List of historic places in Allentown, Pennsylvania

Historical and Notable Sites in Allentown, Pennsylvania

Trout Hall, built in 1770 by James Allen (son of Allentown founder William Allen), is the oldest house in Allentown.
Location	Allentown, Pennsylvania

The city of Allentown, Pennsylvania is one of the oldest major cities in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the United States, being established in 1762. It has deep roots in the history of the nation, being the hiding place of the Liberty Bell during the American Revolution, and its oldest city cemetery has graves of patriots who served in the Continental Army. Over its 250-year history, many people and things have played a part in the history of the City; numerous buildings, bridges, parks and other locations in the city have come and gone, but many remain, with no less than thirteen of them being on the National Register of Historic Places.

Below is a list of major historical and notable sites in the City. See the linked article for a full description and history of each site.

Locations

National Register of Historic Places

• Albertus L. Meyers Bridge (1913), NRHP: #88000870

Corner of 8th and Union Streets

Map location: 40°35′47″N 075°28′16″W

Large concrete multi-arch bridge first opened as a toll bridge in November 1913 by the Lehigh Valley Transit Company as a streetcar and inter-urban trolley bridge. Construction began in 1911, and when opened, it was the longest and highest reinforced concrete arch bridge in the world. Automobile traffic was charged a toll to cross the bridge until the mid 1950s. Commonly called the 8th Street Bridge, its current name honors the one-time Allentown Band director, Albertus ("Bert") L. Meyers, who played in the band at the bridge's opening.

• Allentown Masonic Temple (1925), NRHP: #04000402

1524 West Linden Street

Map location: 40°35′54″N 075°29′23″W

Historic Masonic Temple built between 1923 and 1925. Built in the Classical Revival style, it features elaborate stone and Terra cotta trim and four large and imposing fluted composite columns at its main entrance.

• Allentown National Bank (1905), NRHP: #0500149

13-17 North Seventh Street

Map location: 40°36′10″N 075°28′18″W

Historic bank building built in 1905, and is a large eight-story, steel frame and masonry-clad building in the Beaux-Arts style. The building was vacated in the 1990s, however in the early 2000s, it was re-developed into apartments for independent living senior citizens.

• Americus Hotel (1926), NRHP: #84003454

541 West Hamilton Street

Map location: 40°36′11″N 075°28′11″W

classic 1920s Jazz Age hotel built by a group of Allentown businessmen who wanted a first-class hotel in the central business district. It was not to be palatial private "pleasure dome" like those of the 19th-century robber barons. Rather, it would be a hotel, a public facility that provided the best that world-class service and up-to-date technology could offer.

• Bogert Covered Bridge (1841), NRHP: #80003552

South 24th Street and Fish Hatchery Road

Map location: 40°34′08″N 075°29′54″W

Historic wooden covered bridge located at Allentown, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. It is a 145-foot-long (44 m), Burr Truss bridge, constructed in 1841. It has vertical plank siding and a gable roof. It was restored by the Allentown Parks Department.

• Dime Savings and Trust Company (1925), NRHP: #85000036

12 North 7th Street

Map location: 40°36′08″N 075°28′22″W

Historic bank building built in 1925, and is a "T"-shaped, five-story red brick building. The base is sheathed in limestone, and the distinctive brick and limestone attic level is reflective of the Art Deco style. The building is currently under reconstruction/restoration as part of the PPL Center project, and is being incorporated into the project.

• Gauff-Roth House (1880), NRHP: #85001966

427-443 Auburn Street

Map location: 40°35′46″N 075°27′49″W

Historical Victorian architecture home featuring a wraparound porch, third floor balcony, a polygonal turret, and a hipped roof with multiple gables and dormers.

• Hotel Sterling (1889), NRHP: #84003469

343-345 West Hamilton Street

Map location: 40°36′19″N 075°27′43″W

Victorian era hotel built in the Romanesque Revival style with Queen Anne and Eastlake influences. It is three bays wide, with a gabled parapet at the middle bay. When nominated in 1980, the hotel had 33 sleeping rooms. Today, the hotel is used as a nightclub, having karaoke and live music, not to mention relatively inexpensive food and drinks, as well as nightly specials. The bar spans two levels, one of which includes a large dance floor, and spills onto a covered deck off of the second floor.

• Neuweiler Brewery (1911), NRHP: #80003554

401 North Front Street

Map location: 40°36′40″N 075°27′29″W

Historic brewery complex located at Allentown, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. The complex was built between 1911 and 1913, and consists of the office building, brew house, stock house, pump house, wash house, chemistry lab building, boiler room, bottling house, garage, fermenting cellar, and smokestack with the name "Neuweiler" on it. The office building is a two-story, brick and granite building. The remaining buildings in the complex are built of brick. The brew house stands six-stories, and has a copper hipped roof with cupola. The stock house is a long, narrow four-story building. The brewery closed in 1968, and the property is currently in a derelict condition. Many proposals have been made to redevelop the property, the last in 2013 now under review by the Allentown Planning Commission.

