The Jersey Shore Sand Wall

This past fall I made a number of trips to the New Jersey barrier islands to observe the dune construction project (Shore Protection Project), which grew out of the destruction caused by Hurricane Sandy in 2012.  The dune project was controversial, with both private citizen and municipal objectors.  This isn't your grandmother's seagrass dunes, which were staggered and collected sand over the years.  This is a straight, massive sand fortification being constructed by the Army Corp of Engineers, assisted by private contractors. The wall is twenty two feet high, and twice as wide at the base... It completely blocks the view of the ocean.  The construction is ongoing, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.  Large dredge ships, a mile off shore, pump the sand through pipes onto the beach, where large bulldozers shape it into the wall.

As someone who doesn't sit on the beach per se, but enjoys seeing the ocean,  I consider this new dune wall a gross overreaction to a 100 year storm.  I believe that thousands of shore-goers this coming summer will be shocked and disappointed by the restricted ocean view.  However, I must report that every shore property owner I met in the Seaside Park area, without exception,  was in favor of the new dunes.

sand dredgers, a mile off shore, pipe tons of sand to waiting bulldozers

molovinsky on allentown is published early morning every weekday.  Although mostly Allentown centric,  occasional forays out of town are taken to places of regional interest.

Strata Curiosity Solved

Readers of this blog know that I have been perplexed by the Strata Loft apartments occupancy rates. While Reilly's City Center Realty and The Morning Call maintain that there is a waiting list, dark apartments, empty streets, closing stores and common sense say otherwise. We learned that Reilly provides his commercial tenants with guest apartments, but why the charade between leased and occupied? Recently, my curiosity was put to rest.   From an article about the Moody's  bond ratings.... 

Fully leased residential buildings indicates the area’s desirability continues to improve,   Moody's bond analysis

Revenue bonds are a key ingredient of Reilly's strategy. The bonds finance the construction with a much longer term than conventional commercial loans would allow. If claiming the buildings are fully leased helps sell the bonds, let the proclamations begin. My only question is how the Morning Call staff can work across the street, and write that myth, while staring at the dark Strata windows?

Schlossberg and Hyman

Nat Hyman's offer to purchase the State Hospital parcel was interesting,  but Mike Schlossberg's comments on the offer are more newsworthy.   Schlossberg accuses Hyman of indulging in a publicity stunt to booster his mayoral ambitions,  which may not even exist.

What intrigues me about Schlossberg's comments is the uncharacteristic aggressiveness he displayed,  a trait not normally associated with him.  He was much kinder about Pawlowski, despite the former mayor's conviction on 46 counts of corruption.

The company which currently has an option on the state hospital property appears to be much smaller than Hyman's real estate ventures. I surmise that Schlossberg's attitude might be intended as a political boost for O'Connell, or some other candidate interested in the mayorship.

I did reach out for comment from Schlossberg after office hours last night.  If he does respond and clarify,  I will post an update.

photo screen grab from WFMZ

Reillyville Downgraded

The bonds which financed the construction of Reillyville, aka Allentown's NIZ, have been downgraded for the second time, into the lower b grade.  The bonds only pertain to Reilly's City Center Real Estate Company. Lets face it,  if the NIZ was ever more than a project custom designed for Reilly, is questionable.  Moody's lowered the rating because they believe that the cash flow depends on too few tenants. Reilly contends that with ADP coming aboard, the revenue stream is secure.  All state taxes, including income, generated by the tenants are used for Reilly's debt service.  In addition,  his pot was sweetened by allowing the cigarette taxes to be used from distributors he purchased.  Reilly even owns the Morning Call building.  Critical analysis of the district is pretty much limited to this blog.

The rich diversity of Allentown's former architecture is being replaced by the ugly new towers as shown above. The walls are the windows, and the windows are the walls in these new cookie cutter monstrosities.

