When Neon Was King

During the glory days of Hamilton Street, when it came to neon, bigger was better. No store had a bigger sign than Hess's, and that was appropriate. When the city planners decided to built the canopy, that was the end of the great neon age for Allentown. That structure bisected the building's facades, and the vertical signs had to go. Since then we have progressed into sign regulations. Shopping is not a primary part of the new Hamilton Street transformation. Let's move this discussion around the corner to Allentown's new Hispanic shopping district on 7th Street. Hispanic Shopping District is my designation, not the city's. I call it that, because that's what it is. The street is being managed by Peter Lewnes, who is doing a good job. He's giving facade grants and sign guidance. The buildings end up with a historic look, and a very professional  sign. Although it's neat, clean and presentable, it's not too exciting. Of course the City Fathers don't want too much excitement, as the people from Catasauqua drive in to the new arena. These new subsidized merchants are on a short leash. City inspectors remind them that besides for OPEN signs, no neon is permitted, and it must be inside the store. Now I know that I'm not a paid consultant,  and there's no grant involved with this idea, but how about letting our new merchants put up some neon?How about letting them pursue the same dreams as the merchants once did on Hamilton Street. How about lengthening that leash?

above reprinted from 2014

Christmas Past In Allentown

For over a century, before Allentown was a hole charging your credit card for tickets to a yet to be built hockey arena, it was a holiday destination. Shoppers from near and far would flock to Hamilton Street, where merchants fulfilled their every expectation. This post chronicles the golden era of that street. By the early 1950's, our major department stores were operated by the second generation owners. Max Hess Jr. become a merchandizer of national reputation. His store windows presented displays as sophisticated as any major city. One holiday novelty exists to this day, Pip The Mouse, and can be seen at Zion Church. The fourth floor toy department had eye popping, life sized, automated stuffed animals from Germany. Needless to say, Santa Claus was on duty at Hess's. Families had their favorite department store. While my mother patronized Hess's, others were loyal to Leh's and Zollingers. Although I'm sure that their Christmas displays were also top notch, I have no personal memories. While we now charge citizens to drive through a park with lights, downtowns used to compete with attractive displays. Allentown was famous for the Bell Lights on our iconic light posts, which would rock back and forth, as if ringing. Although times have changed, this blog will remind those few who remember.

artwork by Karoline Schaub-Peeler 

reprinted from December of 2012

No More Strawberry Pie At Hess's

Some of you may have heard that this holiday season Pip The Mouse is returning for a limited engagement to the northeast  corner of 9th and Hamilton, former location of Hess's.  Using my molovinsky on allentown press pass, I stopped by for Pip's rehearsal.  

Like all of us, Pip has aged over the years, both physically and mentally.  I introduced myself and assured him that I was a native Allentonian.  He looked at me in distress and asked, 

Where the hell am I?

I explained to him that he was at the former location of Hess's, brought here by the new out of town building owners.  He had walked down Hamilton Street earlier, and recognized very little. Like all of us his age, not seeing anything familiar can be disconcerting. When he introduced himself, nobody on the street had ever heard of him.  He explained that perhaps when they were little, their mothers brought them to the Hess's window to watch his show?  Nobody he met was born in Allentown, or even knew what Hess's was... He thought perhaps he was going crazy.  He looked at me with his scared old mouse eyes, and asked, 

Why did these new owners come to the retirement home to take me out to this? Do they hate me, I had such fond memories of Allentown.

I explained that they're just desperately trying to compete with the NIZ. He said that it was all too much for him to understand, and if I would kindly drive him back to Mouse Haven Manor?  

Lehigh Valley Old Main Line

The last portions of the Old Main Line were recently removed from Jaindl's NIZ waterfront parcel. Save for this blogger, not a peep from anybody else in protest. On the contrary, the track removal was spun as a positive, with notions that it would become part of the rail to trail network.

Shown in the photo above, the Old Main crosses Hamilton Street. There was a siding for the large white warehouse on the far right side of the photo. The line had numerous sidings, serving companies both along the river and on Front Street. For A&B Meats, the siding went into the plant.

