MT PENN PAGODA

NGS PID: KV3829
Coordinates: N 40.336074° W 75.905649°
Location: Pennsylvania
   Berks County
      Reading Quad
Elevation: Unknown
Type: Landmark/Intersection Station
Setting: Finial
Monumented: 1942
Monumented By: NGS
Status: Recovered
Condition: Good as of June 6, 2015
Google Map
A report on the condition of this survey mark has been submitted to NGS.

At first I couldn’t imagine what the “MT PENN PAGODA” was. Maybe a restaurant or a picnic pavilion? But no, it’s an actual Japanese-style pagoda erected, for some reason, atop Mt. Penn looking out over the city of Reading.

According to https://www.readingpagoda.com/, the pagoda was built with the intention of becoming a hotel, but those plans never materialized. In 1911, five years after its construction, the pagoda was sold to the City of Reading, whose citizens have operated and cared for it ever since. They offer tours and host small events, and the pagoda houses a gift shop and small cafe. It wasn’t open when we visited, so we didn’t get to check out the interior. There are walkways at different levels surrounding the exterior and some rustic paths in the woods that allow for viewing of the pagoda from various angles.

Our research (based on old photographs and postcards) indicates that the pagoda has not been significantly modified since its construction, so we feel confident in saying that as a landmark station, the pagoda’s finial remains in good condition, as described in the original 1942 recovery note.