Masonry Magazine August 1983 Page. 8
MASONRY RESTORATION REVITALIZES
DOWNTOWN READING, PA.
Eshbach Brothers, Inc., Masonry Contractors, recently completed work on a multi-phase restoration, rehabilitation and new construction project which is the "keystone" to the revitalization of downtown Reading, Pa.
The $6-million masonry project, which was completed at the end of 1982, involved a variety of painstaking tasks, including the installation of a spectacular bas-relief brick sculpture; the "transplant" of a turn-of-the-century Beaux Arts building facade, and the complete rehabilitation of a 1902 high-rise, the Colonial Trust Building.
In addition to restoration activities, Eshbach was responsible for the new brick construction of a nine-story addition to Colonial Trust, a four-story computer center, and a drive-in bank.
Initiated by a Reading bank whose downtown facilities needed refurbishing and expansion, "Project Keystone" has drawn hundreds of new employees and attracted a renewed community focus to an area that suffered in recent years due to the migration of shoppers and business to suburban areas.
Brick Accomplishes Harmony
According to project architect James E. Dockey, "One of the most challenging aspects of Project Keystone was to assure compatability between the new and existing buildings. This was accomplished through the use of brown iron-spot brick throughout the new construction, which gives it continuity with the iron-spot buff-colored brick of the old Colonial Trust Building."
Colonial Trust, one of the first skyscrapers built outside the major eastern cities, was gutted and its interior rebuilt. Under the direction of Eshbach Brothers, all of the building's exterior brickwork was cleaned and repointed, and its terra cotta cornice and balconies were repaired and coated with water repellent.
Concern for historic beauty was also demonstrated by transplanting the facade of Reading's former "News Building" which had to be razed to make way for the new construction to the front of the bank's marketing, operations and communications center. Eshbach Brothers and continued on page 26
The Beaux Arts facade of the 1912 Reading News building, after restoration and "transplant." The terra cotta, brick and marble units were dismantled, piece by piece, from the original structure, then were coded, cleaned and repaired before being reinstalled at a new location as the front of a bank's marketing, operations and communications center. The doorway on the right was redesigned to match the left-hand doorway. (Photo by Lawrence S. Williams, Inc.)
More About Our Cover
"Reflections," a 15½ x 60 ft. brick sculpture depicting social and cultural life in southeastern Pennsylvania, is now part of revitalized downtown Reading. It is the centerpiece of a massive urban restoration project that has preserved several notable Reading landmarks, keeping the architecture and updating interiors and systems. Glen-Gery Corp., a leading brick manufacturer based in Reading, developed a new brick color range to coordinate with the brick used on the existing buildings, and also supplied the guidance and facilities to create the massive bas relief sculpture carved into the same brick range used on the building addition pictured here. The sculpture was designed and carved by Mara Smith, whose work on the Anatole Hotel in Dallas and the Hamilton Hotel in Itasca, I., have earned her international acclaim.
8 MASONRY-JULY/AUGUST, 1983