Santa Claus should have no trouble finding his way to Reading this Christmas Eve with the newly upgraded Pagoda lights ready to help guide his way.
“I know there’s been a history here in the city of the flashing lights for Christmas, identifying and recognizing that Santa Claus is on his way,” Mayor Eddie Moran said Tuesday during a media walkthrough of the ongoing restoration of the landmark on Mount Penn. “I’m happy and honored to announce today that the completion of the electrical work will allow us to come back to that tradition.”
The custom dating to the 1940s helps guide the jolly old elf and signals to children that it is time for bed.
While ongoing renovations prevented the lights from flashing in recent years, the tradition was kept alive by blinking the lights of a city firetruck outside the Pagoda.
The new LED lighting system replicates the building’s traditional appearance and will be ready on time for Christmas Eve, said David W. Anspach III, city capital project manager.
Two bands of lights on the outside and a single band on the inside illuminate both the structure and the mountain face, Anspach said, noting crews reused the existing track mounts but replaced the outdated fixtures and added protective acrylic covers.
Modernized landmark
Upgrading the exterior lighting is part of a larger effort to preserve the city’s best-known symbol while modernizing it for future generations, the mayor said.
The $5.3 million project is funded through $3 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds and $2.3 million in city capital improvement funds.
Reading Mayor Eddie Moran, right, gives a timeline for the completion of the work on the Pagoda with David Anspach, city projects manager, left. (BILL UHRICH/READING EAGLE)
Moran said he planned Tuesday’s walkthrough as a way of updating the public and showing residents how their tax and federal relief dollars are being used.
“Very often we have a tendency to announce a project and then just show the ending by a ribbon cutting,” he said. “Transparency has always been big for me, and I thought this would be a good project to show that to our community.”
Anspach led members of the mayor’s staff, Foundation for the Reading Pagoda and local media through the seven-story, city-owned structure, which has been closed to the public since work began in late 2023.
Exterior work, including painting, roofing, electrical upgrades and lighting, is nearly completed, he said, noting interior finishing is now underway.
Inside work includes upgrading the heating, ventilation and electrical systems, replacing fire suppression sprinklers throughout the building. Crews have been repairing damaged windows, doors and tile work and repainting and applying new red epoxy floor sealing.
Much of the work focused on structural integrity and safety, Anspach said, noting some changes were made to the initial scope of work as unforeseen problems were detected.
The biggest change came after crews discovered voids in the building’s stone foundation large enough to push a 36-inch tape measure into it without resistance, he said. The city authorized a $160,000 change order to fill those cavities with grout and fully repoint the walls.
The project also required mold remediation on one of the upper floors and replacement of an aging track lighting system that had sparked a small electrical fire before construction began.
The lion heads, tile roofing and LED lighting have all been refurbished at the Pagoda. (BILL UHRICH/READING EAGLE)
A rare view
Anspach led the group onto the scaffold for a rare look at the red tile roof and upturned eaves, a distinctive feature found in traditional east Asian architecture.
He pointed out the lion heads on the lifted corners. The figures may represent the mythical guardian creatures significant in Japanese architecture.
The heads were replaced during a renovation of the building in the 1990s, Anspach said.
The total project is about 45 to 60 days from completion, he said, noting that the Pagoda Foundation anticipates a public reopening in mid-April.
While the restoration is nearly finished, plans for how the Pagoda will operate after reopening will be determined by the foundation under an existing memorandum of understanding with the city, he said.
Moran said city and foundation officials envision the space as a community hub celebrating Reading and Berks County culture.
The main entryway into the Pagoda is being refurbished. (BILL UHRICH/READING EAGLE)
Uses could include a small gift shop or café serving locally made snacks and beverages. There’s also the possibility of displays honoring Reading’s railroad and industrial heritage.
The building could host small private events such as weddings and receptions, the mayor said, recalling that he once officiated a wedding ceremony there.
“The Pagoda Foundation and city have collaborated on some really good ideas,” Moran said. “We want to make sure that we utilize the Pagoda as much as possible and do fun-filled activities and events that would create some long-lasting memories.”
The main entryway into the Pagoda is being refurbished. (BILL UHRICH/READING EAGLE)
David Anspach, city projects manager, points out the new LED exterior lighting that will be ready in time for the Christmas Eve tradition of flashing lights to signal the arrival of Santa. (BILL UHRICH/READING EAGLE)
Workers install LED lighting on the ground floor of the Pagoda. (BILL UHRICH/READING EAGLE)
The lion’s heads, tile roofing and LED lighting have all been refurbished at the Pagoda. (BILL UHRICH/READING EAGLE)
Reading Mayor Eddie Moran, right, gives a timeline for the completion of the work on the Pagoda with David Anspach, city projects manager, left. (BILL UHRICH/READING EAGLE)
DO NOT USE David Anspach, city projects manager, points out the new LED exterior lighting that will be ready in time for the Christmas Eve tradition of flashing lights to signal the arrival of Santa. (BILL UHRICH/READING EAGLE)
David Anspach, city projects manager, explains the renovation of the upper floors of the Pagoda. (BILL UHRICH/READING EAGLE)
David Anspach, city projects manager, talks about renovation work done at the Pagoda. (BILL UHRICH/READING EAGLE)
Workers epoxy the concrete flooring in the upper levels of the Pagoda. (BILL UHRICH/READING EAGLE)
Reading Mayor Eddie Moran stands with a lion’s head on the scaffolding of the Pagoda. (BILL UHRICH/READING EAGLE)
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The main entryway into the Pagoda is being refurbished. (BILL UHRICH/READING EAGLE)