• Old Lehigh County Courthouse (1819), NRHP: #81000550

503 West Hamilton Street

Map location: 40°36′12″N 075°28′06″W

Historic county courthouse. The original section was built between 1814 and 1819, and was a 2 1/2-story, stone building with a hipped roof. It was remodeled and enlarged in 1864 in the Italianate style. An addition on the west was added in 1880-1881, and the addition to the north was built in 1914-1916, in the Beaux-Arts style.

• Trout Hall (1768), NRHP: #78002425

414 West Walnut Street

Map location: 40°36′06″N 075°27′54″W

It is the oldest home in Allentown, built between 1768 and 1770, and is a 2 1/2-story, stone dwelling in the Georgian architecture style. It was built as a summer home by James Allen, the third son of William Allen, founder of Allentown. Today, it houses the library and museum of the Lehigh County Historical Society.

• Zion's Reformed Church of Christ (1762), NRHP: #83002259

Liberty Bell Museum

620 West Hamilton Street

Map location: 40°36′08″N 075°28′13″W

Oldest church in Allentown. In 1777, while the British occupied Philadelphia, this church was used to hide the Liberty Bell as well as the chimes from Philadelphia's Christ Church. This clandestine act of patriotism prevented the British from melting down these treasures for use as ammunition. In 1838 the church was enlarged and may have incorporated the 1762 structure into the building, inside the walls of the current boiler room. The building was doubled in size in from 1886 to 1888 in the Gothic Revival style, to the designs of architect Lewis Jacoby.

• Zollinger-Harned Company Building (1926), NRHP: #79002288

605-613 West Hamilton Street

Map location: 40°36′10″N 075°28′14″W

Classic 20th-Century Department Store, built in 1925-1926, and is a three-story, seven bay wide building with Classical Revival style influences. It features architectural terra cotta panels and richly detailed bronze display window surrounds. Zollinger-Harned Department Store went bankrupt in 1978, property sold and redeveloped as Sovereign Building, used for class-A office space.

Notable landmarks

• Allentown Art Museum (1934)

31 North 5th Street

Map location: 40°36′15″N 075°28′05″W

Major regional art museum founded in 1934 by a group organized by noted Pennsylvania impressionist painter, Walter Emerson Baum. Currently has a collection of over 13,000 works. In addition, its library and archives of more than 16,000 titles and 40 current periodicals make it an important cultural resource.

• Allentown City Hall (1962)

435 West Hamilton Street

Map location: 40°36′14″N 075°28′00″W

Location of Allentown government offices, Mayor's office, City Council, and City Departments.

• Allentown Cemetery Park (1765)

Old Allentown Cemetery (1846)

North side of West Linden Street between Fountain and North 10th streets

Map location: 40°36′10″N 075°28′40″W

The Allentown Cemetery Park was established by city founder William Allen as the graveyard for his community. The first person recorded as being buried in the cemetery was Mary Huber in 1765. The older stones have epitaphs written in ornate German Gothic script. There are many graves here of Allentown men who fought in the American Revolution. A large memorial at the corner of 10th and Linden lists them as well as the veterans of the War of 1812. Among the most famous interred here is Peter Rhoads Sr., a local storekeeper and member of the Revolutionary-era Committee for Public Safety.

The adjacent Old Allentown Cemetery is the city's second oldest cemetery, located next to Allentown Cemetery Park. Burial site of Tilghman Good (1830–87), two-term mayor and commander of the 47th Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers during the American Civil War.

• Allentown Fairgrounds (1889)

Northwest Corner of 17th and Chew Streets

Map location: 40°36′03″N 075°29′50″W

Home of the Great Allentown Fair, an annual fair and agricultural show operated by the Lehigh County Agricultural Society. It is one of the oldest fairs in the United States, and one of the largest in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Also home of the Allentown Farmers Market and Ritz Barbeque.

• Allentown Post Office (1934)

442 West Hamilton Street

Map location: 40°36′11″N 075°28′02″W

Built in 1933-1934, the Art Deco design adds a touch of distinction to a rather simple building. On the interior is a series of murals produced in 1937-1938 by New York artist Gifford Beal (1879-1956). Each deals with a theme from Allentown history.

• Allentown Rose Garden (1929)

2750 Parkway Boulevard

Map location: 40°35′32″N 075°30′54″W

A Rose Garden, with many beautiful flowers and ponds filled with water lilies, are known for their All America Rose Selections. The garden itself is meticulously tended, laid out in symmetry and dotted with vined trellises, statuary and a white gazebo. The garden overlooks a pair of lilly-padded ponds, shaded by willow trees and bound by the wandering Cedar Creek. Location of many weddings in the late spring and summer.

• America On Wheels (2008)

5 North Front Street

Map location: 40°36′24″N 075°27′24″W

An over-the-road transportation museum. The 43,000 square feet (4,000 m2) museum offers over 23,000 square feet (2,100 m2) of exhibit space divided into three main galleries and several smaller exhibits. The museum's collection features over 75 bicycles, motorcycles, automobiles and trucks in exhibits telling the story of people and products on the move from the days of the carriage to the vehicles of tomorrow .

• Baum School of Art (1926)

510 West Linden Street

Map location: 40°36′15″N 075°28′08″W

Non-profit community art school established in the summer of 1926, when artist Walter Emerson Baum was recruited by Blanche Lucas to provided art instruction to art teachers of the Allentown School District. Feedback was so positive that Baum was asked to return again and again. The classes became known as "The Baum School."