Don't worry about the Reillys, they're set for generations to come.  If you're wondering where all the millennials are in the supposedly fully occupied Strata Lofts,  question the Morning Call....They print that occupancy myth as a fact.

photo:Morning Call

Allentown's Involuntary Conversion

In real estate, an involuntary conversion is when your property is taken by no plan of your own. The merchants of Hamilton Street are facing an involuntary conversion.

molovinsky on allentown has learned that the city is buying up the square block between 7th and 8th, Hamilton and Linden Streets, for the hockey arena. The subsidized Farr building, a Pawlowski pet project, will be spared. Although offers they can't refuse are based on the fair market value of the real estate, their livelihood and right of free choice are being violated. These businesses are not only their income, but security for their family's future. Many years ago, the city zoning made me close a photo studio in the area of Raub School. I was told that if I wanted to be insured the right to operate, I should have located in the business district. There once was a covenant between Allentown and merchants. If the merchants invested their time and money, the city would provide a district which secured their investment. Several years ago the merchants were upset that the bus transfer stops were removed; Little did they realize that they would be next. If the Pawlowski Arena for Sports and Culture doesn't work out, we will have lost the business district for naught.

Apparently, some of these offers were made as an option to buy, with an undisclosed buyer. A local prominent realtor, is acting as a straw buyer , for either a speculator or the city. Threats of eventual eminent domain. with a lower price, have supposedly been made to encourage signatures.

reprinted from April 2011

ADDENDUM NOVEMBER 11, 2019: The post above is from 2011. During that period I wrote dozens of posts, and even an op ed for the paper defending the former merchants. I accompanied them to meetings with the city, and spoke on their behalf to city council. Today we have an underused arena, and Hamilton Street is no longer a shopping venue. We have a dozen new privately owned, publicly financed sterile office buildings.  We took a millionaire and turned him into a billionaire, courtesy of our diverted state taxes.

Barbarians Sack Allentown

As Mayor Pawlowski stood last week across Hamilton Street from the former buildings, now reduced to rubble, I thought of the barbarians sacking Rome. The Knerr Building, constructed in 1892 at 707 Hamilton Street, had withstood many changes in the last 120 years. Built for John Knerr to sell groceries and confections, it's four floors served various businesses over the century. Although this past New Year's eve, the Mayor spoke of Allentown's 250th anniversary, it's a history for which he has limited knowledge and less appreciation. As a student of Allentown's architecture and past, I was offended to hear him and the other mayors boast about the 40 temporary demolition jobs. The wrecking contractor was astute enough to remove the monumental and historic Knerr facade ornamentation, before knocking the building down. He will sell it in some other city, where history is respected and valued.

photo of mayors/The Morning Call/Donna Fisher

photo of facade from former Knerr Building/ molovinsky

reprinted from February of 2012

ADDENDUM: The above post is reprinted from 2012. Although I accept the arena and NIZ as the new reality, there are uninformed progressives who believe  the demolition of that square block of Allentown was of no consequence. I know better; We lost some significant architecture and much history. One must wonder if the new structures will last 120 years.

Treasures Lost On Hamilton Street

                                                   click photograph to enlarge

The merchants who built Hamilton Street counted on architecture to attract shoppers into their emporiums. Large neon signs wouldn't appear for another fifty years. The soffit and fascia shown above, halfway between 7th and 8th on Hamilton, is one of the most elaborate facades in Allentown. One thing you can say about Allentown City Hall, they never let culture, art, or history get into the way of their plans. As successful cities come to value and profit from their history more and more, Allentown keeps using the standard catalog of proven failures. I know from other projects on Hamilton Street that Pawlowski isn't big on history. The Cityline Building in the 800 Block was permitted to stucco over beautiful brickwork. Sad that the puppies, who are directors at the Art Museum and Historical Society, remain silent on the planned destruction. It's hard to describe the magnificence of the skylight shown below, also in the targeted block. It's very large in three sections, in pristine condition. Should be quite a snack for Pawlowski's bulldozer.
The bulldozer prevailed, and the former architectural treasures of our mercantile history were not preserved, save for this blog's archives. Above is reprinted from May 2011

ADDENDUM:   This past weekend, a member of Old Allentown Preservation Association, and an active local Democrat, bragged on facebook about how he had recycled an old second floor office door from the demolished buildings in the arena zone. In truth, Old Allentown also turned a self serving, callous eye to the destruction noted in the above post. Although I'm glad the door was recycled, allow this post to note the irony and hypocrisy of the Association.

reprinted from January of 2015


UPDATE NOVEMBER 16, 2017: Although there's always some group bestowing some award on any new development, the Allentown NIZ is certainly no architectural destination.  Although I've taken hundreds of photographs in Allentown, including the ones shown here,  I have yet to buy film for any new building in the NIZ.