Category: History
-
The Park Theatre – 1016 Penn St
Read more: The Park Theatre – 1016 Penn StThe Park Theater opened November 11, 1926, and it was closed by a fire on May 19, 1978. The theater was demolished the following year. James S. Maurer operated the theater as a X-rated movie and live burlesque house, and in 1964 he was arrested along with two strippers in a raid by the Reading…
-
Wyomissing Swimming Pool – Happy Hollow
Read more: Wyomissing Swimming Pool – Happy HollowHappy Hollow Park still sits tucked away in Wyomissing, though the swimming pool is no longer in existence. Happy Hollow was built with community bonds sold, and the land was donated by Henry Janssen and Thun, prominent owners of the Wyomissing Industries in 1910. The land for the pool was also donated by Thun and…
-
West Lawn Elementary School
Read more: West Lawn Elementary SchoolTake a look at how West Lawn and West Lawn Elementary School looked in 1932: The school looks like it was fairly new at the date of this photo, but I could not find an exact date of build. It sat at Riegel Ave and Nobel Street, a block in from Penn Ave. It functioned…
-
Red Building – Textile Knitting Mill / Vanity Fair
Read more: Red Building – Textile Knitting Mill / Vanity FairThe old red building was just demolished the other day, to make room for parking for what will be UGI’s new headquarters. Now is as good a time as any to take a look at it’s history, which encompasses over 100 years of use. What we currently know as the “Red Building” was the very…
-
Inside B. & J. Saylor Food, 401 Penn Street
Read more: Inside B. & J. Saylor Food, 401 Penn StreetA few weeks ago I posted about 4th & Penn before it was demolished to make way for the then new CNA building. There was a great shot of the old B. & J. Saylor Food Store, which was a hot spot to get fresh produce and other foods. Above you can see an old…
-
Reading Municipal Memorial Stadium
Read more: Reading Municipal Memorial StadiumMunicipal Stadium hosted it’s first baseball game in 1951. On March 28, 1945, Reading City Council voted unanimously to purchase 27 acres of ground known as Cathedral Heights at a cost of $64,491 for the purpose of building a municipal stadium. In 1947 the grading of the land began and by 1949 the initial stages…
-
It’s Berks Nostalgia’s 1st birthday… Share YOUR Nostalgia!
Read more: It’s Berks Nostalgia’s 1st birthday… Share YOUR Nostalgia!Wow, hard to believe I started this blog one year ago today. Thanks for subscribing, and improving the content of this site by adding your stories and memories! For our 1 year anniversary, I’m leaving the nostalgia up to YOU. Send in your favorite nostalgic photos or videos. They can be of anything; places, people,…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
