Plymouth Avenue: Back from the Brink

For many years, the first block of Plymouth Avenue between Hudson and Pennsylvania streets was a sore thumb of blight threatening the more stable neighborhoods of Plymouth Avenue between Pennsylvania Street and Porter Avenue, Pennsylvania Street itself and nearby Orton Place and St. John's Place.  The crime and disinvestment found on the block was also a threat to the western end of the Allentown Historic Preservation District. 

According to neighborhood residents, the block was a hotbed of drug dealing and other criminal behaviors. It was not uncommon to find heroin needles lying about, prostitutes turning tricks on corners, or teenagers shooting up under streetlights.  Abandonment, decay, and sheer age have all taken their toll on this block. 

At the close of 2001, Heart of the City Neighborhoods (HCN) and its board had a strategic offsite planning session where the board decided HCN should partner directly with the Kleinhans Community Association (KCA) to reclaim the first block of Plymouth.  The KCA and HCN identified the block, between Hudson and Pennsylvania streets, as the area in most need of attention since it was endangering the stability of the bordering Days Park, Kleinhans and Fargo Estate neighborhoods - three of the most successful, middle income areas in the Lower West Side.  West Side Neighborhood Housing Services joined on as a partner.

42, 44, 46,50 and 54 Plymouth (L-R) are some of the oldest in the area dating to as early as 1850.

Plymouth Avenue is close to other distressed blocks of Hudson and Cottage streets and it was expected that a successful redevelopment of Plymouth would stimulate revitalization on other blocks, increasing property values, and enhancing vested community interest.  Once these tangible benefits occur, market interest in the neighborhood from middle-class buyers, a critical component to the success of a holistic Lower West revitalization effort, was projected to increase considerably.  It is happening.

On the first block of Plymouth, the key has been a growing number of people purchasing and renovating houses.  In many cases they have become owner-occupied houses, but in other cases they have been resold.  Many of these houses were written off for demolition, but neighborhood residents fought to save them. 

"The turnaround on the block has been amazing," says KCA's Chris Brown. 

The targeted block of Plymouth boasts historic homes dating back to the 1800s: however, most of the properties were in serious distress, creating unhealthy zones and detracting from the quality of the neighborhood.  Several houses on the block were vacant for many years, while others suffer from disinterested, absentee landlords unwilling to perform necessary repairs and general upkeep to maintain the properties.

With the Plymouth Avenue Block Reclamation Project, neighborhood activists planned to more than clean up a blighted block; it sought to create an integrated, mixed-income neighborhood where low-income, moderate-income and high-income individuals and families all have a critical interest in the community. 

The Kleinhans Community Association members played a key role in reclaiming the block.  As properties became available, either for sale or at tax auction, a stakeholder would buy and renovate them, or at least prevent them from going into the hands of absentee landlords.  They have not been successful every time, but in most cases they were.  Block club members have acquired five properties on the block and have been renovating those properties.

Candace Church and Dinah Gamin, nearby residents of Orton Place, purchased two properties behind their home: an abandoned and abused house at 43 Plymouth Avenue and a notorious drug house at 42 Plymouth Avenue.  They razed 43 Plymouth Avenue and converted the site to a beautiful garden that is opened on the annual GardenWalk.  It has been a perennial favorite since then, visited by thousands of people every year.

Next, Gamin and Church renovated 42 Plymouth Avenue and it became the home of Heart of the City Neighborhoods, Inc. who has worked tirelessly to enhance the neighborhood through its presence on the street and its own housing renovation projects.

From this small beginning, the positive momentum grew.

HCN has purchased and renovated homes, targeting properties which were considered neighborhood nuisances in an effort to eliminate blight.  When rehabilitation was completed, the renewed home was sold at market rate.  HCN purchased and renovated 15, 23, and 44 Plymouth.

Number 44 is the oldest house on the block (late 1840s, the oldest structure on the block is the Sidway barn at 32 Plymouth, dating to about 1840) and was literally on death's door but thanks to Joe Delaney and HCN it was preserved.  It may not be a perfect historic renovation, but the structure was saved and future renovations can bring it back to its original look.

Rising prices nearby has also helped block's dramatic turnaround as it was a block where houses could still be purchased reasonably.  That seems to be diminishing as prices have increased.  It still is close to everything Allentown-centric.  And the housing stock is really beautiful.

Within the last year, 18 Plymouth has been renovated (above) and a dramatic eco-renovation is happening right now at 25 Plymouth.  In addition, 21 Plymouth was renovated, as was 49 Plymouth.  The beauty at 34 Plymouth is also being restored, an amazing job by John Gulick (before and current below).

Successes:
11 Plymouth - Brown
15 Plymouth - West Side NHS & Dawn Lauck
17 Plymouth - Ralph Delmont, success)
18 Plymouth - Carlos Villaroel & Tom Huzinec
23 Plymouth - Bill Lindner and Heart of the City
21 Plymouth - David Bartlett/Don Kinsman
25 Plymouth - Dawn Lauck and now being renovated by new owner, Carlton Pfohl
32, 34, 50 & 54 Plymouth - John Gulick with help from Lauren Kostek, 50 & 54
42 & 43 Plymouth - Dinah Gamin & HCN
38 Plymouth - West Side NHS
55 Plymouth - Ralph Delmont
39 Plymouth - John Beyer
44 Plymouth - HCN & FBI (drug house that was renovated and resold)
49 Plymouth - Bob Karp

54 Plymouth- Before and During

One other thing has helped -- in the revised Allentown Historic district, the block of Plymouth between Hudson and Pennsylvania is now included.  About half of it was before.  Three of the four corner houses were already listed on the National Register.  11 was a local landmark (entry image, right).  15 and 55 already were already in the local district.  The new district erases the few missing teeth and makes the whole block eligible for historic tax credits.  The new listing will be approved next week as part of the National Trust for Historic Preservation conference.  18 Plymouth has already taken advantage of these new credits.

Previous: Kleinhans Neighborhood Rising

Next: What's on the Market; Eco-Restoration at 25 Plymouth

314 Hudson, corner of Plymouth 

49 Plymouth, right 

18 and 24 Plymouth, two of the larger homes on the block 

Photos by Mike Puma