Category: West Lawn
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The Ranch House
Read more: The Ranch HouseA staple on Penn Avenue in West Lawn for nearly a half century, the owners of the Circle S Ranch House announced on March 30th that they would be closing permanently on April 8th, 2022. The building was built in 1969 as a Schell’s. It replaced the location that was further east down Penn Avenue…
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Ronco’s Pharmacy
Read more: Ronco’s PharmacyMichael Ronco, RPh first opened his pharmacy in June of 1956. The original pharmacy was located at the corner of Dwight Street and Cleveland Avenue in West Lawn. In 1967, the pharmacy moved to 3311 Penn Avenue in West Lawn, where it remained for nearly half a century. Michael retired from his pharmacy business in…
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Grand Blvd – Wyomissing’s Casualty of the Bypass
Read more: Grand Blvd – Wyomissing’s Casualty of the BypassI had previously written a post about the effect the construction of the bypass had on West Wyomissing. The stories about house-moving intrigued me due to the fact that my mother and her family lived on Girard Avenue at that time and got to witness the spectacle firsthand in the early 70s. Yet there was…
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Wilbur “Lefty” Reeser –
Sports Star to Sporting GoodsRead more: Wilbur “Lefty” Reeser –Wilbur “Lefty” Reeser was born on June 28th 1918 in West Lawn to Herbert and Mary Reeser. Judging from Lefty’s senior yearbook excerpt below, he was an all-around athlete during his adolescence. During his senior year at Wilson he led Berks County in boys basketball scoring and also took the Prexies baseball team to the…
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Dixie Tavern West Lawn
Read more: Dixie Tavern West LawnThe Dixie Tavern was located at the corner of Dwight Street and Penn Avenue in West Lawn, where the Pizza Hut currently stands. Its grand opening was on July 16th, 1949. It remained a popular restaurant and bar in the area until it was replaced by a Pizza Hut in the mid-1970s. Information about this…
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Wilson High School
Read more: Wilson High SchoolThe original Wilson High School building was erected in 1929 on Grandview Boulevard above West Lawn. The first school year started in Fall 1929 and housed 7th-12th grades. The name of the school was chosen in the hope that the life of the man in whose honor it was named, Woodrow Wilson, might serve as…
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West Lawn Printing – Then & Now – 1975
Read more: West Lawn Printing – Then & Now – 1975In 1975 a printing company sat at 2438 Penn Avenue (now 2834). It is now home to Zhuang’s Garden, a local Chinese food eatery. Zhuang’s Garden has been there since 2005. It is unclear when West Lawn Printing closed or if there was any other business in the building between. According to Linda Reber on…
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National Cleaners – Penn Ave – West Lawn – Then & Now
Read more: National Cleaners – Penn Ave – West Lawn – Then & NowA brief history from National Cleaners website: National Cleaners was founded in 1945 by Theodore Roeberg, father of current owners Richard & Mickey Roeberg. He purchased a small wholesale dry cleaning plant in Reading and was quickly the first in the area to offer six-hour dry-cleaning. He expanded quickly opening six small stores and in…
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Sammy’s Steaks
Read more: Sammy’s SteaksSammy’s Steaks was a pretty popular sandwich joint that was founded in 1946. The “Original” shop was at 12th and Buttonwood Sts. While under family ownership they sliced their own meats from fresh formed ribeyes and NEVER used anything but; unlike the emulsified meat that most others use today. They also made their own sauce…
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The Hitching Post
Read more: The Hitching PostThe Hitching Post was a very popular restaurant located in the Springmont section of West Lawn. Built in the 1930s, it was originally a Howard Johnson’s. It then became an establishment called the Imperial Club. Finally, it became the Hitching Post in the 1960s. Countless anniversaries, birthdays, organizational meetings and other celebrations were held here…