May 20, 1975: Century-old Building Reduced to Rubble

By Margaret Leidy Harner from her book One Day at a Time: A Social History of Boyertown, PA.

May 20, 1975: In the name of urban renewal, the century old building, originally the home of the Keystone Fire Company and later Boyertown Borough Hall, has been reduced to a heap of rubble at 27 South Reading Avenue, to be replaced by a parking lot.

Demolition began last week at the rear of the gray structure, and after the insides were sufficiently weakened, a push at the front corner of the building by a bulldozer scoop was enough to send the building toppling into a cloud of dust. The debris was loaded on trucks and by evening there was only a deep hole in the ground.

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