On online petition urging public officials to preserve Allentown State Hospital is gaining momentum. There are now over 5,600 signatures.
Here are some of the comments:
"This is more than a building. It has been part of the East Side of Allentown for decades. Too much of the city has been sacrificed for new developments. Restore and reuse. Keep the buildings from the past. Too many of us have memories, good and bad, and we would like to keep it as part of our history."
"I am signing this petition to prevent the demolition of the Allentown State Hospital. It is a beautiful building and can easily be use for another purpose. I would think it would cost less than $15MM to renovate it rather than knock it down."
"Embrace, don't erase your history!!!!"
"I believe in adaptive reuse of historic architecture. Communities are revitalized when there is new life given to these beautiful buildings. The detail and craftsmanship of these buildings brings such character to a neighborhood. It is criminal to tear them down with no regard to history."
"There are many amazing ways to save this impressive structure other than tearing it down. It would be an absolute shame to lose a historic campus like this, and would be disgusting of the city officials to let this happen. Look to the many successful rehabilitations at places like Buffalo State Hospital, Traverse City Hospital, etc. as there are viable and beneficial alternatives that would bring economic development and opportunity to the city. Shame on Allentown for proposing this idea."
"I am frustrated...as an architect, to lose such an important piece of architecture here in the Valley is a tragic loss. I get that old building have high costs associated with them - but perhaps a piece of this complex could be saved...the main building? And the rest of the site developed in a way that respects what was here before. It’s not impossible - just takes a visionary developer, which are sometimes hard to find...but to take the entire complex down would be a mistake when someone can find value in what’s already there..."
25 comments:
It’s time for a few good people to stand up and say NO!
The folly of online petitions illustrates incredible naivete.
7:04 you are an idiot.
6:59 you are so right do you know congress is trying to give themselves a pay raise after doing nothing for the last 2 years actually longer than that they also want to give citizenship to illegal aliens the system is broken it must change we cannot have a political class and a deep state we cannot have people in office for life it was not meant to that way. A CHANGE MUST START SOMEWHERE A REVOLUTION IS NECESSARY OR THIS COUNTRY WILL BECOME A THIRD WORLD NATION
The Allentown State Hospital was a done deal before Exide's poisoned land became Bennet. Now the benifactors must pony up the rest of that done deal before its too late, leave the developers name out.
Didnt FedEd drive one of the big Toyota SUV's when not driving city car?
This deal is so tightly wired, no petition is going to stop it. Anything state legislators touch becomes a disaster.
I would like to see a Wawa, Asian Dynasty and a Walmart built there. I can’t think of a better location for those businesses.
State government is a criminal enterprise.
Do you honestly think a petition will make a difference if Mr. Hyman stepped up and SUED them and they passed a law to get around his law suit? The fix is in. Browne and Schlossberg want this building demolished even though there is no logical reason that they wouldn't ask for bids with the building standing and without the building standing.
One thing has come out as a result of this whole mess which no one is talking about. Mr. Hyman is the one guy who put his own personal money where his mouth is and stood up for the people of Allentown. It is terrible that he is not our Mayor!
The Commonwealth is run by organized crime and no one can do anything about it.
Pawlowski was just an incautious player who pissed off the wrong people.
He was never a “made man” in the scheme of things.
He was expendable.
The real players were never touched.
Just imagine all the slimy politics in Washington, DC everyday! Most of Congress is making side money by selling influence. Various interests are passing money into places like the Clinton Foundation, hiring family members of politicos like Biden. Millions of dollars to Mitch McConnell's inlaws, etc.
Our local political scheme is no different. The biggest example (by far) is Allentown's Neighborhood Improvement Zone. Millions in real estate equity is going to Reilly using citizen tax dollars. That scheme is a massive failed project that somehow is allowed to continue on. I suspect the State Hospital site will become more of the same . . . with the SAME people involved!
Gnat is all that especially in the city without any limitations on its indiscretions, run gnat run in this local environment by design you could even win as a independant!
humanist by design
The whole fucking thing is rotten to the core and anyone who says different is a liar or a fool.
Smells rotten like corpses that are filled with fly larva before posing.
FBI, if you are reading this, please rush out your indictments for Browne/Mann/Schlossberg before someone purchases this property in a crooked deal like the Water Authority.
"One thing has come out as a result of this whole mess which no one is talking about. Mr. Hyman is the one guy who put his own personal money where his mouth is and stood up for the people of Allentown. It is terrible that he is not our Mayor!"
Agree.
ASD wanted to build a new elementary school in the vicinity. Carving out a piece of the land and perhaps buildings and giving them to the school district may save the taxpayers some money. Of course, the commonwealth might save the taxpayers money. Remember the taxpayers.
If a school is needed, yes. I would want to know why one is needed
pa. political class are evil people always was and will be.
ha, ha. Browne was put in a corner. The morning call article today tried to soften the blow.
If 5,000 people picked up the phone, called Pat's office and asked for a written response defending his bill, now that would have a wee bit more of an impact. Petitions are toilet paper as they don't require a response. Our representatives cannot ignore their constituents. Everyone they do is a personal affront to a possible vote. You catch more fish if you understand their habits.
There is no middle school on the east side of the river. The existing middle school that serves that area is very old and on a very tight site, with little room for parking and no room for outdoor recreation. I assume the school is over-crowded, like many Allentown schools.
Most people agree the school should be replaced. However, I have been told there is some difference of opinion among School Board members about whether a new school should be built on the east or west side of the river because most students actually come from the west side. There are very few sites on either side that could accommodate a middle school. In the past, the state has often provided excess state lands for parks and schools in other areas for free.
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