Category: Towns
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The Pagoda’s Outbuilding
Read more: The Pagoda’s OutbuildingCompleted in 1908 at a cost of $50,000, this pagoda was intended to be the hotel/restaurant centerpiece of a luxury resort. When plans for the rest of the resort were abandoned, the 7-story wooden building on 10 acres of land was donated to Reading in 1911. It is now part of the Mount Penn Reserve,…
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Inside Pomeroy’s in the 60s
Read more: Inside Pomeroy’s in the 60sThese photos were sent in by Ron Shurr, he worked in the Camera department at Pomeroy’s in the early 60s and had a passion for photography. Thanks for sharing these, Ron. A few memories from Ron: I worked in the camera department, my first job out of high school. Photography was a hobby and was…
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Blue Marsh Ski Area
Read more: Blue Marsh Ski AreaBlue Marsh Ski Area was a small ski area located in Bernville, just 10 miles north of Reading, PA. The ski complex opened in 1968 as the North Heidelberg Ski Slope by a man named John H. Guenther Jr.. In 1986 Joseph M. Aichholz Jr. and four partners leased the ski area, and in 1987…
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Volkswagen Dealership – 1211 Lancaster Ave – 1970
Read more: Volkswagen Dealership – 1211 Lancaster Ave – 1970Pictures were taken by my Grandfather of the 1970 Grand Opening of the Volkswagen Dealership as “Dick Horrigan Volkswagen” located at 1211 Lancaster Ave in the late 1960s. Before this is was under the name Nick Ciliberti. It was diagonally across the street from the Red Barn Restaurant. Today, it is occupied by Glass &…
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4th & Penn, Before & After CNA
Read more: 4th & Penn, Before & After CNABefore 4th and Penn was torn down in 1980 to give way for the construction of CNA, there were multiple businesses on the block. On the corner all the way on the left was Saylor Food, a fresh produce and goods store. To the right of that was a State Liquor store, which was once…
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The Strand Theatre – 9th & Spring St.
Read more: The Strand Theatre – 9th & Spring St.Located at the corner of NE 9th Street & Spring Street. The Strand Theatre was opened February 21, 1920. By 1941 it was owned and operated by Goldman Theatres of Philadelphia. It was a fairly large theatre with a balcony, and had a huge wrap-around neon lit marquee. For years it was a neighborhood double…
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Sights of North Side Penn Street in the 1940s
Read more: Sights of North Side Penn Street in the 1940sPenn Street – North Side – 400 Block….1940s…Reading: We look to the Northeast corner to the landmark Saylor food business stand. In the foreground is car 809 as it appeared in 1947, end-of-the-line year for city trolleys. Looking to the background is an imposing grey-stone structure built as Reading Girls’ High School. At this juncture,…
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Franklin Street Station
Read more: Franklin Street StationThe Franklin Street Station served the railroad from 1930 until 1981 when SEPTA diesel service ceased operations. From 1981 until 2013, the building sat vacant until BARTA acquired and refurbished the building for bus services. The plan was to alleviate overcrowded services at the BARTA Transportation Center located about a block away. –Wikipedia Barta refurbished the building, but it…
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Before 5th Street – North Reading – 1930s
Read more: Before 5th Street – North Reading – 1930sIn the late 1920s, people were expanding outwards from the city, into what is now Muhlenberg Township. According to this article, The petition to create the borough of Laureldale was made Feb. 29, 1929. Leading that effort was Frederick W. Shipe, a housing developer frustrated by the lack of side streets in the area (only…
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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…