Years back, before suburban malls lured shoppers away from in town, Penn Street was teeming with pedestrians from morning to night. Around the holidays, sidewalks were thronged to the extent the only way to pass people was a side-run out in the street. Hundreds [...]
In July of 1870, workers began to erect a building at 135 North Sixth Street which was to contain a market house and Masonic Temple. However, the panic of 1873 - 74 prevented completion so the property was sold by the sheriff to [...]
Faller’s bakery was established by E. J. Faller (1888-1958) and his cousin George B. O’Neill in 1911. The business itself was started at 1606 Cotton Street. Edward J. and Ella M. Faller began operating their pretzel bakery at 528 & 530 Moss Street [...]
Although a few houses were built along Kutztown Road before 1838, it wasn’t until that date when a blacksmith by the name of Jacob Lutz secured a parcel of land and thereupon erected two stone buildings at the comer of what would become [...]
The Soldier’s General: Hunter Liggett of the A.E.F. Big stature, big deeds and straight talk personified the man, Major General Hunter Liggett, born March 21, 1857, somewhere near to the corner of Sixth and Chestnut Streets, Reading, Pennsylvania. (On his return from Europe where [...]
In the golden days of Reading we got used to the idea that we were living in a good old town. Whenever a native went sojourning to some near distant place like Philly or New York or north to Wilkes-Barre and Scranton, whenever [...]
Reading used to be a playground town way back when we were kids. We would race out of bed on smothering mornings of heat and haze, grab rumpled remnants of play from yesterday, gulp milk and toast and head to the innocent haven [...]
The Crystal Restaurant was once one of Reading’s most popular dining establishments. It was an institution, a landmark, the definitive meeting and eating place in downtown Reading for 70 years, filled with memories and meaning. Founded in 1911 by Constantine Mantis, the Crystal [...]
Groundbreaking was held on Tuesday, January 12, 2021 for Alvernia University’s CollegeTowne project. Below: Alvernia University President John R. Loyack smashes a wall Tuesday as the university celebrates the beginning of work on its Reading CollegeTowne project at 401 Penn St. In February, 2020, [...]
After years of standing vacant, the former Saylor store at 401 Penn Street was razed in June 1980 to make way for the CNA Insurance Building. CNA would erect a large complex on the western half of the square, supplanting four existing buildings [...]
