Tag Archives: Reading Downtown Improvement District
Groundbreaking Set For Reading Hotel And Convention Center
Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Berks County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Albert R. Boscov was excitedly making and receiving countless phone calls in his Exeter Township office Monday after getting word that the last of the financing for a downtown hotel and convention center was finally in place.
He immediately began making plans to break ground Friday at 11:30 a.m. in the 700 block of Penn Street across from the Santander Arena.
“It’s been a long wait but we got it,” Boscov said.
The renowned retailer has been working on the block-long, four-star hotel, which will cost at least $56 million, since 2007.
Read more: http://readingeagle.com/article/20131217/NEWS/312169896/1052#.UrDeuPRDsxI
Reading Gets In The Holiday Spirit With Parade On Saturday
Reading, PA – You won’t want to miss the big-time addition to this year’s Holiday Parade in downtown Reading on Saturday. And when we say big, we mean big!
Snowflakes the Snowman will be the first-ever huge helium balloon to hover along the parade route. Measuring 50 feet high and 22 feet wide, Snowflakes will be holding a large bright-blue snow star in his right glove as he makes his way down Penn Street on Saturday morning.
The annual parade will start at 9 a.m. at 11th Street and proceed down Penn Street to Second Street. Free parking will be available at all Reading Parking Authority garages except the Poplar and Walnut garage.
In addition to the debut of Snowflakes, a second, smaller helium balloon in the shape of an antique ornament will be part of the procession, according to Charles R. “Chuck” Broad, executive director of the Downtown Improvement District, which is coordinating the parade.
I-LEAD School Rocks Downtown Reading’s Redevelopment Plans
Map of Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States with township and municipal boundaries (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
When CNA Insurance announced Monday that it was donating its downtown Reading office building to I-LEAD Charter School, it was done with quite a bit of fanfare.
The sidewalk outside the five-story building at Fourth and Penn streets was filled with people. Speakers praised CNA’s generosity and the work I-LEAD does.
Applause erupted as a ceremonial key exchanged hands.
But as the celebratory din diminished, some questions were raised.
Soon-To-Be-Restored Penn Street Bridge Is Turning 100 . . . And Looks It
Map of Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States with township and municipal boundaries (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
It’s seen a century of Reading — the good and the bad, the highs and the lows.
It’s served as the entrance and the exit to the city, the first thing people see when they come and go.
But most of all, the Penn Street Viaduct — the formal name for the 1,337 feet of concrete arches that span the Schuylkill River to connect the main thoroughfares of Reading and West Reading — has become an icon.
“When you think of the city, the first things that come to mind are the Penn Street Viaduct and the Pagoda,” said George M. Meiser IX, Berks County historian.
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