Street. History is quickly succumbing to the wreaking ball in Allentown. All the buildings shown above, on the left or west side of 7th Street, have been knocked down for the arena. Most of the buildings on the photo's right side are also gone. I suspect the few remaining ones will be gone soon, as they have been recently purchased in speculation of the Transformation Phrase 2, the Event Center. With the departure of Salomon Jewelry, Tucker Yarn remains Hamilton Street's last remaining business from the glory days. It's first store, on 7th Street, can be seen on the left side of the above photo.

The above image can be found in Doug Peters' Lehigh Valley Transit

above reprinted from January of 2012 

ADDENDUM JUNE 3, 2024:None of the buildings shown above, or businesses mentioned, still exist. Worse, new comers to Allentown know nothing of what was here before they arrived. Those of us with such memories of Allentown's past are in short supply, and of no value to the new guard. Never the less, I persevere with this blog and Allentown Chronicles, the facebook group. My solicitation to join the new park non-profit remains ignored.

Social Engineering Designs Allentown's New Zoning

Allentown's new proposed zoning ordinance incorporates every progressive notion of 2024. We will address affordable housing by allowing alley and backyard tiny houses. We will address higher urban unemployment rates by enlarging industrial and commercial districts into formally residential zones. In other words, they will codify and further accelerate our decline.

In the real world of litter plagued Allentown, the unemployed are the chronic unmotivated.  If we create more commercial space, we'll have to create* more business people for them, because real entrepreneurs have no trouble finding space for their businesses.

According to our city planning director....Increase opportunities for housing supply, walkability and vibrancy, and also to introduce new regulations that are employment friendly, focus on manufacturing,”... listing several of the goals of the zoning overhaul.

Apparently, Allentown has found the  solution to the off shore manufacturing situation and the Chinese trade imbalance.

*Community Action of Lehigh Valley used to set people up in business. Instead of giving them a fishing pole, they gave them a fish market. 

I'm taking this opportunity to display a photograph of 8th and Hamilton taken by Bill Schoenk in 1941. Mr. Schoenk worked at Mack Truck and raised a family on S. 9th St. His wife Betty was a crossing guard for many years in the neighborhood.

Allentown Needs More Boots On The Ground

Whenever a politician comes to town with a grant, it makes the paper.  Casey and Wild were both trying to take credit for a new grant for the Allentown Police Department. Chief Roca wants to use the money for more cruiser cars. We have used previous grants for more cameras and gun shot detectors. Mayor Tuerk wants to use the money for a new building, I'd like the money to go for more officers. 

Yesterday, I saw a Parking Authority vehicle drive past a double parker, without even slowing down to wave the lazy S.O.B on.  News has it that the Authority is in financial trouble. Someone has to start moving the double parkers along, and it doesn't have to be done from a new cruiser. I seen too many cops also past by the double parkers. Perhaps if we have more officers, we'll end up with a few who don't ignore quality of life issues. Most of the cops I see now-a-days are directing traffic from the parking decks on Linden Street. 

Shown above is an officer from 1912 by the then new West Park.  I can tell you that now in 2024 we could use him again back in that same park, especially around 3:00, when school lets out.

Flash From Past

Occasionally, some of the older boys in Lehigh Parkway would get saddled with taking me along to a Saturday matinee in downtown Allentown. We would get the bus from in front of the basement church on Jefferson Street. It would take that congregation many years to afford completing the church building there today. The bus would go across the 8th Street Bridge, which was built to accommodate the trolleys operated by Lehigh Valley Transit Company. Downtown then sported no less than five movie theaters at any one time. Particularly matinee friendly was the Midway, in the 600 Block of Hamilton. Three cartoons and episode or two of Flash Gordon entertained our entourage, which ranged in age from five to eleven years old. We younger kids, although delighted by the likes of Bugs Bunny, were confused how the Clay People would emerge from the walls in the caves on Mars to capture Captain Gordon, but our chaperones couldn't wait till the next week to learn Flash's fate. Next on the itinerary was usually a banana split at Woolworth's. Hamilton Street had three 5 and 10's, with a million things for boys to marvel at. The price of the sundae was a game of chance, with the customer picking a balloon. Inside the balloon was your price, anywhere from a penny to the full price of fifty cents. The store had a full selection of Allentown souvenirs. Pictures of West Park on a plate, the Center Square Monument on a glass, pennants to hang on your wall, and picture postcards of all the attractions. Hamilton Street was mobbed, and even the side streets were crowded with busy stores. Taking younger kids along was a responsibility for the older brothers, the streets and stores were crowded, but predators were limited to the Clay People on the silver screen.

reprinted from April 11, 2011

Renaming Allentown

As an advocate for the Allentown park system, especially the WPA structures, I often write about Joseph Daddona Park, which I refer to as Union Terrace, its former original and long term name. Likewise, I refer to Andre Reed Park as Irving. Even Martin Luther King Drive is still Lawrence Street to me. 

As a local historian, these name changes reflect fads and wokeness. What brings me back to this topic is the recent decision by the Allentown School Board to rename a couple of our schools. 

So there are two sixty year olds talking. 

 I remember you in third grade at Ruby Bridges School. 

Bridges School, where the hell is that?

That's what they call Lincoln now.

Who's Bridges?

I have no idea

photo of future blogger at Mayday 1952, Lehigh Parkway School, at least still for now

Another Diner Gone In Allentown

This weekend diner expert and Allentown native Richard Gutman had a special treat in Dearborn Michigan, the Henry Ford Museum is featuring a retrospective on Gutmans' works. If it involves diners, Gutman has been involved with its history for over fifty years.  Congratulations Mr. Gutman!

Here in Allentown we have lost a few diners in the past several years. On Tilghman Street, both Dina's downtown, and Nick's, farther west on the same street. 

We still have our share, and most of us have our memories of time spent in one or more of them.