READING, Pa.- A well-known downtown Reading landmark is getting the attention it needs\u2014not for demolition, but for preservation.<\/p>\n
According to Go Reading Berks, the fa\u00e7ade of 431 Penn Street originally belonged to The Reading News building, constructed in 1912 at 22-24 North Fifth Street. When that building was demolished in 1982, the fa\u00e7ade was carefully removed and reassembled at its current location, preserving a piece of Reading\u2019s architectural history.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe city of Reading is blessed to have truly historic architecture that just sort of brings all different cultures together,\u201d said Jack Gombach, Managing Director for the City of Reading.<\/p>\n
Now, the building is undergoing critical repairs, but city officials stress that this is not a demolition. The work involves removing aging HVAC systems that could threaten the integrity of the structure over time.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is in no way a total demo,\u201d Gombach said. \u201cI think people see the cranes and think, \u2018Okay, here comes a wrecking ball.\u2019 But this is proactive\u2014dealing with it now before it becomes a bigger problem down the road.\u201d<\/p>\n
City leaders explain that outdated heating and cooling systems, along with heavy ductwork, have placed too much stress on the roof and walls. The removal of these aging components is essential to maintaining the building\u2019s stability.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs you see this project completed, the improvement of that area is going to be more visible,\u201d said Maritza Loaiza, City Core Manager for the City of Reading. \u201cAs they redevelop, you\u2019ll see more commercial activity as well as apartments and mixed-use spaces.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Loaiza, this project is more than just a renovation\u2014it\u2019s personal. As a Reading native, she has seen the city evolve over the years and is proud to be part of its transformation.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s excitement building. I know it\u2019s long overdue,\u201d Loaiza said. \u201cPeople want to see commercial properties. They want to see the ability to live, work, and play in downtown.\u201d<\/p>\n
With preservation efforts underway, officials say 431 Penn Street will continue to stand as a symbol of Reading\u2019s past\u2014while making way for its future.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"READING, Pa.- A well-known downtown Reading landmark is getting the attention it needs\u2014not for demolition, but for preservation.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":152229,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[69215,128,130,129,69216],"class_list":["post-152228","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-reading","tag-penn-street-building","tag-reading-city","tag-reading-city-headlines","tag-reading-city-news","tag-the-reading-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/152228","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=152228"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/152228\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/152229"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=152228"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=152228"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=152228"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}