The Berkshire Hotel

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Image & caption below from “Berks Countians; The Wonderful Way We Live”

Mrs. James F. Bell II and Mrs. Charles M. Guthrie Jr. with her son, Charles M. III leaving the North Fifth Street entrance of the Berkshire Hotel, Reading after lunching in the Mural Room. The Murals in this lovely dining area depict the history of Berks County dating back to the times of George Washington.

It opened as the Hotel Berkshire on New Years 1915. It boasted 185 guest rooms, and a large lobby. I can’t find exact info on when it closed as a hotel, but it was transitioned into office space by the mid-80s at the latest. Currently, much of the space is vacant and for lease as business office space. There is also a community center in the building.


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Rodney D Speiss
Rodney D Speiss
5 years ago

I used to eat breakfast at the restaurant that was on the first floor when I worked downtown in the mid to late eighties.

Jerrilyn Carter
Jerrilyn Carter
5 years ago

yes I remember this very well I even had a friend who lived there.

Barbara Heller
Barbara Heller
3 years ago

In 1968, I attended Reading’s Practical Nursing Program, and some of we students lived on a floor of the hotel, which, I think, was reserved for YWCA girls. McCann’s Business School students lived there too. Is this the correct building? There was an old fashioned elevator, with an attendant, who let us on and off, closing a grate like door before the outer door closed. We only went to our floor, and never wandered about the remainder of the hotel. I am very curious to find out whether this is the correct building.

Richard Schaeffer
Richard Schaeffer
2 years ago
Reply to  Barbara Heller

Living in the Berkshire with an electric range in the room brought an awful lot of complaints since there was no ventilation from the cooking. That was in 1967 working as a state parole agent..Met my future wife and moved.


Berks Nostalgia