Dozens of volunteers have been sprucing up the Pagoda in anticipation of a $15 million renovation project expected to start this year.
A century ago, William Witman Sr. was inspired to build the Pagoda atop Mount Penn in Reading after receiving a photograph of a similar structure from a friend who had traveled abroad.
The Pagoda was intended to beautify a quarry. The city of Reading now owns the property.
The official commemoration of the Pagodas centennial will take place Aug. 8.
Information from: Reading Eagle, http://www.readingeagle.com/
