Reading Furnace Historic District

Reading Furnace Historic District is a national historic district located in Warwick Township and East Nantmeal Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania.

Reading Furnace Historic District
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district
Reading Furnace and Farm buildings, September 2010
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Location	Mansion Road, Warwick Township and East Nantmeal Township, Pennsylvania
Coordinates	40°08′49″N 75°46′08″W
Area	13.3 acres (5.4 ha)
Built	1744
Built by	Drexel, Gottlieb
Architect	Okie, Richardson Brognard
NRHP reference No.	87000797[1]
Added to NRHP	July 30, 1987

History

Reading Furnace Historic District was associated with a prominent Iron works business owned by Samuel Van Leer[2]. The district includes 7 contributing buildings, 2 contributing sites, and 1 contributing structure with a former iron furnace and farm. The buildings are the mansion house, tenant house, barn, large shed, and three outbuildings. The stone mansion was built in three sections between 1744 and 1936. The latest addition was done under the direction of R. Brognard Okie. The contributing sites are the remains of an 18th-century dam and the foundation of the 1736 Reading Furnace. The contributing structure is a stone arch bridge (1904).[3]

It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.[1]

References

1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
2. "The Iron and Steel Heritage partners with Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources".
3. "National Historic Landmarks & National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania" (Searchable database). ARCH: Pennsylvania's Historic Architecture & Archaeology. Retrieved 2012-11-02. Note: This includes Estelle Cremers and William Sisson (1987). "National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form: Reading Furnace Historic District" (PDF). Retrieved 2012-12-07.