Plan would save facade of Penn Street landmark, demolish rear of building, Reading officials say

A proposed plan would save the facade of a Penn Street landmark and demolish the rear of the structure, city officials said.

The empty structure at 431 Penn St. in the Callowhill Historic District is in an advanced state of decay, Reading’s chief building official said.

Brian Willicombe, city CBO, spoke at the Historical Architectural Review Board meetings in September and on Tuesday.

The board reviews and makes recommendations on exterior construction projects in the city’s historic and conservation districts.

The building in the Callowhill Historic District 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.

Willicombe said a structural engineer’s report from April 2022 indicated the western facing wall of the building was in jeopardy.

Since then, he said, the problem has grown worse, and the roof collapsed into the building.

“The buildings are in such disrepair, I consider them unsafe and on the verge of (causing) injury or collapse, injury or collapse,” Willicombe said in September, repeating the words for emphasis. “So I have to do something.”

He initially proposed disassembling the building’s terra cotta façade and placing the components in storage for future reuse.

The remainder of the building would be demolished, he said.

The HARB took no action last month and asked Willicombe to investigate alternatives.

He returned for HARB’s monthly meeting Tuesday with conceptual plans for bracing the facade from within and partially demolishing the rear of the structure.

The plans were provided by the developer, said Jamar Kelly, city deputy director, who attended the meeting virtually.

City Council authorized an agreement of sale for the five with developer Philly Office Retail in January.

Reading City Council approves sale of 5 key downtown properties

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Asked last month about the status of the sale, Kelly said it is in the due diligence phase and the transaction is still pending.

“We are working with the developer on a financing plan for the project,” he said.

Kelly said Tuesday that maintaining and preserving the historic facades of the buildings was a requirement of the city’s invitation for bids on the five.

“The end goal has always been adaptively reusing those buildings,” he said.

City officials briefly considered dismantling the structure at 431 Penn, Kelly said, but they are continuing to research the situation and do not plan on making a hasty decision or one that would not be looked upon favorably from a preservation standpoint.

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.

Due to the condition of the building, a partial demolition of the rear is necessary, Kelly said.

“It’s just been a timing issue,” he said. “And to the extent that it’s creating a safety situation, and we, this fiscal year, have the resources to do it, we want to get it done.”

Though not an immediate danger to the public, Willicombe said last month, the building is edging in that direction.

“Safety comes before historical,” said Willicombe, who was handed the problem after being hired by the city about six months ago.

A provision in the city’s preservation ordinance allows the CBO to take immediate action when there is a threat to public safety, and Willicombe said he will not hesitate to act if the building reaches that point.

If the decay continues to the point that an emergency demolition must be ordered or if the building collapses, it will be too late to save the façade, he said.

Kelly said there are no orders for demolition at this time.

“There’s nothing to take action on at this time,” he told the HARB. “We’re just sharing information.”

Source: Berkshire mont