• Philip and Muriel Berman Sculpture Park (1980)

1243 South Cedar Crest Blvd., Lehigh Valley Hospital

Map location: 40°33′53″N 075°31′09″W

Features 35 permanent works on 118-acres of scenic land.

• Earl F. Hunsicker Bicentennial Park (1939)

510 West Linden Street

Map location: 40°35′15″N 075°28′32″W

Originally Fairview Field, home to the city's Minor League Baseball teams, 1939–47. As Bicentennial Park, hosted the Allentown Ambassadors, 1997–2003 and home of the Allentown Patriots softball team. Rebuilt 1976. Currently the home of the Philadelphia Force of National Pro Fastpitch at the Elite Championship Tournament Baseball (ECTB) Stadium.

• Blackland Prairie Raptor Center (2013)

1625 Brockdale Park

Map location: 40°34′59″N 075°28′54″W

Located in Little Lehigh Park.

Environmental protection display and museum

• Buchman House (1877)

117 North 11th Street

Map location: 40°36′15″N 075°28′50″W

Victorian-era row house was the home of Frank Buchman (1878-1961), the founder of the Moral Rearmament Movement. He maintained the Allentown home until his death in West Germany. Today it is administered as a house museum by the Lehigh County Historical Society.

• Butz-Groff House (1872)

111 North 4th Street

Map location: 40°36′21″N 075°27′57″W

Built by attorney Samuel A. Butz, this dark stone Victorian home was once the center of Allentown's most fashionable residential district. Butz, a long time member of the board of Allentown College of Women, now Cedar Crest College, practiced law up to the day of his death in 1930. From 1930 to 1975, it was the home of Butz's grandson, Joseph C. Groff and his family. It was purchased by Allentown entrepreneur Ray Holland and renovated to house his antique car memorabilia collection. Not open to the public.

• Cathedral of Saint Catharine of Siena (1919)

1825 West Turner Street

Map location: 40°35′55″N 075°29′47″W

Home of the Diocese of Allentown The building was designed in a colonial style. The exterior is faced with a variegated salmon brick trimmed with Salem limestone. At the crossing formed by the transept, there is a tall spire topped with a cross. The windows are colonial glazed antique glass.

• Cedar Crest College (1867)

100 College Drive

Map location: 40°35′13″N 075°31′12″W

Private liberal arts women's college. During the 2006-2007 academic year, the college had 1,000 full-time and 800 part-time undergraduates and 85 graduate students. It also admits male students for evening classes. The college is historically tied to the United Church of Christ, though it remains academically independent.

• Center Square (1762)

Intersection of 7th and West Hamilton Streets

Map location: 40°36′08″N 075°28′18″W

Focal point of the community as it was conceived by William Allen in 1762. Central point in Allentown's Central Business District. Two National Register of Historic Places buildings are on the north side of the square. Location of Soldier's and Sailors monument (1899) honoring American Civil War veterans from the 47th Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers.

• Coca-Cola Park (2008)

1050 Iron Pigs Way

Map location: 40°37′33″N 075°27′08″W

An 8,200-seat baseball park. It is the home field for the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, the Triple-A level minor league baseball affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. Coca-Cola Park accommodates 10,100 fans, including auxiliary areas (Capital BlueCross Lawn, Dugout Suites and Red Robin Tiki Terrace), and cost $50.25 million to build.

• Da Vinci Science Center (1992)

3145 Hamilton Boulevard Bypass

Map location: 40°35′02″N 075°31′19″W

Science museum and nonprofit organization that has been a leader in bringing science to life and lives to science since 1992. Its slogan is Open for ExSCIting Possibilities.

• Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom (1884)

3830 Dorney Park Road

Map location: 40°34′47″N 075°31′53″W

Large amusement and water park. The park features eight roller coasters, other adult and children's rides, and a waterpark, Wildwater Kingdom. It features some of the world's most prominent roller coasters, including Steel Force, the ninth longest steel roller coaster in the world and the longest on the U.S. East Coast.

• Farr Building (1906)

739 West Hamilton Street

Map location: 40°36′07″N 075°28′24″W

Large, early 20th-Century office building and retail store in Hamilton Street Central Business District. Farr company manufactured, distributed and sold high quality men's and women's shoes from 1862-1986. Redeveloped in the 2000s, now used for both retail and residential apartments. A historical plaque on the side of the building along North 8th Street states that "On this site was located one of four hospitals for soldiers of the Continental Army." The plaque was placed on the building in 1925 by the "Citizens of Allentown and Liberty Bell Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution".

• Fairview Cemetery (1870)

South Lehigh and South 8th Streets

Map location: 40°35′32″N 075°28′19″W

Historic cemetery in South Allentown. Burial site of General Harry C. Trexler. Many historic graves from the late 19th Century until present-day.

• Haines Mill Museum (1980)

3600 Dorney Park Road, Cetronia

Map location: 40°35′02″N 075°31′57″W

Working grist mill museum.

