Raze Neuweiler Brewery, move Allentown forward
When a building has been vacant for so long and deteriorated so badly that a tree is growing out of it, it’s time to move on.
The Neuweiler Brewery in Allentown was a remarkable specimen in its day. But the sun set on its day decades ago.
The crumbling building has been an eyesore for the Front Street neighborhood. If a developer wants to knock down most of it, as proposed Tuesday, city officials and residents should support that plan.
Urban Residential Properties told the city planning commission it has grand ideas for the site, which overlooks the Lehigh River. The development company intends to erect a seven-story building with 286 apartments, 38,000 square-feet of retail space, a parking garage and other amenities.
Its plans call for restoring and retaining the brewery’s iconic tower-like structure at Front
Street and Pump Place, but demolishing the rest of the complex.
Some officials and preservation advocates said they were disappointed in the demolition plans, The Morning Call’s Lindsay Weber reported.
It is sad when landmarks are demolished. Too much of our history gets lost. But every old building can’t be saved.
Allentown’s Americus Hotel was able to be saved, because it hadn’t fallen so far that it couldn’t be. And it had an owner with the tenacity to pull off the job.
As with the Allentown State Hospital, demolition is the most practical way to redevelop the Neuweiler site.
The Neuweiler Brewery has been vacant since 1968. If it was going to be repurposed, surely a buyer would have come along and done it by now.
There’s a reason that hasn’t happened. It’s not practical. It’s just too expensive.
Demolition was suggested as long ago as 1984, when city building officials said they did not believe the structure could be renovated and reused.
How do I know that? Because I uncovered that nugget during my research for an article about a previous redevelopment plan for the brewery — way back in 2007.
The brewery has passed through many hands since it closed. They all had big ideas for it. None worked out. Hopefully, this one will.
The condition of the building has been a concern for city officials for decades. The owner at the time I wrote the article in 2007 later spent two days in jail after failing to pay fines related to the poor condition.
The Neuweiler Brewery was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. But that’s not an automatic escape from the wrecking ball.
I’ll make the same argument in favor of the brewery’s demolition as I made about the demolition of the state hospital. The land is more important than the buildings.
The hospital encompassed
195 acres along one of the city’s entrance ways, Hanover Avenue. That’s a lot of land in a good location. Opportunities such as that don’t come along often in an older, developed city such as Allentown. It must be maximized.
Likewise, the potential to make Allentown’s riverfront a destination is finally being tapped. The Neuweiler site should be part of that.
By preserving the entrance to the complex, the developers would be paying adequate tribute to the Neuweiler history. Its name would remain.
Perhaps they could include a small display of photos or memorabilia from the brewery to tell the site’s story.
Before the state hospital was demolished, local and state preservationists toured its main building and identified items that could be removed and saved for display as museum pieces. They included tops of columns, a chandelier and wall sconce, stained glass and door hardware.
Perhaps the same could be done at the brewery.
But to put off doing anything at the site until a developer comes forward who is willing to renovate it would be shortsighted. That day might never come. Meanwhile, the building would continue to crumble and be a burden on the neighborhood.
The latest development plan is a good compromise between moving forward and looking back.