Just south of Union Street there was a freight terminal and small yard. Although the old iron trestle bridge still spans the Lehigh north of American Parkway, only little scattered sections of rail remain on the west side of the Lehigh River.

ADDENDUM: My pieces on local history are not taken from Wikipedia and other sources, but rather from my experiences growing up in Allentown.  My father's family operated a small meat packing operation on Union Street. Included in the parcel was a garage on Walnut Street, and the white warehouse shown above on Hamilton.  I spent many hours waiting for the trains to cross Union Street.

reprinted from previous post

Allentown's First Waterfront

Although cheerleaders for the current waterfront NIZ think that they're inventing the Lehigh River, Allentonians already had a river port in the 1800's. As this section of the 1899 map shows, Wharf Street, which is still partially there, led to a man made river port, with two channels back to the river. The Lehigh Port was dug out in 1829, and was used in conjunction with the canal on the other side of the river. In the early 20th century, as the canal commerce was replaced by the railroads,  the port was filled in,  by an expanding Arbogast & Bastian Meat Packing.  Currently, a private boat club utilizes the river front near that location.  I exhibited the map at a recent session held for those interested in Allentown history.

The river port was slightly north of the current America On Wheels Museum, by the Hamilton Street Bridge, going over the Lehigh River to East Allentown.

reprinted from April of 2016

General Trexler's Bridge

The 8th Street Bridge is one of the marvels of Allentown.  It was built to facilitate the Liberty Trolley run, from 8th and Hamilton to Philadelphia.  I posted about it before, with its impressive statistics. At the time it was the largest concrete bridge in the world.  It involved two business interests of Harry Trexler,  both the transit company and the local cement industry.

Harrisburg and The Morning Call have been braying about the bridges scheduled for improvement and replacement in the area.  Although, I virtually stopped attending municipal meetings,  I still partake in field trips to the local construction sites.  I don't announce myself, and try to be quick and quiet on these unauthorized inspections.  I would prefer not to vanish like Jimmy Hoffa.  I want to inspect the bridge, not end up in the bridge.

On first glance the work on the bridge looks very impressive. The bridge walls have been replaced with new concrete walls, almost identical to the original, even including the lighting pillars. My question is that the roadbed has been raised about 18 inches, but is still supported by the same arches. Eighteen inches of additional concrete on the roadbed and sidewalk is an enormous additional weight load. Furthermore, I have learned that there was bonding issues between the older base and new concrete. Only the approaches, on both ends of the bridge, have been replaced.  This was done because they are the lowest part of the bridge, and the most feasible parts to replace.  However, they were replaced with pre-stressed concrete beams, and the new arches are only decorative panels.  The original approach bases were massive constructions, which probably would have stood another 1000 years.

Only now is the part of the project which I knew to be necessary beginning.  The massive bridge arches has been showing spalling damage over the last decades.  That is the process where old concrete lets loose from the steel re-bar used as the construction frame.

When the project is completed, I do not expect to be invited to the ribbon cutting. 

reprinted from July of 2016

Allentown's Planning Puppies

The Morning Call article says that City Planning Commission had some concerns that the waterfront portion of the NIZ might have a negative impact on traffic, but the plans were passed, and the project will proceed on to the next hurdle. That hurdle is if City Council will agree to sell the developers (Mark Jaindl) a piece of land needed as an entrance road. What suspense! What hurdles! What should concern the planning puppies is the old LVRR line still in place, after all these years. This is a true historic treasure of Allentown, and should be retained, perhaps for a future tour train. Shown above was the private engine of Structural Steel, which is the primary location of the proposed new development. At one time the former industrial giant called Allentown, had several fabricators that required their own engines to push material around their plants.

photo from the Mark Rabenold Collection

reprinted from July of 2013

UPDATE NOVEMBER 12, 2020: The above is reprinted from July of 2013. Approval for the waterfront NIZ is a long done deal.  The LVRR Old Main has been removed, along with private tracks within the former Structural Steel. The Jaindl Company has announced that construction will begin on the first waterfront office building.

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.

Heat Exchanger by Air Products 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.

UPDATE NOVEMBER 11, 2020: Jaindl Company has announced that construction of the first office building in the waterfront NIZ zone will begin.