S.S. Kresge Co. was one of the largest and most successful retail chains of the 20th century. On August 7, 1920, Kresge opened a store in Reading, PA at 544 Penn Street occupying the former Reading Eagle building building at the southwest corner [...]
The southeast corner property at Sixth and Penn Streets, the sixty feet of former Outlot No. 20 of the original town plan of Reading was first conveyed to Conrad Weiser for his own business. Afterwards his decision was altered and he installed his [...]
The Woda Group Inc., an Ohio-based property development firm specializing in affordable housing design, construction and management the water corporate companies, has completed 57 apartments on South Second Street for seniors to provide them with affordable housing. Barley Square is located on the [...]
Douglas Development Corporation will repurpose the former Reading Station Outlet Center at 600 Spring Street by constructing 500 apartments over the next five years. Mayor Eddie Moran made the announcement, Friday, January 29, 2021 during the State of the City Address. Reading Station [...]
Oling, Tulpewihaci, Gokhosing, Machsithanne! Some foreign language? Not at all. These are native American Indian words which Berks County has adopted as place names. Oley, Tulpehocken, Cacoosing, and Maxatawny! To the Indian the first word meant: a place surrounded by hills; the second, [...]
The Skew Arch Bridge in Reading, PA, also known as the Askew Bridge and nicknamed the Soap and Whiskey Bridge, is a historical skew arch bridge completed in 1857 carrying two tracks of the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad (P&R) at an angle over [...]
In 1900, the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad began construction of the sprawling railroad shops along North Sixth Street in Reading. They were the largest railroad shops in America, and unlike most railroads, allowed the Reading to make its own engines. The Reading shops [...]
Many of the new immigrants, particularly in the second half of the nineteenth century, were from Poland and were looking for a new land with religious and civil freedoms. Pennsylvania would be the land of opportunity for many immigrants, some of whom would [...]
On May 25, 1996, a three alarm arson fire, out of control for more than four hours, destroyed the former Great Factory Store in the 1100 block of Moss Street. The building was vacant since July 1985. The 2nd largest fire in the [...]
In 1909, the city leaders celebrated with much fanfare the opening of the Spring Street Subway, a rail bridge that eliminated a dangerous Reading Railroad crossing – first for pedestrians and later for cars. The Reading Railroad was well established in the area [...]