• Homeopathic Healing Art Plaque (1835-1845)

31 South Penn Street

Map location: 40°36′11″N 075°27′59″W

Marks the location of the world's first medical college exclusively devoted to the practice of homeopathic medicine. Established in 1835, the college went bankrupt in 1845 and relocated to Philadelphia, where it developed into what is today Hahnemann University Hospital.

• J. Birney Crum Stadium (1948)

2001-2025 West Linden Street

Map location: 40°35′35″N 075°30′05″W

A multi-purpose stadium that seats 15,000 and is used by several area high schools and the Pennsylvania Stoners of the NPSL (men) and the Northampton Laurels of the WPSL (women) soccer teams. Also known as Allentown School District Stadium. In addition, the stadium also hosts the annual Drum Corps International Eastern Championships, with drum and bugle corps from all over the country, and a large Fourth of July fireworks display that typically draws tens of thousands of spectators.

• Lehigh County Court House (1962)

455 West Hamilton Street

Map location: 40°36′13″N 075°28′03″W

Seat of Lehigh County government. Also home to various courts and other county office functions

• Lehigh County Historical Society (1904)

Lehigh County Heritage Center (2010)

432 West Walnut Street

Map location: 40°36′07″N 075°27′57″W

Nonprofit organization dedicated to collecting, preserving, and exhibiting the history of Lehigh County, Pennsylvania and the Lehigh Valley. The Lehigh County Historical Society's library, the Scott Andrew Trexerl II Research Library and Archive, houses 70,000 vintage photographs and nearly three million historical documents.

• Lehigh Parkway (1931)

Map location: 40°34′56″N 075°29′00″W

Large public park along the Little Lehigh River. It is the most prominent park of the city and follows the Little Lehigh for three miles from the center of the city to Cedar Crest Boulevard. The park features many scenic exercising trails in addition to bridle paths, a shooting range, and many fishing locations.

• Lehigh Parkway Fish Hatchery (1883)

2901 Fish Hatchery Road

Map location: 40°33′52″N 075°30′46″W

Oldest continuously operating trout nursery in the nation. There are several pools with different sized trout with one long one that stretches alongside the Little Lehigh River. . Food for the trout can be purchased in the small shop on the far end of the hatchery. The trout know when humans are nearby and gather, waiting to be fed. Feeding the trout can cause the fish to frenzy and jump. Picnic tables and benches are available.

• Lehigh Portland Cement Company (Portland Place) (1902)

714-720 West Hamilton Street

Map location: 40°36′06″N 075°28′20″W

Headquarters of company. Known as the Young Building after one of the company's founders, Edward M. Young. It was extensively remodeled in the late Art-Modern style in 1939-1940. Over the front door is a glass relief sculpture designed by the Italian American artist Oronzio Maldarelli (1892-1964). At that time it was the largest glass mural panel in the world. Cast at the Pittsburgh Corning Company's glass works, its three stylized allegorical figures represent the strength, durability, and permanence of cement.

• Lehigh Valley Laser Tag (2007)

874 Marcon Blvd

Map location: 40°38′17″N 075°27′00″W

Family Game/Entertainment Center.

• Lehigh Valley Trust Company (1911)

634-636 West Hamilton Street

Map location: 40°36′07″N 075°28′15″W

Ornate columns in the front with Beaux Arts festoons of stone garlands. Early 20th Century bank, closed in the 1990s. Currently vacant, planned for re-use.

• Mack Trucks Historical Museum (2010)

2402 Lehigh Parkway South

Map location: 40°34′18″N 075°29′39″W

Repository of historical documents and artifacts from Mack’s long and storied history as the leading American truck manufacturer. Many antique vehicles on display, along with a large collection of more than 80,000 photos, along with records for nearly every chassis it manufactured since 1905, all of which are filed there. Recently expanded (2013) to include the Mack Shop, selling many souvenirs from the company.

• Martin Art Gallery (2010)

2400 West Chew Street

Map location: 40°35′46″N 075°30′34″W

Art museum located on Muhlenburg College Campus.

• Merchants Square Model Train Exhibit (2013)

Merchants Square Mall, 1901 South 12th Street

Map location: 40°34′39″N 075°28′27″W

Model Train exhibit which contains more than 1,000 structures, some handmade from scratch, and more than 40 model trains running continuously on 18,000 feet of track.

• Miller Symphony Hall (1896)

23 North 6th Street

Map location: 40°36′13″N 075°28′11″W

Premier performing arts facility in Allentown, home of the Allentown Symphony Orchestra, as well as Pennsylvania Sinfonia, Community Concerts of Allentown, Allentown Band and Community Music School of the Lehigh Valley. Built around 1896 as the Central Market Hall, the structure was converted to a theater in 1899 by the architectural firm of J.B. McElfatrick and renamed the Lyric Theater. Perhaps one of only a dozen of the famous McElfatrick designs still standing, for many years it was one of the leading burlesque halls in the eastern United States. Fully renovated with nearly $10 million in improvements, the project concluded during the 2005-06 season with a complete upgrade of the Symphony Hall stage and the construction of a new acoustical shell.

