Nonsense News From Allentown

There has been some recent national news stories which state that Allentown is a desirable place to live, that's nonsense. These stories are written or researched by reporters, regurgitating misconceptions from previous erroneous articles, that appear in google searches. While a puff piece written last year by The Morning Call may praise downtown as a renaissance in motion, it doesn't mention a fraught school system. Articles about all the new jobs don't mention that they were hijacked from elsewhere in the valley.

For those who doubt the existence of nonsense articles, witness the report that Pawlowski does well in a matchup with Toomey. Never mind that the mayor hasn't been a candidate for eight months, or is implicated so far in three guilty pleas.

Pity the poor SOB moving to Allentown on the merits of such nonsense articles.

In a piece today, a study reveals that despite a $Billion dollar of revitalization, center city Allentown remains mired in poverty. It doesn't take a study to make that determination. Simply drive down Turner Street to 4th, turn north one block to Chew Street, and drive back west to 17th Street. Repeat the process on adjoining streets, and soon anybody not blind will realize that there is no revitalization.  What we have is one man, with a portfolio of new taxpayer financed buildings between 5th and 9th streets. While a few more men will add a few more buildings,  and the phenomena will be repeated in the 6th Ward by the river, revitalization only exists in the vocabulary of the newspaper, and a few optimists, most of whom have something to gain for their enthusiasm.

The reality is that Allentown is just another city in the rust belt, but with a bunch of new buildings. For millennials, who desire an urban experience, the unprecedented state subsidy is creating more dining and buzz than any real marketplace would have generated.

The optimists, needless to say, hate posts such as this.  Although, they will dismiss it as naysaying, they needn't worry.  Neither optimism or pessimism changes the facts.  With enough  money you can create an illusion that can last for a couple of decades, take Baltimore's Inner Harbor for example.  Eventually, reality catches up with such staged productions, but, by then our professional optimists can retire to Hilton Head.

photocredit:Harry Fisher/The Morning Call

A Former Factory and Neighborhood of Allentown, Pa.

The Wire Mill was a sprawling industrial plant along 13 acres of the Little Lehigh Creek, just east of Lehigh Street, near the current Martin Luther King Drive.  An 1899 map of Allentown contains the footprint of various industries of the time, and the Wire Mill was the most prominent.  The Lehigh Valley RailRoad constructed two bridges over the Little Lehigh, to bring its Barber Quarry spur line into and out of the plant. Began in 1886, it produced wire and nails until 1943, and then sat abandoned for another twenty years. During WW1, it employed up to 1,200 men around the clock, producing barbed wire for the trench warfare in Europe. The factory sat on the south side of the former Wire Street, which housed narrow row houses on the other side of the street, and the neighborhood above it.



That entire neighborhood was demolished in the early 1970's, as Allentown embraced the modern urban renewal models of the time. The old, modest neighborhood of small row houses, between Lawrence and Union Streets, and on both sides of Lehigh Street, between 4th and 8th Street, were bulldozed away.  It was, in a large part, home to Allentown's black community. How ironic that we destroyed the cohesion of a neighborhood, but renamed Lawrence Street after Martin Luther King. The only remnant of that community and neighborhood still there is the St. James A.M.E. and Zion Church. A former vibrant neighborhood was replaced by a sterile bank call center, sitting alone on a large vacant hill. That building is now the new Building 21 city operated charter school. I would have complained about that urban renewal plan if I was blogging back then. Now, 50 years later, I still consider that plan a failure. Hopefully, future bloggers will have something better to say about Allentown's current revitalization.

