Allentown businessman Nat Hyman recently commissioned this mural for a wall of a building once used during the revolutionary war as a prison for Hessians and book bindery. It is now an apartment complex at 347 Gordon Street.
At 40 feet high and 175 feet long, this appears to be the largest city identification sign in The United States, excepting the stand-alone "Hollywood" sign (45' x 350'). It's larger than similar famous signs in Chicago, Nashville and El Paso. So far as I can tell, it is the largest city ID sign that is also part of a structure. For a frame of reference of its size, between the “O” and the “W” is a little spec of red on the ground....that’s the painter!
It has: The Iron Pig, Allentown Fire symbol, Liberty Bell, seal of the City of Allentown, Dieruff Husky, Allen Canary, 1776 Flag, Phantom Hockey and Allentown Police symbol.
Allentown really has no iconic buildings, markers or works of art with which the city is identified. Hyman wanted to create something special to celebrate the positives in Allentown and its people.... something uplifting for its citizens after several years filled with so much negativity.
Probably a hundred people per day have already been stopping to look at it and have their picture taken in front of it.
It’s really cool!
What do you think?
25 comments:
Allentown really has no iconic buildings
You don’t think the PPL building would fall into that category for the city?
The inclusion of symbols, particularly the Canary, is terrific. It's great to see Allentown spirit. The 3-D letters with yellow tops and symbols inside are quite busy, which makes the word hard to read. Readability would be improved if the symbols were outside the letters. Still, love the idea!
Bernie O'Hare said:
"Allentown really has no iconic buildings, markers or works of art with which the city is identified."
Like the PPL building (as noted by another comment), the Old Lehigh County Courthouse, Trout Hall, the Covered Bridge (Bogert's Bridge), the Allentown Parkway WPA structures, the Fish Hatchery, Dorney Park (technically in SWT, but it identifies as being in Allentown). :)
Not generally a fan of murals since they usually end up in disrepair faster than the buildings themselves, but this one is kind of cool.
I hope the building doesn't get torn down by the mob because of its racist (Revolutionary War) past. I'm intending the previous sentence as sarcasm, but you never know these days.
You are correct. Allentown does have several iconic buildings. I stand corrected on that point.
Forgot to ask: Where's the Central Catholic Viking?
That's a major omission.
I think Bethlehem needs a mural:
"Bethlehem: Balls-deep in Allentown's Girlfriend since 1741"
I think this is awesome! But just wait for the boo birds to come out and complain....Hyman has taken all of those shitty buildings in Allentown and turned them into beautiful apartment buildings and all he does is get shit for it. And, unlike Reilly, he doesn't take one penny of our tax money to do it. Wait until the negative trolls come out and find a reason to criticize him for this too.
"Like the PPL building (as noted by another comment), the Old Lehigh County Courthouse, Trout Hall, the Covered Bridge (Bogert's Bridge), the Allentown Parkway WPA structures, the Fish Hatchery, Dorney Park"
How many people actually think of one of those buildings whenyou mention Allentown? No one. Maybe Dorney Park but that's a private business.
Bernie was right the first time. Iconic buildings and symbols are independence hall in Philadelphia, The Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, The Golden gate bridge in San Francisco. Not The Fish Hatchery!
Hopefully this will be a icon for Allentown.
"Appears" to be the largest? What's the basis for that?
This is dubious. Lots of towns put their names on very tall and large water towers.
It's Graffiti, which is what most folks would call it if it were defacing the PP&L building or any of Allentown's beautiful churches, it's what you do to obsolete industrial buildings with no architectural merit that are essentially repurposed eyesores.
Hopefully it faces Bethlehem like heads on pikes.
11:39 you were right! the negative troll came out at 1:05 PM. "dubious". The signs on a water tower are nowhere near 40 feet tall. And if you want a "basis", why don't you google "largest city signs". I just did and nothing this large comes up anywhere.
The Small town that I grew up in had a “big” controversy about the definition of a sign versus a mural. One needed permitting and one didn’t. Not saying that’s the case here. Just interesting. I saw this in Allentown in person prior to reading it in this blog post and just thought ‘cool mural.’ Didn’t think of it as a sign.
HOPE THEY HONOR THE PD ON IT . ??
The Vera Cruz Tavern is, according to the side of the building, "Probably the oldest tavern in Lehigh County."
I therefore formally declare Nat Hyman's sign to be "Probably the biggest town sign in the country."
Anon 105pm pls take a Xanax and relax.
Did Gnat get that signage approved by the signage approval board. The design sorta seems outa place seeing as it may distract driver on MLK dr. trying to get a glimpse of that fine piece of art work.
"HOPE THEY HONOR THE PD ON IT . ??"
It does, and stop the capslock please.
"Forgot to ask: Where's the Central Catholic Viking?"
Go Vikes! Absolutely.
"Did Gnat get that signage approved by the signage approval board. "
Someone does something good for Allentown, and the Hyman haters crawl out from under their rocks. But they would fall over themselves if the City awardeed a grant to one of its favorites for the same damn thing. There would be press releases and elected officials would stand under the sign at a presser to pat themselves on the back.
Bernie, Dieruff and Allen are the only 2 PUBLIC high schools. If he started putting all the private/charter high schools like Central Catholic he would need a much longer word ! Not an oversight I'm sure.
1:24 Anon you're an idiot. So anything that gets put on the side of a building is graffiti ? I seem to remember that Da Vinci's Last Supper is painted on a wall of a building. In addition, clearly Mr. Hyman hired artists to do this. And Bernie wrote that the building dates back to the revolutionary war. You wouldn't know architectural merit if it bit you in the ass !
Anonymous said...
11:39 you were right! the negative troll came out at 1:05 PM. "dubious". The signs on a water tower are nowhere near 40 feet tall. And if you want a "basis", why don't you google "largest city signs". I just did and nothing this large comes up anywhere.
June 17, 2020 at 1:45 PM
Well, that's an answer, isn't it? There's no need to take on such a snotty air.
Remove the police logo immediately before BLM tags it with graffiti!
Incredible! All this discussion and no mention of the artist(s) involved. Hyman commissioned the work but give the people responsible some credit. Who created and produced the mural???
Shouldn't it be in Spanish. Since they are now the majority in Slumsville.
"Bernie, Dieruff and Allen are the only 2 PUBLIC high schools. If he started putting all the private/charter high schools like Central Catholic he would need a much longer word ! Not an oversight I'm sure."
Actually-there is a third public high school that often gets overlooked. Building 21 is a third public Allentown School District High School. It was quite an oversight to not include them too.
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