When the PPL Center hockey arena opened in Allentown a decade ago, thanks in part to the 2011 law that established the Neighborhood Improvement Zone taxing district, a great deal of corporate investment was focused into the renewal of the downtown.
Office buildings, apartments, dining and nightlife soon followed.
And now, with the new Da Vinci Science Center at 815 W. Hamilton St., economic development officials are hoping to spark a second wave of redevelopment in the city.
Lin Erickson, executive director of the science center, noted that the venue is expected to not just draw in school groups, but vacationing families and tourist groups from out of the area.
She said the science center’s programming was designed to give people about a three-hour experience, which should keep people downtown longer leading them to visit restaurants and other area attractions perhaps even making it an overnight stay.
Developers have been paying attention to what the world-class science center will bring to the downtown and that next wave of development the city’s second renaissance if you will -- may have already started.
New projects are on their way including a boutique hotel, to be called the Moxie and a concert and entertainment venue, The Archer, is also on the way.
More apartments are also coming as development begins to spread west in what City Center has dubbed Downtown West.
These future attractions just up the street are expected to add even more to the city’s tourism draw.
“That first wave definitely got kicked off by the construction of the PPL Center,” said Allentown Mayor Matt Tuerk. “This is the beginning of the next big phase. The big splash is happening now.”
And as the city begins drawing even more people downtown The Da Vinci Science Center is expected to draw in 400,000 more people a year alone the city is looking to put its best face forward.
There is currently a streetscaping project underway in the downtown, widening streets, bringing in new furniture and plantings, that will help beautify the area.
“But it goes far beyond beautification,” said Tuerk. “Whenever we do anything in the city, we do it to make it cleaner, healthier and safer.
He said that combination is what will keep people coming back.
And the city isn’t alone in its efforts. It has corporate partners that are working to bring public art to the area.
Jane Heft, vice president of product design for City Center Group, formed a nonprofit called Allentown Mural Arts, which is a community organization dedicated to creating public art in the city.
While the organization has already created murals in the downtown, its latest project is taking art down to the street level.
The organization partnered with the Cedar Crest College Art Dept and art therapy students to create wraps, made by Fastsigns, featuring student art. The project was funded by her employer, City Center Group.
The project’s initial seven wraps appear on utility boxes along Hamilton Street between 8th to 12th streets. They are expected to remain up for the rest of the summer.
Heft said she was proud that her company backed the proposal.
“I think City Center is a different kind of developer. J.B. Reilly and the team believe as much in the spaces in between the buildings as much as the buildings themselves,” Heft said.
She said by creating a more attractive environment downtown with public art, it creates a better experience for those working and living there and makes the downtown more attractive to businesses and visitors.
The organization worked with the city to create a new city-owned property easement to make the project possible.
The creation of the easement will help the nonprofit bring even more art to city owned spaces and will allow it to apply for adding art to such spaces as crosswalks and more.
With the Da Vinci Science Center bringing an estimated $33 million economic impact to the city and region, Tuerk said any investment in creating a welcoming environment seems like money well spent.
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