• Muhlenberg College (1848)

2400 West Chew Street

Map location: 40°35′51″N 075°30′36″W

Private liberal arts college founded in 1848, Muhlenberg is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and is named for Henry Melchior Muhlenberg, the patriarch of the Lutheran Church in America.

• Museum of Indian Culture (1980)

2825 Fish Hatchery Road

Map location: 40°33′49″N 075°30′45″W

Non-profit organization and educational center dedicated to presenting, preserving, and perpetuating the history of the Lenape and other Northeastern Woodland Indian cultures.

• Nineteenth Street Theater (1928)

527 North 19th Street

Map location: 40°36′11″N 075°29′59″W

The oldest movie theater in Allentown, opened as a silent film theater on 17 September 1928. Today, also home of the Civic Theatre of Allentown, a historic community center that hosts theater, arts education and film and is a major part of the 19th Street Theater District, a mixed use neighborhood home to nearly 140 businesses.

• PPL Center (2014)

Southwest Corner of 7th Street and West Hamilton Street

Map location: 40°36′09″N 075°28′22″W

Indoor arena/civic center home to the American Hockey Leauge Lehigh Valley Phantoms and Lehigh Valley Steelhawks indoor football team. The 10,000 seat facility (8,000 for hockey) is also used for concerts and other events.

• Pennsylvania Power and Light Building (1928)

Northwest Corner of 9th Street and West Hamilton Street

Map location: 40°36′05″N 075°28′34″W

Tallest building in Allentown at 23 stories, headquarters to PPL Corporation. Built between 1926-1928. This classic Art-Deco skyscraper was designed by architect Harvey Wiley Corbett (1873-1954) of the firm of Helme & Corbett. A pioneer in skyscraper design, Corbett was one of several architects who planned Rockefeller Center in the 1930s. His assistant, the late Walter K. Harrison (1895-1984), who later went on to design the United Nations Building, Lincoln Center, and many other projects for the Rockefeller family, was the on-site architect. In 2008, PPL created a Peregrin Falcon nesting platform outside its 23rd floor.

• Pines Dinner Theater (2011)

448 North 17th Street

Map location: 40°36′10″N 075°29′44″W

Located at northeast corner of Allentown Fairgrounds at former Beer Garden, Full-course American cuisine restaurant along with live theater plays.

• Union and West End Cemetery (1854)

Between North 10th and 12th Streets along West Chew Street

Map location: 40°36′18″N 075°28′57″W

Opened 1854. The cemetery grounds cover 19.6 acres and is the final resting place for over 22,000 departed souls. There are more than 700 Civil War Veterans buried in the cemetery as well as a few Revolutionary War soldiers and veterans from the War of 1812, Spanish-American and World War I are also interred there. Civil War Medal of Honor recipient, Ignatz Gresser, is buried in the cemetery.

• West Park (1908)

1550 West Turner Street

Map location: 40°35′57″N 075°29′26″W

The land was purchased by the City of Allentown in the 1880s with intentions of creating a reservoir. Unused until March 1906 when the city began to move on the creation of the park by acquiring additional acreage. General Harry C. Trexler, a local businessman and philanthropist contributed money to build the park. This included a community bandshell, now home of the Allentown Band as well as local theater and religious groups that perform throughout the summer. More of a town square, this was Allentown's first park and today provides a breath of fresh air in the center of the West Park Historic District. The park includes ornamental trees and walks, and a large central fountain.

• William F. Curtis Arboretum (1915)

100 College Drive

Map location: 40°35′13″N 075°31′22″W

Located on campus of Cedar Crest College. The arboretum contains more than 140 varieties of trees, shrubs, and flowering bushes registered with the American Public Gardens Association.

• Yocco's Hot Dogs (1922)

625 West Liberty Street

Map location: 40°36′34″N 075°28′27″W

Local restaurant chain known for its hot dogs, founded by Theodore Iacocca, uncle of former Chrysler CEO Lee Iacocca. Yocco’s also serves the standard fare of hamburgers, cheeseburgers and cheesesteaks

Significant legacy historical sites

• Allen Theater (1915-1992)

608-610 North New Street

Map location: 40°36′33″N 075°28′51″W

Classic local neighborhood theater, catering to second-run films at reduced prices. Operated for over 70 years until closed when final owner died. Raised in 2000 to provide local parking for area.

• Allentown Horse Exchange (1870-1925)

Southwest Corner of South Church and West Maple Streets

Map location: 40°36′06.25″N 075°28′12.5″W

Established by J. George Snyder in 1870. Large livery stable in Center City, usually having about 60 horses, as well as horses and carriages. Was the largest of several stables in downtown area, extending 120 feet along Maple Street and 90 feet along Church Street. As late as 1917 at the beginning of World War I, there were still well over 1,300 horses in Allentown, and only the main streets had been paved. Closed about 1925, later becoming a parking lot for H. Leh & Company. Current site now a parking deck, built 1971 for Leh's, now used by Lehigh County Government Center.

