Category:Crocodile Rock, Allentown, Pennsylvania

The Crocodile Rock Cafe opened in July 1999 at 520 Hamilton Street in Allentown.

Crocodile rock was first, and foremost a concert hall for popular rock music acts. Owned by Joe Clark, he bought the former Eastern Light building in January 1999, after being vacant for a number of years. The club consisted actually of two closed buisnesses, the Allen Electric Company at 520 Hamilton and Eastern Light at 522 Hamilton. Clark and his associates did a gut renovation of the buildings, combining the two interiors into one, giving it a tropical decor.

The club opened in Late July 1999. It had a restraunt and a nightclub with seven bars, a video game room and two dance floors. The sound system was estimated to cost $500,000, a disco light show with 12 lasers, 60 televisions (before flat screens, this was 1999), and images of crocodiles everywhere.. even in the mosaic designs of the bathrooms. The club also offered VIP lounges for private parties. In the basement was a seperate section called the "Club Down Under".

The club actually opened its restraunt at 10:00am serving a full menu lunch. It featured food such as Mimini Burger Bites, Jamacan Me Crazy Wings, and Crocodile Zone Rock House Chowder. Its first act was Julian Lennon at the grand opening on July 30th, with tickets costing $7 at the time.

Over the next several years, top music acts came to Allentown to play at Croc Rock, as it was called. Snoop Dog, Gin Blossoms and the Spin Doctors, Bret Michales, Neon Trees, Jack's Mannequin, Jonas Brothers, Spin Doctors, ... to name a few.

The club unfortunatley lost its liquour licence in January 2013 after a shooting incident. However, its popularity started to decline before that. It faced increasing compeition from other music venues, such as ArtsQuest Musikfest Cafe, and the Sands Event Center in Bethlehem.

After the shooting incident, the venue struggled for the next two years, booking concerts for teens in 2014 and 2015, but the crowds weren't there and the profits were not being made. That was that as the venue decided to cut its losses and close its doors.

The vacant property was subequently purchaced in June 2016 by City Center Investment. In September 2017, City Center announced plans for a six-story $250 million residental and commercial office building called 520 Hamilton Flats. The rock concert hall was subsquently torn down a few weeks later.