Reading Hardware Company
Also known as: The Hardware; See Also:Reading Hardware Company Butt Works
Why it's listed
Brick and reinforced concrete factory buildings at the southwest corner of Sixth and Willow Streets in Reading form the surviving core of a hardware manufacturing complex. The works grew from a blacksmith shop opened in 1851 and became the Reading Hardware Company in 1862. After a fire in July 1888 destroyed much of the plant, the company rebuilt, and by 1925 it employed about 1,500 workers on five acres and supplied hardware to buildings including the White House. The seven-story Building No. 11, completed in 1923 and designed by the Ballinger Company, is regarded as an outstanding example of reinforced concrete factory design. Its vertical production process, with raw materials entering at ground level and finished goods leaving the same way, is a notable industrial layout. The surviving buildings, with their monumental scale and boiler house stack, also preserve a record of hardware manufacturing from the mid-nineteenth to mid-twentieth century.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the complex is significant in industry for its association with a leading hardware manufacturer and one of the leading firms in Reading's industrial history. It is also significant in architecture for the surviving buildings, particularly Building No. 11, a reinforced concrete factory designed by the Ballinger Company of Philadelphia. The document states that the remaining buildings convey the company's historical associations despite partial demolition.
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 97000516, listed June 13, 1997. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Roughly bounded by Willow, S. 6th, and Canal Sts., and alleyway, Reading |
|---|---|
| County | Berks County |
| Listed | June 13, 1997 |
| Reference number | 97000516 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1875-1947 |
| Architect / builder | The Ballinger Company (architect) |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian; Late 19th and Early 20th Century American Movements; Modern Movement |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Industry |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The document states that the buildings are in good repair and retain original architectural integrity; operations ceased in 1950 and several buildings were demolished in 1951 and 1952. |
| Acreage | 2.6 |
| Coordinates | 40.32557, -75.92678 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
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 97000516.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7300514
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.