• Allentown Railroad Station (1890-1972)

306 West Hamilton Street

Map location: 40°36′15″N 075°27′47″W

Passenger rail stations for Allentown, consisting of the Allentown Terminal Railroad Station served patrons of the Central Railroad of New Jersey (CNJ) and the Philadelphia and Reading Rail Roads (Reading) who jointly operated it. It was constructed in 1888 and 1889. The second station, the Lehigh Valley Railroad Station (LVRR), was built in 1889 and was located directly west of the CNJ station. It served the patrons of the LVRR. Passenger rail service ended in Allentown during the 1960s, the stations became derelict and the Lehigh Valley station was torn down in the 1972. The CNJ/Reading station was restored into a restaurant (since closed).

• Allentown State Hospital (1912-2010)

1600 Hanover Avenue

Map location: 40°36′53″N 075°25′47″W

Psychiatric hospital that served the counties of Lehigh, Northampton, Carbon, Monroe, Pike, and occasionally eastern Schuylkill. Due to the sharp decline in the need for psychiatric hospitals was closed in 2010.

• Apple Hill Ski Area (1962-1978)

Kernsville Road @ Kern's Dam, Kernsville

Map location: 40°37′58″N 075°36′28″W

Opened in 1962 as a local winter ski area, in Kernsville, about 10 miles northwest of Allentown. Offered beginner and moderate slopes, rope tow and two T-bar ski lifts, night skiing, snowmaking and a lodge. Also offered a ski school. Closed in 1978, now abandoned and overgrown; ski lodge and other facilities appears to be still standing but very run-down and vandalized

• Camp Crane (1917-1919)

Northwest Corner of 17th and West Chew Streets

Map location: 40°36′05″N 075°29′51″W

World War I use of Allentown Fairgrounds, used by the United States Army Ambulance Service (USAAS) as a training camp. Its mission was to train ambulance drivers to evacuate casualties on the Western Front in France and also in Italy. Returned to fairgrounds use in 1919.

• Central Park (1893-1951)

North Wahneta Street

Map location: 40°37′19″N 075°25′14″W

Amusement park in the Rittersville section of East Allentown. Opened in 1892. Offered 40 acres of shady walks and ample park benches. It was built in a wooded area with picnic groves, walking paths, a few amusements, theaters and food stands. The first rides were a carousel, a toboggan chute, and the "Razzle-Dazzle". Closed in 1951 after a series of fires, land redeveloped in the early 1960s, last parts of the park torn down in 1964.

• Colonial Theater (1920-1988)

513-17 West Hamilton Street

Map location: 40°36′12″N 075°28′07″W

Golden era stage and cinema in Allentown Central Business district. Over 1,000 seats with two balconies. Initially silent theater, was also host for traveling jazz spectaculars, specializing in touring groups from Harlem's Cotton Club. In 1929, the theater installed sound equipment for talking pictures. In February 1935, it was the site of a live national radio network broadcast of "Amos and Andy". An extensive renovation in 1963 made it the premiere first-run movie theater in downtown Allentown during the 1960s-1970s. Closed in 1988 and became derelict. Torn down in 2005.

• Drive-In Theaters

Airport Drive-In Theater (1950-1962)

Airport Road and US. 22

Map location: 40°38′29″N 075°25′53″W

Boulevard Drive-In Theater (1949-1985)

556 Union Boulevard

Map location: 40°37′13″N 075°27′00″W

Super Skyway Drive-In (1955-1979)

Crackersport and Blue Barn Roads, Kuhnsville

Map location: 40°35′39″N 075°35′15″W

West End Drive-in Theater (1948-1975)

Route 22 at N.15th Street Exit

Map location: 40°37′13″N 075°30′07″W

Classic, post World War II outdoor Drive-in theaters in Allentown. Open from about April though the end of October of each year, being closed during the winter months. The theaters opened about an hour before sunset each night, and normally showed two films on an average evening, the first being a first-run film, the second being either a "B" movie or a second-run film.

The Airport closed in 1962, torn down in 1963 and the land was redeveloped. It's now part of the cloverleaf intersection of Airport Road and US 22; also the Scottish Inn and Suites/Valley Plaza Shopping Center. Catasauqua Road goes right though it.

The Boulevard closed in 1985. Its ticket booth, projection/refreshment building and the metal speaker posts were torn down and removed about 1990. Property is currently vacant, however projection screen remains in a derelict state. Private Property.

The Super Skyway closed in 1979. Sat vacant for decades. A fire burned down the concession stand and projection booth in 2003. It finally sold in 2004 and in 2005 the property was torn down. Today it's an empty field.

The West End was closed about 1975, property redeveloped. Now Rothrock Nissan.

• Earle Theater (1927-1961)

20 North 8th Street

Map location: 40°36′08″N 075°28′27″W

First cinema in Allentown to be equipped for synchronized sound films. It opened on 16 December 1927, showing "The Prince of Headwaiters", starring Lewis Stone, a mostly silent film which had scenes in sound. The four-story cinema (its upper floors were professional offices, the 3d and 4th floor having a two-story windowed atrium in the front) operated until February 1961, when it was closed. The last film shown was The Great Impostor, with Tony Curtis. Eventually the property was sold and the theater torn down. Today it is an Allentown Parking Authority parking lot.

