Boxing Eggs

When I was a little boy, I would work at my father's meat market, boxing eggs. The job was pretty straightforward. I would take eggs from a big box, and put them in small boxes with folding lids, each of which held a dozen. If I did a whole crate without breaking an egg, I did a good job. The real adventure was the drive to the shop. We lived just off Lehigh Street, and would take it all the way to Union Street. The many landmarks are now gone forever, only remaining in my camera of the past. Shown above in 1952, is the portion of Lehigh Street near the Acorn Hotel, which is not visible in the photograph. Before reaching the Acorn, you drove under The Reading Railroad bridge overpass, which recently has been dismantled and removed. That line served the Mack Plant on S. 10th Street. Just beyond the area pictured, the Quarry Barber railroad spur also crossed Lehigh Street, at the bridge over the Little Lehigh Creek. That line also crossed S. 10th, and served Traylor Engineering, now known as the closed Allentown Metal Works. Just last week Mitt Romney was there, to rebuke Obama's former visit to the site. Mayor Pawlowski is now rebuking Romney, but none of them really know anything about its past. A half block away, on overgrown steps built by Roosevelt's WPA, a thousand men would climb home everyday, after working at Mack and Traylor. Freight trains, on parallel tracks, from two different railroads, were needed to supply those industrial giants.

After my father rounded the second curve on Lehigh Street, we would head up the steep Lehigh Street hill. It was packed with houses and people. At the top of the hill, we would turn right on to Union Street. Going down Union Street, Grammes Metal was built on the next big curve. Grammes made a large assortment of finished decorative metal products. Beyond Grammes were numerous railroad crossings. The Lehigh Valley Railroad tracks crossed Union, as did the Jersey Central and several spurs, near Basin Street. It was not unusual to wait twenty-five minutes for the endless freight trains to pass. A two plus story tower gave the railroad men view and control of the busy crossing. A few more blocks and we were at the meat market, in time for me to break some eggs.

reprinted from July 2011

Preaching To Allentown's Choir

This is part 2 of the post on the candidate debate conducted by the Allentown Coalition for Economic Dignity.  On Friday, in the first part,  I tried to be somewhat objective about what transpired at the debate. Although I made it clear that this wasn't the Chamber Of Commerce crowd cheering Reilly's NIZ success,  I limited my opinion to revealing that I declined to sign the inclusionary zoning petition. That document is meant to require developers (i.e. Reilly's Stratas) to set a portion of the new units (10-20%) aside for affordable housing.  I wrote against the NIZ before the first building was demolished to make way for the arena.  I defended the former merchants before anybody else. I do not believe that privately owned buildings should be financed with public tax dollars.  Everybody else went along, hoping for their own little taste of the promised prosperity.  That said, I do not believe that any developer needs to provide new apartments at anything less than market rate.

It was pointed out by both the moderator, Rev. Gregg Edwards, and the candidates, that Allentown is now a minority majority city, with a sizable portion of the residents hovering near the poverty line. This reality was the predominate theme of the evening.  All the candidates, both for mayor and city council, told those attending at the inter city church, that they felt their pain about any inequalities in the city. That ranged from housing blight, to not enough minority officers on the police force.

Among other recommendations advocated by the sponsoring Coalition ( a subgroup of POWER Lehigh Valley) is that if the city would compile a database of "good" and "bad" properties, it would be easier for tenants to navigate the rental process.  Center city housing is challenged, but by whom, I disagree. I think that the city should compile a list of good and bad tenants.

I'm not running for office, so I don't have to pander to anyone. Actually, when I did run, I didn't pander then either.

photocredit:molovinsky

Democracy In Allentown

Last night I stopped into the candidates debate at Rev. Gregory Edwards' Resurrection Church. Those interested in knowing who all the candidates are, and what they said, will have to look elsewhere. The debate was hosted by the Allentown Coalition for Economic Dignity. Although I declined to sign their petition for inclusionary zoning, the reception desk made me feel welcome.

The theme of the night was the needs of Allentown's growing diversity, and on that note, Ray O'Connell was astute enough to stress his attempts to make the city hall staff resemble the population.

The debate was very well attended.  Anybody of political consequence was there, including Congresswoman Susan Wild.  Rev. Edwards, as moderator, had several questions centered on the economic inequity of the NIZ. I couldn't help to think that just the day before, J.B. Reilly addressed the Chamber Of Commerce, where the NIZ was praised. Although the two events were only a few blocks away from each other, their points of view are miles apart.

photo courtesy of John Mortensen

Wrestling With Trump

The headline of a letter to the editor caught my attention, Trump’s policies more important than his faults. Although the particular letter didn't elaborate much on anything, that headline captures my dilemma. I agree with Trump on numerous polices, he is just so very inappropriate with his messaging. To many people who don't disagree with the policies, the messaging is so offensive, they can give no credit to policy. To them he is a constant irritant, who must go.

I recognized and wrote about the Trump Derangement Syndrome before the term was coined. Trump is the first thing they lament upon wakening, and the last thing they despise before sleeping. I have lost numerous readers by giving him any credit for anything.

This blog is produced in both web and mobile versions. Those who read the web version can see the Bill Weld For President logo on the sidebar. Nobody, including myself, gives Weld much chance in the Republican primary. To me he symbolizes the concept of keeping the current policies, but with a different messenger.

