Trenton Tour 1996

Trenton Tour 1996 (From a local paper)

...Next, the South Trenton tour stops at the apartment
of Alan Mallach, Trenton's director of Housing and
Economic Development, in the historic Grand Court Villas.
This renovated cigar factory is one of several
preservation projects on the tour. Mallach, who is also
a pianist, will play for his visitors.
THE TOURISTS will ride by Auto Valet, a former trolley
barn on Lalor Street that was converted into a car wash.
They'll stop at Bow Hill, also known as the Barndt
Deklyn House, which is nearby. Now owned by the
Ukrainian Culture Club and used as a recreation center,
the 19th-century house was once leased to Joseph
Bonaparte, former king of Spain, as a love nest for him
and his ''protege,'' Annette Savage. ''We'll go inside
because it is beautiful, and hasn't been altered much,
'' says Kascyc. ''There is some wonderful original
woodwork and a great fireplace.'' After driving by
some of South Trenton's small ethnic churches, the
group will disembark at the Hungarian Reformed Church
for a tour and Hungarian-style lunch. A small museum
inside has old pictures and ethnic costumes.
The tour also includes a drive-by of the historic New
Jersey State Prison, where a guide will describe
details of the original building. Finally, there is a
stop in the lively shopping district of South Broad
Street, where visitors can browse ethnic stores and
the popular Artifacts Gallery. They will stop into
the Chiacchio Funeral Home, where a private collection
of Trenton memorabilia is on display. Those who don't
feel like shopping can visit the East Trenton Library.
''It has a lovely tile fireplace upstairs,'' says
Kascyc. ''It's part of the self- guided portion of
the tour.'' THE LAST leg of the tour includes a stop
for cold drinks at Quinn's Bar, built about 104 years
ago. Much of the inside of this vintage building is
still original. Robert Wagner will lecture visitors
about the authentic bar and its role in the lives of
neighborhood working men. The bar, which was
originally advertised as a hotel and ballroom, has a
distinctive stained glass window. Time permitting,
the South Trenton tour will include a drive-by look
at some sites in Mill Hill and the surrounding area.
Artist/historian John Maccalus is tour guide.
Sally Lane, director of the Trenton Convention &
Visitors Bureau, leads the tour of Trenton's western
section. Historian Charles Webster, who runs the
Trentoniana Collection at Trenton Public Library, is
in charge once again of the Civil War tour. And Gene
Galli, Chambersburg historian and retired attorney,
takes visitors through the Burg.