City Hall
Why it's listed
Built in 1904 as a boys' high school, this three-story Beaux-Arts building on Washington Street in Reading has granite lower stories, light gray brick upper stories, and terra-cotta ornament. Davis & Davis of Philadelphia designed it, and the local firm Seidel & Fink built it. The City bought the school in 1928 for $510,000 and converted it into City Hall within eleven months, with interior work led by architect Alexander F. Smith. The building is significant as the most complete Beaux-Arts design in Reading and the only example serving a public institutional role. Its stone and terra-cotta craftsmanship and its Council Chamber stained glass windows, a series of fourteen panels depicting local history, are also central to its listing. The building anchors the neighborhood along Washington and North Eighth Streets.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the building is the City's finest and purest example of the Beaux-Arts style and one of the few such buildings in Reading, with the only one serving an institutional function. It is also cited for its craftsmanship in stone and molded terra-cotta and for its Council Chamber stained glass windows made by the J. M. Kase Glass Company. Its connection to Socialist city officials Mayor J. Henry Stump and Councilman James M. Maurer is also presented as important.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 82003760, listed April 13, 1982. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 8th & Washington Sts., Reading |
|---|---|
| County | Berks County |
| Listed | April 13, 1982 |
| Reference number | 82003760 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1904-1928 |
| Architect / builder | Davis & Davis (architects); Seidel & Fink (builders) |
| Architectural style | Beaux-Arts |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Education, Politics/Government, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Converted to City Hall use in 1928; exterior described as extremely well preserved. |
| Acreage | 6.3 |
| Coordinates | 40.33800, -75.92136 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 82003760.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5123194
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.