In Reading, Alvernia’s CollegeTowne sparks new plans for Reading Eagle, Madison and Berkshire buildings

At a time when local economies are sagging under the weight of the coronavirus pandemic, Reading may be seeing hints of a downtown revival thanks, apparently, to Alvernia University‘s CollegeTowne project.

Since the school announced plans to purchase for the former I-LEAD charter school building at Fourth and Penn streets and use it as an extension of its campus, ambitious plans for three more buildings — the former Reading Eagle Company building next door, the Madison Building at 400 Washington St., and The Berkshire Building at 501 Washington St., have been revealed. All four are within blocks of each other, and hold the promise of pumping new life the city’s downtown.

Also, developer Alan Shuman of Shuman Development Group plans to renovate the 12-story Medical Arts Building in the 200 block of N. Fifth St., in a residential/commercial property with 31-unit residential units and four commercial units, according to the Reading Eagle.

“It’s definitely Reading’s time, and it’s very exciting to see this happening,” said Aaron Gantz, executive director of downtown development for the Greater Reading Chamber Alliance. “Hopefully, these investments will pique the interest of other investors and we’ll reach the critical mass we need to really keep this development moving forward.”

Gantz gave credit to the university, which last year purchased the five-story former I-LEAD Charter School that will serve as the centerpiece of Alvernia’s CollegeTowne, an initiative aimed at spurring economic development in Reading and Berks County. Alvernia recently announced it would add three engineering majors that will be run from the downtown location. Other courses of study also will operate from the downtown building, which will include student housing, restaurants and other uses.

“Much of what is happening downtown is due to Alvernia University’s CollegeTowne development,” Gantz said. 

Orlando Cuevas, the owner of iPM Assist Inc, a Philadelphia-based development firm that is overseeing the planning and renovation of the Reading Eagle, Berkshire and Madison buildings, also called out the university for its role in sparking the downtown revitalization. 

“Alvernia was definitely the start of this whole push toward buying and converting these old buildings,” he said.

NAI Keystone real estate agent Steve Willems, who announced the pending sale of the former Reading Eagle building last month, declined to identify the potential buyer or sale price because the property is under contract. 

Edward Condra, senior publisher of MediaNews Group, a Denver, Colo.-based company that purchased the assets of Reading Eagle Company last year and took over operations of the newspaper July 1, 2019, said he was unaware of what the new owner plans to do with the building. 

Cuevas said it will be converted into a multi-faceted operation including a business networking site with communal work space on the third floor, studios suitable for start-up businesses, a gym, retail establishments, restaurants, and family-fun space. Cuevos also said the building will remain home to the staff of the Reading Eagle.

“Those guys aren’t going anywhere,” Cuevos said. “We’re going to work with them because we can’t have the Reading Eagle building without the Reading Eagle.”

Efforts to reach Condra for confirmation that the staff would remain were not successful. 

At the Berkshire Building, plans are underway for about 40 apartments that will house international students beginning in fall 2021. The building, constructed in 1914, is owned by New Jersey-based Lexington Realty International. 

John R. Loyack, Alvernia University president, said the university is the final design phase for the apartments, and is working with current international students to determine how the apartments can best meet the needs of future occupants. 

Most of the residents who will live in the Berkshire are expected to be from Saudi Arabia, which provides funding for qualified Saudi students to study in the United States. The university currently has about 35 Saudi students enrolled, Loyack said, mostly in science and business programs. Students from additional countries also are expected to be enrolled in the coming years.

“We are excited about the globalization of our campus and the experience it provides for our students and the community,” Loyack said. “We’ll be adding students from all over the globe.”

International students are not required to live on the university’s main campus, Loyack said, and he believes the Berkshire location will be advantageous, as many of the Saudi students are expected to be enrolled in classes that will be held downtown.

“There’s not an abundance of apartments available in Berks County, so this seemed like a good opportunity for us and for our students,” Loyack said. 

Cuevos said the apartments would be ready by August 2021, and he hopes the Reading Eagle building will be ready to open at the same time. However, some parts of the Reading Eagle building, specifically the gym, may open earlier, perhaps later this year. He is working closely with city officials, including Reading Mayor Eddie Moran, who has been supportive of the iPM’s efforts, and that county officials also have reached out in support.

Meanwhile, construction is underway at the Madison building, which will offer luxury apartments, a rooftop bar, retail space and other amenities, according to Cuevos. That 14-story building, constructed in 1926 and 1927 as the Metropolitan Edison building, is owned by the Scharf Group, Brooklyn, New York. The building is expected to open in August 2021. 

Loyack, who took over as Alvernia’s president in July, 2019, led an initiative similar to CollegeTowne during his tenure as executive vice president for business and administration at King’s College in Wilkes-Barre. He said the initiative greatly spurred downtown development in Wilkes-Barre and he is hopeful the same will occur in Reading.

“It was great to see the comeback in Wilkes-Barre, and I think we’ll see that same thing happen in Reading,” Loyack said. “You can already see the CollegeTowne footprint starting to emerge.”