It was once a beautiful mountain resort nestled atop Mount Penn, right off of Hill Road. In the late 1800’s when the popularity of the Gravity Railroad was in full swing, Sphuler’s Hotel was a very popular winery and also served as lodging for those who needed a place to stay. It was just one stop of many along the Gravity Railroad’s loop which served to entertain locals as well as drew tourists from all over the region.… Read Full Article
503 Penn Street
The building located at 503 Penn Street in its footprint dates back to the 1800s and has hosted numerous business over the proceeding centuries. In 2016 this building was purchased by Weidenhammer Systems Corp and redeveloped by Muhlenberg Greene Architects.
In 1872 there was a fire which wiped out the entire north side 500 block of Penn Street. The fire originated in the Stichter’s Hardware Store building next door.… Read Full Article
C.K. Whitner’s Department Store

West Shore Bypass New Exchanges – 1963
On this day in the Reading Eagle – 1963

Traffic is rolling over the newly opened West Shore Bypass. Several motorists commented on the time saved in using the new road. One reported reaching the center of Reading from the bypass junction at the Philadelphia Pike in seven minutes, a saving of about 13 minutes. The ramps of the interchange at Lancaster avenue are shown at the bottom of the photo above and the cloverleaf at the western end of the Penn Street Bridge is shown at the top.… Read Full Article
On this Day – Dec 1st 1984

A fire rips through the building at 527 Penn Street destroying a photography studio on the upper floors which caved into Ciao Restaurant, a pizza shop, on the main level.… Read Full Article