Category:Lentz Building, Allentown, Pennsylvania

The structure at 602=604 Hamilton Street was built by John E. Lentz between 1865 and 1867 in the then-popular Italianate style to house the Lentz shoe factory. Lentz was best known for making high quality women's and children's shoes.

Lentz died on November 19, 1902 at age 61 and was buried in Fairview cemetery. His business was taken over by his brother, Silas, who moved it across 6th Street. Shortly thereafter 602 Hamilton became the Palace Pharmacy, run by Robert Good. It had a popular ice cream stand that catered to children. Good called it quits at the pharmacy and it was closed on January 5, 1938, due to rising rents. At that time, it was the oldest drugstore in the city that had not been remodeled. It later was home of several restaurants over the decades since and today is Pastaficio, a popular Italian lunch restaurant.

In May 2016 it was announced the the building, along with several others at the southwest corner of Sixth and Hamilton, would be raised for the NIZ Tower 6 building. Torn down in 2015 were the vacant former Wally's News building at 12 S. Sixth St., the closed Pasta Alla Rosa restaurant at 602 Hamilton St., the vacant Salomon Jewelers at 606 Hamilton St. and the Allentown Community Corrections Center at 608 Hamilton St.

Construction of Tower 6 is ongoing with an estimated completion date of 2018.