The Wire Mill was at the bottom of the Lehigh Street hill, shown above

Portion of 1899 City Map of Allentown Showing Wire Mill

Allentown's West End Train

The Lehigh Valley Railroad operated a train branch line which served Allentown's commercial west end. It ran along Sumner Avenue servicing the scrap metal yards, warehouses and numerous coal dealers located there. The line then crossed Tilghman Street on a diagonal at 17th, before looping back east by Liberty Street at the Fairgrounds. The line ended at a rail yard now housing the small shopping center at 12th and Liberty. Although many of former commercial buildings still exist, all now house more retail type businesses. The B'nai Brith Apartments occupy the site of the former Trexler Lumber Yard. These historical shorts are difficult to write. Most current residents have no frame of reference to our former commercial past. True historians, such as the local railroad buffs, cringe at the lack of detail and specific location of the tracks. Suffice to say, that once upon a time, the mid-section of Allentown had much more commerce.

photo of train crossing Tilghman at 17th Street taken by Kermit E. Geary in 1974, from the Mark Rabenold Collection.

reprinted from March 2014

TRAIN LECTURE TODAY:  At 3:00PM I will give a short talk about the former branch lines which serviced Allentown's prosperity. This session of MOLOVINSKY UNIVERSITY will be conducted at Coffee House Without Limits, 707 N. 4th St. The shop is located at the Cigar Factory, on the corner of 4th and Tilghman.

Shortsightedness and Ignorance Steal Allentown's History

The Lehigh Valley Railroad Line along the Lehigh River, which was a basis for our industry and prosperity,  will now be a path for the spandex people, and their made in China bicycles.

While The Morning Call and Mayor Pawlowski celebrate another link in the rail to bike trail, Allentown lost a major part of it's history. While Pawlowski said "The community has been separated from water access for years," he ignored Bucky Boyle Park, just south of the Jaindl project. Bucky Boyle has been providing river access for over a century. Perhaps our Chicago Mayor has never been there, he should learn about our park system. While the spandex crowd applaud these paths, we lose an infrastructure that can never be replaced. Can you imagine how much compensation Jaindls' would want in the future to provide a rail line with a right of way? Ironically, while the spandex yuppies also want metro rail service, they are oblivious to the fact that these were the very tracks leading to both our train station and New York City. Future generations will be flabbergasted that their track tracks were scrapped for bicycle paths.

The photograph dates to 1976.  Note the A-Treat billboard, part of our commercial history that was saved by the Jaindl family.  Wish that they also had a soft spot for trains.

ADDENDUM:  Tomorrow afternoon, March 16th 2016, I will be at Coffee House Without Limits, 707 N. 4th St. (4th and Tilghman) between 3:00 and 3:45PM, with a historical map showing the former  railroad lines and spur routes of Allentown. 

Greg Weaver Art Scene

For about ten years, mid 70's to 80's, Allentown was graced with a one man art machine. Greg Weaver studied at Carnegie Mellon and then returned to the Valley to become artist, promoter and inspiration to dozens of local artists. His large studios, which moved from one low rent location to another over the years, became hubs for innovation and social activity. He was very prolific with his work, and generous with his encouragement. A typical monthly bash involved perhaps a poster by Mark Beyer( now an internationally known underground comic) performance by a jazz group such as Gary Hassey,(Greg also had a band) and perhaps a new showing by a local artist, such as Barnaby Ruhe. The loft parties were always mobbed, by many of the same people who now attend the Museum social events. This art "scene" cost the taxpayers nothing, it was done by artists, and it was real. Greg suffered from diabetes, and eventually lost his sight. Although blind he continued to produce art and inspire people until his death. Several of his works are in the Allentown Museums' permanent collection and his memory is in the hearts of his friends.

This post, which goes back to the early days of this blog, renewed interest in Greg's art scene and work.  It is still my hope that his art and inspiration be given more prominence by the Allentown Museum.

Stale Bread and Blood At Pawlowski Breakfast

Emergency Medical Services were called to the Renaissance Hotel multiple times Thursday Morning, as viewers of Pawlowski's power point presentation attempted self mutilation. Reportedly, one man tried to blind himself, while another attempted to cut off his ears. According to eye witnesses, Pawlowski delivered the same speech at the Chamber of Commerce sponsored Mayor's Breakfast, as he did to the Rotary Club, in the state of the city speech. Most of the self mutilation involved people who attended both events. Although Tony Iannelli's hinted at regret when introducing Pawlowski, he told an aide afterwards that his apology to the Chamber won't be enough, and that he'll probably have to resign.

