Category: Then&Now
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Weiser Lake – The “Mine Hole”
Read more: Weiser Lake – The “Mine Hole”Below are aerial photos of Weiser Lake aka the Mine Hole near Wyomissing/West Reading. The first was taken in 1932, when the Reading Hospital Building was brand new. Pictured in the distant right is the Berkshire Knitting Mills. Before the Hospital expanded there was a small lake that sat where the current 7th Avenue garage…
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Quick Clean Carsonia
Read more: Quick Clean CarsoniaPictured is the Quick Clean Laundromat on 747 Carsonia Ave in Mount Penn in the 1960s. It is still currently a laundromat and goes by “Jakes Coin Laundry“. Jake’s is a chain of laundromat’s all over Berks and Lehigh Counties since 1995.
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Rosedale Knitting Mill
Read more: Rosedale Knitting MillRosedale Knitting Mill was once Berks County’s third largest knitting mill, behind Berkshire and Textile. It was opened in 1914 as a manufacturer of men and women’s stockings by a man named William C. Bitting. By 1921, Rosedale employed nearly 3,000 people who settled close to the site of operations within areas that eventually became Laureldale…
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Triangle Factory Outlets
Read more: Triangle Factory OutletsThis interestingly shaped building is located at 1010 N. 9th Street, right where 8th and 9th streets split on the north end of the city. At one point it apparently held outlet stores. This was likely due to the close two block-proximity to the Reading Outlet Center, which has long been abandoned, but is currently…
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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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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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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:
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Schmeck’s Food Market
Read more: Schmeck’s Food MarketSchmeck’s was a Pennside food market at the corner of Carsonia and Harvey Avenues. In December of 1970, owner Donald Schmeck sold his market to Earl Redner, founder of Redner’s food stores. He operated it as an IGA grocery store for some time before changing the name to the standard “Redner’s”. Today it is still…
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Northeast Reading – 1931 & Now
Read more: Northeast Reading – 1931 & NowBelow are two aerial shots of the same area, in 1931 and today. The view is looking at Hampden Park (bottom right), once a reservoir and now a sports field. Hampden Boulevard is the street to it’s left that bears right going northeast. 13th street is left of Hampton blvd, heading north.
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Fifth and Penn Reading
Read more: Fifth and Penn ReadingBelow are various images of the southeast corner of Fifth and Penn Streets in downtown Reading. The southeast corner of Fifth and Penn, previously the site of Reading’s well-known Mansion House, as it appeared in the 1940s. On April 3rd, 1977 the building housed a McDonalds when a fire broke out around 10:30pm. Famous Maid…
