Back in June 2020 my husband and I took a drive through Allentown, PA, which is about an hour from our house. We had moved from a strict lockdown to one step less restrictive about a week before, I guess, and we wanted to see some new sights. So we got in the car for a drive (we did not leave the car on this trip) and I took photos through the window.
As we drove along on our way out of town, on a whim, I snapped the passing scene one photo after another as the car moved. I then did drawings of these photos. I’m going to be showing them over the next few posts.
I did not draw the scenes in the order they appeared on the street and I can’t remember how they lined up, anyway, so…don’t try to make sense of things.
I’ll just show you the scenes.
More twin homes. To get your bearings, these houses are on the other side of the apartments (you can see the building’s side wall to the right of the houses) from the houses I showed you in the previous post.
By this point, I am in the swing of drawing this neighborhood and have been taking a lot of time with each drawing. I really love these little houses and I am hoping I did them justice with my work here.
Claudia McGill and Her Art World 
These look so much like my grandparents’ house in Canton, Ohio, the one my mother grew up in.
I used to take the bus to Allentown when I worked for Fairtex Mills, but I only saw the bus depot, the mill and the motel. I imagine it’s much like Canton in other ways–still looking for its post-manufacturing footing. (K)
Actually these days the area has turned a corner and moved on. Because of its location it is increasingly popular for business investment, a lot of construction downtown including new apartments and offices, and the mourning for manufacturing is over (now Bethlehem Steel’s property is a large complex for art and entertainment, for instance). Housing is affordable and there is a great variety of it from these kinds of houses to the usual suburban developments. Quite a few people also commute to NYC or Philadelphia from there. Big differences from when I first saw Allentown maybe 25 years ago.
That’s good news. I was there 40+ years ago. I can’t believe it’s been that long!
You wouldn’t recognize the place now.
I like the way your drawing emphasizes the idea of these houses huddling together, squeezing together, united, against the surrounding environment,
Thank you. I have always thought houses of this style look cozy. Well-settled in together.
Twin homes are so NE! I remember them everywhere growing up and when I lived in PA for the first 4 years of my life we lived in one! (I was born in Pittsburgh)
I never saw one until I came to PA for college and at first I could not get why anyone would want to live in one (I was used to sprawling suburbs or else living out in the country, as we did, with plenty of room around us). Now I think that if I were buying my first house again, I would get one, and I might never move again.