Opening In Allentown Government

In the Pawlowski era, most opportunities to get on Allentown's council came from appointment. There was no opportunity to become mayor,  even after Pawlowski was indicted.

When Schlossberg and Schweyer moved on to Harrisburg, their seats became available for appointment.  Michael D'Amore resigned when elected magistrate.  Jeff Glazier also was appointed,  and his successor was appointed, when he became controller.

This year with Roger MacLean's decision not to run again, there is a rare opportunity for a new face to be actually elected. While another chronicler might list all the candidates running this year, I prefer to ponder the election environment, and speculate, rather than ask, why people aren't running. MacLean, as a long time public servant, has probably decided to enjoy his amenities, and forego any controversies about them. Nat Hyman might have decided to concentrate on his rental business activities, and forego the inevitable conflict of interest allegations.

Old Allentown's New Problem

An Old Allentown resident linked to an article on Philadelphia gentrification on his Facebook page.  The link caught my attention, because I have been exploring that area of Philadelphia recently...the former black neighborhood south of Rittenhouse Square.

His interest in the topic is apparent, he lives in a mixed income area in the 400 block of N. 8th Street.  You have the solid middle class income attracted to the historical district, and the lower income apartment tenants. You have those who volunteer to beautify the neighborhood, and the indifferent tenants, who don't even obey the basic trash night rules.

Unfortunately for him, the gentrification of Old Allentown never really materialized.  The founders of the historic district were too ambitious, and made the district too large. Like minded people were spread out from 7th to 12th Streets, from Linden to Liberty.   Although now concentrated in the 300 and 400 block of 8th and 9th Streets,  another situation now confronts them.

Former Mayor Pawlowski, who himself lived in center city, befriended Old Allentown.  When plans were formulated for the arena and the NIZ,  OAPA (Old Allentown Preservation Association) stood silently by.  Never mind that historic buildings of architectural significance were being demolished and replaced by new construction without any visual merit.  The arena plan even called for event traffic to exit up and out historic 8th Street. Old Allentown should be grateful that the arena was really only a pretext for privately owned, publicly financed office buildings, and has a minimum schedule.  But all this is the good news, the bad news is Strata Lofts.

The owner of the privately owned, publicly financed office buildings has also built loft apartments, supposedly for millennials.  These apartments are being promoted by the local newspaper, The Morning Call. Whatever middle class is still being attracted to center city,  they are now being steered to City Center Loft Real Estate.  Although I have noted this irony and problem before, OAPA still stays silent, hoping for a cookie thrown their way that never comes.

Mt. Sinai Cemetery

Jews have been buried in a small section of Fairview Cemetery, called Mt. Sinai, for over 138 years. Although the markings on several stones have worn away, Hannah Dreifuss was buried there in 1868. The September 10th Chronicle in 1875 reported that two members of the Jewish faith, prominent Hamilton Street merchants, Joshua Schnurman and Simon Feldman, purchased a section from Fairview Cemetery and applied for a charter for Mt. Sinai Cemetery, thus creating the first Jewish Institution in Allentown.
Fairview Cemetery itself was not formally laid-out until 1870, when the renowned architectural firm Lathan of Buffalo was hired to create the premiere resting place in the Lehigh Valley. The giants of Allentown would be buried there, among them Harry Trexler, the Leh's, and the Mack's of truck fame.
The History Lehigh County, published in 1914, notes Mt. Sinai contained 29 graves. Among them was Julia Wolf, who died in 1907. Her husband Morris served with the local regiment in the Civil War, and lived to be 98 years old. Feldman and Schnurman were among the earliest Jews in Allentown, immigrants from Germany who practiced the modern "Reformed" Judaism. These gentlemen and their extended family members would go on to form the "Young Ladies and Men's Hebrew Society" in 1883, a predecessor to the Keneseth Israel Congregation organized in 1903. Mt. Sinai remained the resting place for Reformed Jews till 1928, when Keneseth Israel established its own cemetery. Burials continued at Mt. Sinai through the 1940's as spouses and passing family members joined those previously departed in family plots. Today there are 78 graves. In July of 2006, thirty years after the previous burial in 1976, Joseph Levine was laid to rest at the age of 103.

Blogger's Notes: Mt. Sinai Cemetery is unaffiliated with any synagogue, and with few exceptions, has been unused for 60 years.

The photo of the fence with Jewish star is a representation. There is no fence around the Mt. Sinai portion of the Fairview Cemetery.

reprinted 

Allentown's New Oligarchy

In the past I have written about the Livingston Club and that era of Allentown's heyday.  The leaders of the period (except Max Hess) would meet at the Livingston Club, and decide Allentown's future.  The group consisted of John Leh, Harvey Farr,  and Donald Miller.  As a common venture, they owned and operated Park&Shop. The Livingston Club existed because in addition to the oligarchy, there was a hundred other successful business men in center city.

Move ahead fifty plus years, and now there is a new oligarchy, J. B. Reilly,  Lee Butz and Mark Jaindl, but no surrounding business men. Tomorrow night J. B. Reilly is being honored at the library for his contributions to downtown.  That must be some sort of insider rich man's joke. We the taxpayers are financing a $billion dollars of  private property(Center City Reality LLC) for him,  and he is being honored for his contribution to Allentown?

ADDENDUM: This post is in no way meant to vilify these men, neither in the heyday past, or now.  They shaped the town, then and now.  Their enterprise was rewarded with great wealth.