William Abbott Witman constructed Reading's Japanese-inspired Pagoda in 1908 as the centerpiece of a proposed mountaintop resort, but the resort plan collapsed after he failed to secure a liquor license. The city acquired it for $1 in 1911; following a major restoration, the grounds are open daily while the building itself currently opens only for selected ticketed walkthroughs and arranged group tours.
Filed under weird history: real events too strange to have made the textbook.
Something wrong with this entry?
Source: readingpagoda.com/visit