Food court opens in historic bank property in downtown Reading

The developers behind the restoration of the historic Berks County Trust Company building in downtown Reading held a grand opening for the building’s new food court.

The 98,000-square-foot building at 35 N. Sixth Street was the home of Meridian Bank, but now houses apartments, office space, and, as of April 23, a fully opened food court.

Shuman Development Group underwent a $13 million project to restore the structure, which was built in 1909 by the Berks County Trust Company and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, according to Shuman’s website.

The building is now home to about half a dozen food vendors, with a few more under construction, according to Alan Shuman, president of Shuman Development Group.

Food vendors include:

Fresh and Hot, which serves pizza, wings, burgers and more.

The Pulse Café, offering brioche, ciabatta and croissant breakfast sandwiches, and an assortment of pastries.

Clean Plates, offering cold pressed juices and vegan cuisine.

Donut Lovers Boom, serving custom donuts and drinks.

Sizzling Island, which offers Jamaican, Haitian, and other creole Caribbean cuisine.

The food court is on the building’s first floor, with an indoor dining area and outdoor seating to come soon, Shuman said.

“(A food court) really seemed like the best use for this magnificent space,” Shuman said.

He said the food court employs about 20 workers but will eventually need about 50 at full capacity.

Initially built in 1909, the striking six-story structure features a neo-classical design, with mid-century modern architecture incorporated in later decades when the building was expanded, Shuman said.

Notable features include a tera cotta facade and 50-foot-tall Corinthian columns, according to Facebook posts from Shuman.

Shuman Development Group bought the property from the Greater Berks Development Fund for $2.3 million, Shuman said.

The property also hosts a Visions Federal Credit Union contact center, and a Smokies Tobacco Shop and cigar lounge are also under construction, Shuman noted.

Shuman Development Group has made it a point to restore historic structures in Reading, having developed more than 2 million square feet of space in the city since 1994, according to the company’s website.

Shuman’s other projects include:

Elks Lodge (former Trexler Mansion) 46 S. Fifth St.

M&T Bank building at 50 N. Fifth St.

Medical Arts building at 230 N. Fifth St.

General Battery building at 645 Penn St.

Abraham Lincoln Hotel at 100 N. Fifth St.

Corbit building at 157 N. Fifth St.

Hopewell Mennonite Church at 45 S. Sixth St.

Big Mill building at 702 N. Eighth St.