Category: Culture
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Spring Street Subway
Read more: Spring Street SubwayIn 1909, the city leaders celebrated with much fanfare the opening of the Spring Street Subway, a rail bridge that eliminated a dangerous Reading Railroad crossing – first for pedestrians and later for cars. The Reading Railroad was well established in the area before city engineers considered building the subway. So to construct it, crews…
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On this Day: October 20th, 1973
Read more: On this Day: October 20th, 1973Reading’s 7th Street isn’t really a street, it’s railroad tracks. And these railroad tracks will cut through the purposed Penn Mall. Edward Sulzberger, the proposed mall developer, has said he would prefer the tracks not be there but can live with them. Meanwhile, other redevelopment officials feel the tracks may become an asset in the…
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Socialist Park in Sinking Spring
Read more: Socialist Park in Sinking SpringSocialist Park, now known as Willow Glen Park, was created in 1929, under socialist Reading Mayor, J. Henry Stump. In it’s heyday, it boasted a dance hall, and a roller-skating rink. Today, the park hosts large local events, including the Apple Dumpling Festival in June, Berks Celtic Fest in July, and Shocktoberfest, a halloween scare…
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100 block Penn Ave: Before the Bypass
Read more: 100 block Penn Ave: Before the BypassWe all have driven on route 422…the stretch of highway that runs past Reading and along the Schuylkill River down to Pottstown. This stretch of road did not always exist. In fact it wasn’t until the 1960s that US 422 in the Reading area was rerouted from surface streets through downtown Reading onto bypasses built south…
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Fox North Theatre
Read more: Fox North TheatreOpened as the Fox Theatre on 21, Aug. 1964 and was located in the Muhlenberg Shopping Center on the 5th Street Highway (Rt.222), just north of Reading. The Fox Theatre was renamed the Fox North Theatre when Fox opened the Fox East Theatre on 3 May, 1971. It was equipped for 70mm film, had one…
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Ritz Theatre
Read more: Ritz TheatreThe Ritz Theatre was located at 819 Penn Street, across from the Kissinger-Farmer’s Market. It was originally called the Crescent Theatre when it opened: The Crescent Theatre was opened in 1910. In 1913 it was renamed Princess Theatre. It was re-named Arcadia Theatre in 1928, taking the name of the Arcadia Theatre which had burnt…
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Farmers-Kissinger Market
Read more: Farmers-Kissinger MarketThe Farmers-Kissinger Market sat on the 800 block of Penn Street, taking up the entire block to Cherry St in Reading. It was opened around Memorial day of 1871. In 1930, they opened a law suit against the city of Reading, due to a dispute about the market building a driveway across the sidewalk of…
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Museum Road – 1927 & Today
Read more: Museum Road – 1927 & TodayBelow are aerial photos of Museum Road, looking toward West Reading. Pictured front and center is the Villa St. Elizabeth, “Home for the aged”. The Reading Public Museum can be seen further in the background, through some trees. Notice the then brand new Reading Hospital building in the top center. Most of Wyomissing was not…
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Northmont School
Read more: Northmont SchoolThe Northmont School was built in 1922 and opened for Reading School District’s 1923-24 school year with six grades in each of its six classrooms. Kindergarten was added for the 1929-30 year but discontinued after 1935. In 1955 the Reading School District discontinued use of the building, but leased the building to Muhlenberg Township for…
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Chubby’s on Penn St 1969
Read more: Chubby’s on Penn St 1969At the far left is the well-known Jimmie Kramer’s “Peanut Bar”, at 332 Penn St, besides which is Chubby’s Italian Sandwiches, a business also once operated on Lancaster Pike, beyond Shillington. This view dates from April 1st, 1969. pictures courtesy of the Passing Scene Today:
