03-03-2025
Demolition to begin on Reading-owned building on Penn Street
Demolition is to begin today on a Reading-owned building in the 400 block of Penn Street, the city announced.
The empty structure at 431 Penn St. in the Callowhill Historic District is in an advanced state of decay, Brian Willicombe, Reading's chief building official, told the city's Historical Architectural Review Board in a series of meetings last year.
The board reviews and makes recommendations on exterior construction projects in the city's historic and conservation districts.
Board members unanimously voted in December to issue a certificate of appropriateness for the partial demolitions of the buildings at 431 and 435 Penn St. with the partial demolition of 441 Penn St., if deemed necessary by Willicombe.
Plan would preserve fronts of 3 Penn Street buildings and put parking in the rear
City officials confirmed Friday that only 431 Penn St. will be demolished at this time.
The building is the most problematic in the string of five vacant buildings, 431-443 Penn St., bought by the city in 2013 for $2.6 million.
City Council authorized an agreement of sale for the five with developer Philly Office Retail early last year.
The city did not respond immediately to questions regarding the status of the sale.
Officials in October said the city is in the due diligence phase and the transaction is pending.
Officials have said adaptively reusing the buildings and saving the facades on Penn Street was part of Philly Office Retail's proposal.
The parcels total 1.22-acre on the northwest corner of Fifth and Penn streets between Penn and Court streets.
'The buildings are in such disrepair, I consider them unsafe and on the verge of (causing) injury or collapse,' Willicombe said in September.
The chief building official was handed the problem after being hired by the city last spring.
All of the buildings are deteriorating, he told the HARB, but 431 Penn St. poses the biggest threat.
A structural engineer's report from April 2022 indicated the western facing wall of the building was in jeopardy.
Since then, officials said, the problem has grown worse, and the roof collapsed into the building last year.
City officials considered dismantling and salvaging the structure last year, but no action was taken.
Plan would save facade of Penn Street landmark, demolish rear of building, Reading officials say
Waiting until the situation becomes an emergency, could preclude salvaging efforts, Willicombe said at the time.
It was unclear if the city still plans to salvage parts of the buildings.
Only the 1912 Beaux Arts-style front of the structure 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.
'Safety comes before historical,' Willicombe said in October.
Demolition of 431 Penn St. with the former Reading News facade is slated to begin today. (BILL UHRICH/READING EAGLE)
A provision in the city's preservation ordinance allows the chief building official to take immediate action when there is a threat to public safety, and Willicombe said he would not hesitate to act if the building reached that point.
A section of sidewalk and road in the 400 block of Penn Street will be closed during the demolition work, the city announced.
Work is expected to begin today, the city said, and will take about two weeks to complete.
Due to the nature of the work, the city said, the westbound lane of Penn Street between Fourth and Fifth streets will be closed to vehicle and pedestrian traffic during all hours until deemed safe to reopen.
The eastbound lane will remain open.
Motorists traveling west on Penn Street will be detoured as follows:
• Turn right onto Fifth Street.
• Turn left onto Washington Street.
• Turn left onto Fourth Street to return to Penn Street.
Drivers should plan for additional travel time and use caution when navigating the detour route.