• Fountain Brewery Hotel (1869-1948)

16 South 8th Street

Map location: 40°36′04″N 075°28′24″W

Site of mid-1800's brewery and hotel in Center City Allentown. Established as the Däufer Brewery in 1869 by Henry Köenig and his brother-in-law George and Francis Däufer. Was also a saloon and barber shop, becoming one of the most popular destinations in Allentown. Although the beer was produced at the site, Köenig's beer vault was at Jefferson and Larwence Streets at the "Beer Vaults and Sommer Garden", now near the Allentown Water Works. After Köenig's death in 1874, brewery was moved to the Larwence Street site and the building was turned into the "Fountain Brewery Hotel", although small amounts of beer were brewed at the site (although not during Prohibition) until 1948. Building raised in 1990 and turned into city parking lot.

• Hess Brothers (1897-1994)

Northeast Corner of 9th and West Hamilton Street

Map location: 40°36′05″N 075°28′31″W

Largest and most famous Department Store in Allentown, nationally known. Founded by Max and Charles Hess, the store consisted of five floors and over 400,000 square feet of retail space. Became landmark department store with magnificent crystal chandeliers gracing the main hall. It was well known for its fashion apparel as a result of introducing the latest trends from Europe. Extravagant window displays along exterior of main floor. Children delighted at the giant toy soldiers Hess’s used as Christmas decorations in addition to "Pip the Mouse" in a puppet show. Shoppers were treated to the annual May flower show, fashion shows, and celebrity appearances. Hess's Patio restaurant was well known for its strawberry pie and other delicacies. Closed 1994. Building torn down 2000, land redeveloped as The Plaza at PPL Center.

• Hotel Allen (1882-1954)

1 North 7th Street

Map location: 40°36′09″N 075°28′17″W

Large landmark hotel on Center Square opened in the gilded era. Included a large lobby with a luxurious sitting room. All rooms also had electric lighting, and some rooms even had private baths. Hosted businessmen, wealthy travelers, political figures and other important guests to the city, including three former Presidents of the United States. Closed 1954. Raised in 1956, site became First National Bank building (1958-1995), now being redeveloped as Two City Center office complex.

• A. Jack Coffield Stadium (1929-1947)

North 18th and West Turner Streets

Map location: 40°35′54″N 075°29′42″W

Former high school football facility, opened on 28 September 1929 adjacent to city's Allentown High School. Named for A. Jack Coffield, high school football player who died during a football practice on 26 September 1928. 15,000 seat capacity Coffield Stadium was the home team for the Allentown High School football team. Over a six year period from 1941 to 1946, the AHS teams went 60-3-3, outscoring the opposition 1,801 points to only 239. Forty of the sixty wins were by shutouts. Replaced by larger Allentown School District Stadium in 1948, Coffield Stadium was used as an athletic field until 1969. The current high school athletic facility was built on the site between 1970-1973.

• Lehigh Structural Steel Company (1919-1992)

1 West Allen Street

Map location: 40°36′59″N 075°27′26″W

The company was formed in 1919 during the height of Allentown's industrial era. Its facilities occupied 55 acres along the Lehigh River, consisting of heavy fabrication buildings, tower fabrication and tower galvanizing. Lehigh Steel was the only major steel manufacturer located in Allentown. Steel plant closed 1992, site now part of Neighborhood Improvement Zone (NIZ). Plans announced in 2013 to redevelop the site into a mixed office and residential complex known as The Waterfront.

• H. Leh & Company (1850-1996)

626 West Hamilton Street

Map location: 40°36′07″N 075°28′14″W

First Department store in Allentown, opened in 1850 as shoe and boot retailer. Henry Leh manufactured large numbers of boots for Union Army troops during the Civil War, expanded into dry goods and opened a large department store in 1912. Christmas season found the store packed. The arrival of Santa Claus was a major event. Although not quite as flamboyant as Max Hess's showplace at 9th and Hamilton, Leh's still held its own. In the late 1950s an appearance by pop singing idol Frankie Avalon packed the store with teenagers. Closed in 1996 as part of decline of retail shopping in Allentown Central Business District. Redeveloped into Lehigh County Government Center for government office use.

• Mack Trucks (1905-2009)

2050 Mack Boulevard

Map location: 40°34′25″N 075°28′19″W

Manufacturer of heavy industrial trucks, trollies and buses. Company headquarters moved to Allentown from Brooklyn, New York, in 1905. Mack trucks have been sold in 45 countries. Company headquarters moved to Greensboro, North Carolina in 2009, however manufacturing plant remains in Macungie, a suburb in southwest Allentown. Allentown World Headquarters building, erected in 1970, was sold to New Jersey-based J.G. Petrucci Co., who leases out office space in the building.

• Moll Gunsmith Factory (1764-1884)

117-119 North 7th Street

Map location: 40°36′16″N 075°28′21″W

Colonial gunsmith factory established by American Patriot Johannes (John) Moll about 1764. Moll moved to Northampton Town from Goshenhoppen, 40 miles north of Philadelphia. Moll manufactured Pennsylvania Flintlock Rifles (later known as Kentucky Rifles) for settlers in the local area. During the Revolutionary War, he enlisted as a Private, Eighth Class, of the Third Company of the First Battalion of Northampton County Militia on June 18, 1777. He was never called to active duty, as he was assigned to manufacture and repair rifles, pistols and bayonets and to manufacture saddles for the Continental Army. After the Revolution, Moll's son and later descendants remained in the gun manufacturing bushiness, producing flintlocks used in the War of 1812. The family remained in Allentown and operated the Gunsmith factory, switching to percussion cap rifles and pistols in the 1820s until John Moll III died in 1883 when it was sold for $7,500, and was possibly torn down. In 1924 the Lafyette Hotel Fire which destroyed several properties on North 7th Street which were all torn down afterwards. Today it's a parking lot.

