Category: Reading
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5th and Penn Redevelopment
Read more: 5th and Penn RedevelopmentI have spent the better part of a year advocating for the long-awaited sale and redevelopment of the buildings on the northwest corner of 5th and Penn, that the City of Reading has sat on and let deteriorate for well over a decade. Finally, last month the city decided to sell the Farmers National Bank…
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Reading’s First Natatorium – 134 N. 5th Street
Read more: Reading’s First Natatorium – 134 N. 5th StreetOn April 6th, 1904 it was announced in the Reading Times that William Luden had purchased a property at 134-136 North 5th street with the intention to construct a Natatorium. It would be Reading’s first indoor swimming pool, managed by the Fifth Street Swimming Club, which was formed for the endeavor with Luden as President.…
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James Carpenter’s Swanona Mansion
Read more: James Carpenter’s Swanona MansionJames Henry Carpenter James Henry Carpenter was born in 1846 in Brooklyn, New York. When he was a boy of 15 years the American Civil War broke out, and he promptly joined the Union Navy as a cabin boy. He took part in a night operation which involved capturing the Confederate schooner named “C.P. Knapp“.…
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30 North 6th Street
Read more: 30 North 6th StreetThis past summer I explored another of Reading’s long abandoned industrial spaces; 30 North 6th Street – directly across from the Courthouse. The bones of this building’s front section likely date to the 1840s. In its very beginnings it was utilized as a residential dwelling. Deeds from 1860 and 1880 describe it as a two-story…
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The Hawthorne & George F. Baer
Read more: The Hawthorne & George F. BaerIn the shadow of the Pagoda, at 1501 Mineral Spring Road, sits the Hawthorne; mansion of the late George F. Baer. A statement to his influence, the Baer moniker still echos throughout Reading to present day. You may recognize it as the namesake of a park at the far northwest reaches of the city and…
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Old Rajah Temple | 525 Franklin Street
Read more: Old Rajah Temple | 525 Franklin StreetThe beginning of the local Rajah chapter dates to 1892 when the Berks County members of the Lulu Temple were tired of making the journey to Philadelphia to attend meetings. They decided to pursue a local charter with the national Rajah organization. In August of 1892 they were granted their charter and purchased the former…
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Liberty Fire Co | Reading Area Firefighters Museum | 5th & Laurel
Read more: Liberty Fire Co | Reading Area Firefighters Museum | 5th & LaurelThe Liberty Fire Company was established on January 21st, 1854 to protect the southern section of the City. At that first meeting the members voted to name it the “Wyomissing Fire Company”, but at the next week’s meeting they changed it to “Liberty”. The City of Reading quickly purchased the lot on the southeastern corner…
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History behind the charred remains of 113-117 North 5th Street
Read more: History behind the charred remains of 113-117 North 5th StreetIn the early morning hours of September 3rd a three-alarm fire ravaged the two buildings north of the old Berkshire Hotel at 113-117 North Fifth Street. The cause of this fire is still under investigation, but there are reports that people heard an explosion at the rear of the two structures just before it began.…
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Farmers National Bank Building
Read more: Farmers National Bank BuildingOrganized in 1814, the Farmers National Bank was Reading’s oldest and longest lasting financial institution. In 1817 they purchased the old Federal Inn which was located at 445 Penn Street. The Federal Inn was constructed in 1763 by Adam Witman and was one of Reading’s first taverns. President George Washington spent one night there on…
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Liever Building, 439 Penn Street
Read more: Liever Building, 439 Penn StreetNext on the Penn Street chopping block to demolish is the Liever building, which is located at 437 Penn Street in Reading. Due to its prime location in the square, we can be certain the site was one of the earliest settled in the city. In the 18th century the Hiester House, home of Joseph…
