Stretch of Reading's Penn Street reopened after demolition completed
A stretch of Penn Street was closed due to the partial demolition of 431 Penn St., one of several city-owned buildings near Penn Square.
The building is the most problematic in the string of five vacant properties, 431-443 Penn St., bought by the city in 2013 for $2.6 million.
The 1.22-acre site on the northwest corner of Fifth and Penn streets is in the Callowhill Historic District.
Only the 1912 Beaux Arts-style front of the structure at 431 Penn St. is considered historic. Originally part of the former Reading News building at 22-24 N. Fifth St., it was transplanted piece by piece to its current location in 1981 as part of the former American Bank $6 million Keystone Project.
Council last year authorized an agreement of sale for the five buildings with the developer Philly Office Retail, but the deal has not yet been finalized.
The 400 block of Penn Street has reopened to traffic following the partial demolition of the property at 431 Penn, the building with the white Reading News facade. (BILL UHRICH/READING EAGLE)
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