• Peter Rhodes House (1762)

107 North 7th Street

Map location: 40°36′14″N 075°28′20″W

2d oldest building in Allentown, built by American Patriot Peter Rhodes in 1762. Tailor and storekeeper, later served on the Committee for Public Safety in Northampton Town during the Revolutionary War. Later Rhodes was a judge of the local courts. He was the President Judge of the newly formed Lehigh County, also the first Burgess of Northampton Town in 1811. Died in 1814. Home was re-built in 1890, a 3d story added and turned into a rooming house. Was later reduced in size about 1924 after the Lafyette Hotel Fire and Sears Roebuck established a store in Allentown afterward in the 100 block of North 7th Street. Today the south part of the home (about half) still stands as part of a townhouse/local business.

• West Side Diner (1948-2005, 2011-)

701 North 19th Street

Map location: 40°36′19″N 075°30′03″W

Originally Hooks Diner, built in 1947 on West Tilghman Street from Paramount pre-manufactured aluminum diner based on World War II lunch wagons. Owned by Al Hook it was originally a classic American Diner in the Cubist style wide with a lunch counter and booths along the front windows, glass brick curved corners and sheathed in aluminum or stainless steel. It was designed to serve lunches and dinners during the diner's golden age. After World War II, Tilghman street expanded into major thoroughfare, first known as the Penn Highway (US 22), and Hooks was one of many similar Diners along the highway going though Allentown. When Rt. 22 was rebuilt north of Allentown into locally known "Lehigh Valley Thruway" in 1955, the diner remained popular with the local residents. The Diner was sold to Russel Saylor in 1966 and the building was expanded greatly into a brick and steel structure, renamed Saylor's Restaurant. Offered Pennsylvania Dutch cuisine, became local landmark restaurant. Originally the aluminum diner was visible along Tilghman Street, later bricked over and incorporated into its permanent structure as the front dining area, the diner booths along the front window were retained while the lunch counter was taken out for additional patron table space. Michael Saylor took over operations in 1992. Closed in 2005, re-opened as "West Side Diner" in 2011 .

• Strand Theater (1917-1953)

14-16 North 8th Street

Map location: 40°36′07″N 075°28′26″W

Opened as large (1,000 seat) silent movie theater in 1917 as spinoff of Lyric Theater so Lyric could concentrate on stage plays and vaudeville acts. Had a large organ with full-time organist for playing silent film music scores. Adapted to sound films about 1929. The Strand was one of several large ornate movie theaters in Allentown Central Business District, providing Saturday morning matinees, serials, and multiple film showings daily. The movie theater was closed in 1953 due to the popularity of Television. Theater lobby became retail space, auditorium became warehouse and distribution center for Farr Shoes. For decades after its closure as a movie theater, its large theater marquee remained attached to the front of the building, used for advertizing of the retail store in the front lobby section. Sold 1986, auditorium torn down for parking lot use. Lobby section renovated during the early 2000s, now used for retail and office space.

• Village Inn Restaurant (1936-1998)

4104 West Tilghman Street

Map location: 40°35′30″N 075°32′53″W

• Walps Restaurant (1940-1998)

Northeast Corner of Union Blvd. at Airport Road.

Map location: 40°37′28″N 075°26′32″W

Notable Pennsylvania Dutch restaurants. Both built before World War II on Tilghman Street when it was still designated as US 22. The Village Inn was in far West Allentown, Walps in East Allentown, about 6 miles apart. Both restaurants were family-owned and welcomed thousands of families celebrating milestone birthdays and anniversaries and toasting newlyweds at wedding receptions, high school reunions and other occasions. Many local and out-of-town celebrities dined at the restaurants. Both were purchased by Rite-Aid and closed day after Thanksgiving in 1998. Both buildings were torn down about 2002. Walps was replaced by super-pumper convenience store. Village Inn torn down and property redeveloped into several small business buildings.

• Western Electric (1872-1995)

555 Union Blvd

Map location: 40°37′19″N 075°27′09″W

Electrical engineering and manufacturing company, the supplier to American Telephone and Telegraph of telephone equipment from 1881 to 1995. It was the scene of a number of technological innovations and also some seminal developments in industrial management. It also served as the purchasing agent for the member companies of the Bell System. Western Electric came to an end in 1995 when AT&T changed the name of AT&T Technologies to Lucent Technologies. Lucent was merged with Alcatel SA of France in 2006, Allentown manufacturing facility was subsequently closed and is currently vacant.

See also

• List of city parks and recreation facilities of Allentown, Pennsylvania
• Cuisine of Allentown, Pennsylvania
• Culture of Allentown, Pennsylvania