Allentown Forsakes Its History

Once again the plan of a developer is being promoted as progress in the destruction of our history. Waterfront developer Mark Jaindl is going to rip out the LVRR Old Main Line, and give the yuppies another trail for their spandex clad bicycling. He has Whitehall, Allentown and the local planning rubber stamps on board. None of them have a clue about this historic rail line along the west side of the Lehigh River. It is simply the link to the success of Allentown, and in many ways the valley, state and country. I have no plans or allusion about stopping it. I will not be speaking to any more boards and commissions of deaf ears and blind eyes. They are even calling it a Memorial Trail for 9/11. A more enlightened community would preserve the historic track, for a future tourist train ride of our industrial past. Instead, here in the valley we destroy our history, and replace it with a sign. This blog will present photographs of the line and its place in our history, for the edification of those who care.

Enormous fabrication by Fuller Company sided at  Lehigh Structural Steel, on Lehigh Valley Railroad Old Main near the Tilghman Street Bridge

above reprinted from February of 2015

UPDATE JUNE 11, 2019: The historic rail line documented above has been removed. It was serving the last active rail customer in Allentown.

New Thoughts On An Old Cemetery

This past weekend I visited Fairview Cemetery. Over a decade ago, I spent many hours there and wrote numerous posts about its poor condition, resulting in some temporary improvements at that time. I can tell you that now it is in worse shape than ever. However, ironically, there is now much more activity and income being generated.  It has become an active Hispanic graveyard, with numerous new burials.

I was at first very disturbed about this new activity, because the new burials appear to be on old family plots, and on former common ground, such as alongside internal roadways. In one spot, it appears that all the old family stones have been placed around the family obelisk, and the old individual plots are being prepared for new burials. Almost all the new burials are Hispanic, while the old family plots are mostly old Pennsylvania Dutch. There is even a new Hispanic Jewish burial in the old Jewish section. I will leave the legal and moral implications of reusing these older plots to those better informed about such issues.

One reason the cemetery operator can get away with this reuse, is that for the most part, these old families are long gone. The families have died out, and their descendants have moved away.  Most of the new Hispanic graves are well tended by family members. I believe that these new burials may well become the saving grace for the cemetery. While the older families are gone, the new burials will help insure that there are new families who care about the cemetery, and how it is maintained.

Ce-Ce's Issue

I'm fan of Ce-Ce Gerlach, despite her campaign for Inclusionary Zoning. Ce-Ce told WfMZ that the city has an affordable housing problem. "These apartments(Strata) are great, a block away there is poverty," There is always poorer people a block away, no matter what city you go to. The contrast is even greater in the more affluent cities. Unfortunately, to some extent, it is more of a people problem than a housing problem.

Ce-Ce should visit the Social Security Office. There she will see many young people signing up for disability. While there are certainly people who really need such assistance, too many have chosen assistance as a life-style.

I support Ce-Ce because I see her as a genuine candidate of the people, as opposed to a poser. I was an opponent of the NIZ,  because it made the playing field so un-level. Even a building like the magnificent PPL Plaza cannot compete against the taxpayer subsidized new Reilly buildings. Ce-Ce proposes incentives for affordable housing within and adjoining the Strata buildings. Allentown would need a new Department Of Incentives to keep track of it all. What Allentown really needs is more incentivized people.

PPL Plaza Lawsuit

Yesterday, I said that I was deferring opinion of the Plaza lawsuit, the deferral is over. The building was purchased by New York investors with what I call a New York City frame of reference. At the time of purchase, they had no idea that Reilly/Brown would be scheming up the NIZ. They paid top dollar for a premiere building, with a blue chip Fortune 500 tenant. Because they didn't pay NYC prices, although an associate referred to it as a Philadelphia price, they thought it was indeed a solid investment. It is a unique building, which was custom designed to accentuate PPL's promotion of energy efficiency. Although the center atrium facilitated natural daylight, it wastes an enormous amount of space. The grass on the roof and other high tech energy concepts of that moment, bring no added value for other tenants.

The KOZ was originally conceived to help cities draw businesses to brownfields. That concept was bastardized over the years to regular parcels, including the former prime address of Lehigh Valley, 9th and Hamilton. With the KOZ expired, PPL having spun off Talen Energy, and Reilly and Jaindl competing for their tenant, their investment does indeed look like a white elephant.

The NIZ certainly does create an uneven playing field, but so did the previous KOZ's, to a much less extent. If class A space like the Plaza cannot compete, older office buildings have no future what so ever. If we had anything more than moral and mental midgets in Harrisburg, perhaps they would have thought through the NIZ,  in regard to the consequences to the greater marketplace.

reprinted from December of 2015

UPDATE JUNE 6, 2019: The Plaza building has been purchased at sheriff sale by another NYC investment firm.  The Plaza cost $60 million to build. It was purchased by the first NYC firm for $90 million.  They unsuccessfully sued after losing Talen Energy, claiming they could not compete with Reilly's NIZ.  After the first NYC firm defaulted on their loan, the latest NYC firm paid $16 million at sheriff sale. They now have refiled the same suit against the NIZ, on the same basis.

