Renovations underway for 117-year-old pagoda in Pennsylvania
(WHTM) — Renovations are underway for a historic, 117-year-old pagoda in Pennsylvania.
According to the pagoda's website, the 117-year-old pagoda located atop Mount Penn in Reading is being renovated in a broader effort to enhance the structure and the surrounding Skyline Drive Park.
The pagoda's website says construction crews will install a new HVAC system, electrical system, and plumbing systems to meet code requirements to reopen to the public. The site says cosmetic fixes will also be done to the interior and exterior, including paint, wood refinishing, and restoring other details.
Renovation began on April 1 and is planned to be finished in October 2025. The project cost $4.8 million, awarded by the American Rescue Plan Act and unspent 2024 capital improvement funds, the site added.
The Reading Eagle recently reported that unexpected gaps were found in the pagoda's stone foundation. Workers will inject lime-based grout to fill some of the holes in the foundation, then the grout will level out and fill in the rest of them.
According to the Berks History Center, the Reading Pagoda was first erected in 1908 as a hotel for a luxury resort, however the plans for the resort were abandoned, but the building remained and became a monument of the City of Reading.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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