|
The History of the Canal Street Building
|
In 1851 William
Harbster opened a small blacksmith shop at the foot of south 6th street.
Several yearslater , his two brothers joined him, and the business became
the foundation for the Reading HardwareCompany which by 1888 had grown
into a large, well known manufacturer of builder’s hardware.At its peak,
the company occupied five acres and had 2,500 employees. they manufactured
hinges, locks, doorbells, bolts and doorknobs, as well as apple parers,
coffee mills and scales.
|
In 1888, a massive fire
destroyed most of the company’s buildings which were promptly rebuilt.
Thepresent pub area was constructed at that time, and of note in this
section are the ceiling beams each ofwhich were cut from one tree and are
approximately 40 feet long. The dining room area was constructedin the
20’s as was the large building next door.
|
During world war II the
Reading Hardware Company made armor plate for the war effort. Helmets,
shell casings, armor plate for tanks, bomb fuses, and light armor plate
for the bottom of airplane seats were all manufactured here.
|
In the early 1950’s, the
Reading Hardware Company closed its doors for various reasons. Since
then,many of the buildings have been torn down, while the remaining
structures have been rented as industrial warehouse space or converted
into apartments (the Riverloft). In the early 1960’s the J.E. Tobacco
company was a major tenant in this building with its cigarette and candy
distributorship (in the current brewery area) and catalogue showroom (in
the current pub and restaurant areas). After Jetco, threshold
rehabilitation services rented the space for their microfilming operations
and the photo license center.
|
In 1995, the Baushers and
McShanes joined forces to create the Neversink Brewery and Canal Street
Pub and Restaurant. Construction began in January 1996 with the Grand
Opening on July 31. The Canal Street Pub and Restaurant is like no other
space in Berks County. It combines an unusual atmosphere with great food
and great beer.
|
|
Home |
Menus | Banquets
Beverages
| Calendar | Canal
News
History | Photo Gallery | Contact
Us
|