As Allentown Turns

Luiz Garcia reported receiving a poll survey call. Who would you vote for, Democrat Ray O'Connell, Republican Tim Ramos, or independent Nat Hyman? Garcia wanted to know if anybody heard that Hyman was running? To me, the question is who paid for the poll, and the answer would be only Hyman. Elsewhere in Hyman's world, State Senator Pat Browne appears determined to sell a cleared parcel, formerly known as the state hospital. While he changed his bill's number, the intent stays the same. But the new wording seems to suffice, even the Call's columnist, Paul Muschick, thought that it was indeed a new deal. With Browne's NIZ law written in flexible pencil, land trades are now allowed. Maybe the east side parcel will become Reilly Office Campus?

I suppose if Hyman was interested in a third party attempt, this would be the year. Allentown's Republican Party hasn't seated a mayor since Bill Heydt in 1998, so in essence, an independent would be the second party in this town. Ray O'Connell isn't exactly a full fledged incumbent, having been appointed by council. Between O'Connell's 27% tax raise, and Hyman being a landlord, I would expect a less than gentlemanly contest.

UPDATE JUNE 6, 2019:  Today blogger Bernie O'Hare claims that I implied that Hyman was running for mayor,  while he (O'Hare) actually asked him.  While trying to imply that he is a better reporter, what Bernie actually did was confirm that indeed Hyman did have a poll conducted.  Allow me to imply that apparently Hyman didn't like the results, if he paid for the poll, but isn't running.

Revive Fairview Cemetery

About ten years ago, I began searching for the grave of a young Jewish woman, who died around 1900. Among several Jewish cemeteries no longer in use, I searched Mt. Sinai, a small section of the sprawling Fairview Cemetery on Lehigh Street, just west of the 8th Street Bridge. The cemetery is the history of Allentown's past, including the graves of Harry Trexler, John Leh, and Jack Mack. As one proceeded deeper into the cemetery, away from sight on Lehigh Street, conditions worsened. As is the case with many old cemeteries, fees paid for perpetual care, 100 years ago, were long gone. Complicating the situation, the current private operator wasn't particularly assessable. In addition to extended family members upset about conditions, the situation was compounded by his refusal, with few exceptions, to allow private upkeep. My early posts on the situation drew response and phone calls from people with no interest in local political blogs; They were just exasperated relatives, with a family member buried long ago at Fairview. After beginning a series of posts, and letters to the editor, I prevailed upon The Morning Call to write a story one year later. The Call's story appeared on August 11, 2008. Within two weeks, the cemetery operator agreed to a public meeting I had organized at a local church. Arrangements were made between the operator and several parties. As with several of Allentown's older cemeteries, the issue of maintenance would be ongoing.

The current operator of Fairview, in addition to operating an on-site crematorium, is actively having new burials in the cemetery. It appears as if some of these new burials might be on old large family plots, which haven't been used or even visited in decades. In other cases, they appear to be along the internal roadways, which were previously not considered proper burial places.

Because of my longtime blogging on Fairview, periodically I would be contacted by someone with a family member buried at the cemetery. They were always frustrated by conditions at the cemetery, and asked where or to whom they could turn.  The photo shown above was taken by a frustrated family member. It occurred to me that a facebook group page could be a common meeting ground for such families.  Recently, after I started the Allentown Chronicles facebook group, local resident Tyler Fatzinger demonstrated strong concern for conditions at Fairview. I suggested that he moderate a new group dedicated to the cemetery. He agreed, and started Revive Fairview Cemetery.

Weed Wall Hiding Cedar Creek

If you want to see the creek in Cedar Park, the window is fast closing.   The weed wall, as encouraged by the Wildlands Conservancy, is already 5 ft. tall.  Although only the beginning of June,  with two small exceptions,  the creek is only visible from the bridge crossings.

One of the exceptions is a creek side bench by the park office, at 30th and Parkway Blvd.  Although I did lobby the park department to install a second bench at that spot, so far there has been no response.
The other exception is about six feet of open bank by the small wood bridge, just west of the Rose Garden.

Although I still yearn for the traditional park system designed for Allentown by Harry Trexler's landscape architect,  those days seem to be over.  Years ago, when the Wildlands Conservancy prevailed upon a former park director to stop mowing by the creeks,  the little work reduction corresponded with less park employees. Worse yet for park beauty, it also coincided with more park budget going for recreation.  So while we now cannot see or enjoy the creeks, we have a prison style outside workout station in Jordan Park, and a new skate park coming on board.

Although I recognize these new realities, I will give the park department or city hall administration no relief from my advocating for the traditional park values, which graced the picture postcards of Allentown's past.