When Tony introduced Pawlowski he said that despite everything, the city must go on. Although he is right about that, it doesn't mean that he needed go ahead with the breakfast. Even Allentown City Council, not known as a bastion of courage, voted no confidence and has called for Pawlowski's resignation.

Of course the real news in Allentown is that the NIZ may have run its course. Besides for the poached tenants Reilly already stole from elsewhere in the valley, not one new tenant has come forward. The time has come for Allentown to reevaluate and regroup. It's incumbent upon the Chamber and other organizations to stop encouraging Pawlowski's denial, and also move on.

ADDENDUM: The only portion of the speech that the Morning Call reported on is that Pawlowski wants to give free pre-K and college, at tax payer expense.  Since becoming the object of the FBI investigation,  Mayor Ed has been courting the little people.  He fails to mention that the city's new demographic is very transient.  He would be sending many kids to pre-K who would likely not be here for elementary, and likewise, paying for college for many new arrivals.  However, as he well knows,  since it would be a ballot question involving higher taxes,  its chance of passing is near zero.

UPDATE:  The Lehigh County Authority is filing suit against Allentown for improperly inflating its sewer expenses so that rates to the municipalities could be raised.  Pawlowski counted the water lease among his accomplishments.


photocredit:The Morning Call

The Butchers of Allentown

photograph by Bob Wilt

A&B (Abogast&Bastian), dominated the local meat packing industry for almost 100 years. At it's peak, they employed 700 people and could process 4,000 hogs a day. The huge plant was at the foot of Hamilton Street, at the Lehigh River. All that remains is their free standing office building, which has been incorporated into America on Wheels. Front and Hamilton was Allentown's meatpacking district. Within one block, two national Chicago meatpackers, Swift and Wilson, had distribution centers. Also in the area were several small independents, among them M. Feder and
Allentown Meat Packing Company.

reprinted from February 2013

ADDENDUM MARCH 2016: Allentown Meat Packing was owned by my father and uncle. The area was criss-crossed with tracks, owned by both LVRR and Jersey Central. All the plants had their own sidings. molovinsky on allentown will be revisiting this area in upcoming posts. This is an era when commerce was measured in factories and production, not just relocated office workers.

Cookie Crumbs For Allentown's Little People

While Reilly's CityCenter Development Company, and its advertising agency, The Morning Call, tells us that there is much interest by businesses to locate to NIZ, we now learn that startup entrepreneurs can compete for a handout contest. Although they're not eligible for the bigboy brass rings given out by National Penn Bank, ten of them can qualify for $15K each. The contest is being sponsored by the City Of Pawlowski, the Agency of Alan Jennings, and other tax payer funded entities. I never heard of so many people being involved in giving out a total of $150k, including several paid administrators.  So, Mr. and Mrs. homeowner, not only are you sporting for the brass rings, you also now get to sponsor a game for the little people.

Allentown just doesn't believe that anybody should ever start a business with their own money. This isn't a new idea;  Pawlowski gave out grants to about ten small startups on Hamilton Street seven years ago. Although, apparently nobody at the paper, or in the new Mosaic group remembers, this naysayer does. I did  blog posts at the time on the give-aways.  There was a cookie lady who lasted until she spent all her grant. Each cookie she made cost us about ten dollars.  Although, the posts still exists in my archives, few of the businesses still do. Here's an idea;  Instead of a contest where business plans are pitched to a contrived committee to dispense our tax money, how about  people  presenting their idea to a bank, and if it's really worthwhile, getting a real business loan.

Imagine a town giving out its Community Block Grants in a contest fashioned after a reality television show, being promoted by a mayor, who is facing pending federal corruption charges.