Demolition begun on landmark former Reading clubhouse and hotel

Local historians George M. Meiser IX and Corrie Crupi Zana stood by solemnly as a jawbone excavator took its first bites into the remains of a Reading landmark. Demolition work began midmorning Wednesday on the former East End Athletic Association clubhouse, also known as the Mineral Spring Hotel. “I can’t help but think of the crowds that used to come here,” Meiser said. “When you think of the thousands of people who assembled here years back, it’s astounding.” The once-popular hotel was a place of political discourse and a popular eatery in the 19th century, said Meiser, who with his wife, Gloria Jean, coauthored the “Passing Scene” series of books on Berks County history. Leased to the East End Athletic Club in 1937, the city-owned building had been vacant and deteriorating since the club was evicted under former Mayor Wally Scott’s administration in 2017. The club relocated to a building on Laurel Street. City Council voted to demolish the city-owned building on Glen Road in April after it was ravaged in a March fire. The cause of the fire remains undetermined. Crews begin demolition Wednesday of the former Mineral Spring Hotel and East End Athletic Club that was destroyed by
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