39Westmont had been the ritzy part of town since long before I was born. Back when steelmaking was big in the region, the bosses had all lived in the township. It was still home to most of the officials, doctors, dentists, and attorneys in Johnstown.
Until recently, it had also been home to Polish Lou.
As I drove along the broad streets under canopies of oak trees, I watched the stately old homes slide past on both sides. Modern, generic “McMansions” were nowhere to be seen; the sprawling structures lining the streets, overflowing with character, were more likely to have been built fifty years ago than five.
Lou’s place wasn’t a palace, but it matched the Westmont aesthetic just fine. It occupied a shady lot in a corner of the township where the houses were less ostentatious and mor
