Category:Youell's Oyster House, Allentown, Pennsylvania

Youell's Oyster House is a restaurant located on 23rd street between Walnut and Reading Road in Allentown (2247-2249 Walnut Street)

The restaurant location dates back to a farmhouse built in the early 1800s on Reading Road, the former main road from Allentown to Reading. The original farmhouse also served as a stagecoach stop, with a tavern, dining room and also was a general store. There was a separate entrance for women, with the men entering the bar room. It is said that the bar had a brass hand and foot rail (underneath which was a drained trough used in lieu of a spittoon). It later became a real estate office for the new Hamiton Park housing development in 1917.

In 1927, the Hemmerly family acquired the property, opening the "Hamilton Park Economy Grocery Store". After Prohibition ended in 1933, it became Hemmerly's Hamilton Park Grille, a seafood restaurant, specializing in fried oyster and seafood platters, along with steamed clams. It became a popular hangout for Muhlenberg College students. In October 1956, with the passing of Myron Hemmerly, the restaurant was sold and taken over by other owners. It remained Hemmerly's Grille however until June, 1968 when it was again sold and became the Ivanhoe Restaurant, later the Surloin Pub in late 1971 serving northern Italian food In 1986, the building became the Florentine Inn, followed by Youell's Oyster House in 1992.

In The early hours of January 22, 2013, the Allentown Fire Department was notified that Youell’s was ablaze. Every engine in the city eventually responded. Five firefighters were hospitalized, but the adjacent homes were spared major damage, despite the closest being several feet away. A low temperature of 7 degrees, along with high winds made the conditions considerably more challenging.

The restaurant was a complete loss, and was demolished. Rebuilding began in September 2013 and the current restaurant opened in March 2014. .

Camera location	40° 35′ 30″ N, 75° 30′ 14″ W	View all coordinates using: OpenStreetMap	40.591667; -75.503889