Demolition work winding down on Penn Street building
Demolition work is winding down at the rear of the building at 431 Penn St., one of several Reading-owned buildings near Penn Square.
Work in the 400 block of Court Street began early this month.
Work on the Penn Street side of the building was completed in March.
The building is the most problematic in the string of five vacant properties, 431-443 Penn St., that the city bought for $2.6 million in 2013.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.
City Council last year authorized an agreement of sale for the five buildings with developer Philly Office Retail, but the deal has not yet been finalized.
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