Pagoda-Skyline Inc. will celebrate the 87th anniversary of the William Penn Memorial Fire Tower in October with free public climbs and historical presentations.<\/p>\n
The event is planned for Oct. 17 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the tower, 621 Skyline Drive, Lower Alsace Township.<\/p>\n
Local Skyline historians Corrie Crupi Zana and Mike Reinert will discuss the building\u2019s history and its construction during the Works Progress Administration era. Established by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1935 to provide jobs during the Great Depression, the WPA undertook public works projects that helped transform the mountaintop before the program ended in 1943.<\/p>\n
There also will be opportunities to explore the surrounding grounds, where remnants of the old Gravity Railroad remain, and learn about the Summit House hotel that once stood nearby.<\/p>\n
Free climbs of the 156 steel steps and 12 landings spiraling to the tower\u2019s glass-walled observation deck will take place throughout the event. The deck offers a panoramic view stretching about 60 miles across Reading and the surrounding hills, forests and farmland.<\/p>\n
Groups of up to 20 people will be given about 20 minutes for each climbing session.<\/p>\n
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An upcoming event at the William Penn Memorial Fire Tower will offer free climbs of the 156 steel steps, 168 counting the landings, to the tower’s glass-walled observation deck, which offers a panoramic view stretching about 60 miles across Reading and beyond. (Courtesy of Pagoda-Skyline Inc.)<\/p>\n
Standing at an elevation of 1,120 feet, the roughly 120-foot-tall tower was completed in 1939 and has overlooked the city from atop Mount Penn for nearly nine decades.<\/p>\n
It was designed by Reading architect Grover Cleveland Freeman and built by local contractor Harry E. Potteiger, whose later projects included Reading Municipal Memorial Stadium, now FirstEnergy Stadium, and the Reading Regional Airport terminal.<\/p>\n
Though its stone construction has proved remarkably durable, the building had fallen into severe disrepair by 2000, prompting Pagoda-Skyline Inc. to spearhead an effort to restore it.<\/p>\n
The nonprofit was incorporated in 1970 to preserve and promote the Pagoda, tower and other public attractions on the mountain. The organization continues to work with the city on minor repairs and improvements to the tower.<\/p>\n
Although no longer routinely open to visitors, the tower continues to be used for fire observation and has opened for scheduled events and by appointment.<\/p>\n
That public access is now being expanded.<\/p>\n
As part of the anniversary celebration, organizers are launching Tower Sundays, which will open the landmark from noon to 4 p.m. Sundays during the second, third and fourth quarters of the year through 2027.<\/p>\n