Arbogast & Bastian

The company operated for nearly a century prior to filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1984, citing cash flow issues brought about by market turmoil and labor disputes.

Arbogast, who was born in Freeburg, Pennsylvania, in 1851, was a school teacher by training who entered the wholesale provisioning business in the early 1880s in Phillipsburg, New Jersey.

[6] The two partners built a two-story building and stable at 25 Hamilton Street, in Center City Allentown, purchased two horses, and started supplying provisions and lard to local businesses and distributors.

This grew into a strong business for Arbogast & Bastian, since these goods previously had to be imported from New York City and Philadelphia, and suffered in freshness and quality because of the time required to get the finished product to Allentown.

[7] Following their successful pork venture, Arbogast & Bastian expanded into beef, lamb, and mutton, first purchasing ready-cured meat from suppliers in the West, and ultimately building their own full-scale abattoir and cold-storage facilities on-site.

[8][9] The large Arbogast & Bastian facility occupied a prominent location along the Lehigh River at Hamilton and Front streets in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

During World War II, 70 percent of Arbogast & Bastian's output went to the U.S. Armed Forces and through the Lend-Lease program to the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, China, France, and other Allied nations.

[1] In 1989, city officials in Allentown announced plans to revitalize brownfield land along the Lehigh River, which included the abandoned Arbogast & Bastian plant.

[17] The redevelopment, which was called "Lehigh Landing," was originally designed to include a museum, a brewery, walking trails, a footbridge across the river, and a promenade for festivals.

[2] Development of "Lehigh Landing" was hindered by fundraising problems, environmental remediation issues, and even a national debate on pork barrel government spending.