A walk through Allentown is always full of surprises, even after the Infringement Festival has come and gone. This past fall, the owner of Antique Man, John Shepherd, who bought the building in 2002, framed out the old windows on the front of the building and then added some glass.
This spring he did the same to the west side of the building. All of this is in preparation for two apartments that are currently under construction – one on the second floor and one on the third. This will fill up the entire building. A fire ripped through the upper floors of 234 Allen Street 15 years ago. The upper windows have been boarded up ever since. It’s good to see this corner firing on all cylinders again. The sprawling apartments feature brick walls, wood floors and are loft-style in appearance. It is said that the antique lanterns that hang on the front of the building were some of the first to ever be lit with electricity (they were originally located in Niagara Falls).
A couple of doors down, artist Chuck Tingley has completed a mural titled “Voyage”. The work is featured on the wall of Glow Gallery and In The Loop. The mural was inspired by people’s intrinsic nature to overcome adversity in the face of race and gender bias. The androgynous boater perseveres through life, as he/she is led by the light from a lighthouse that is synonymous with an “inner light”. The new parking lot for the Puritan Building can be seen to the right of the mural.
Finally, the Pruritan Building is nearing completion. To say that this was a long time coming would be a huge understatement. For ages this building has sat underutilized, and closed off from the world. Not only was this architectural gem out of the public eye, it was also boarded up on the ground floor. There were many who thought that the day would never come when the boards were removed and a glass facade was added. Well, that day has come. We will soon be taking a first hand look at the renovated apartments, as we wait to hear word regarding what the owner, Noel Sutton, has planned for the commercial spaces.