Location Detail
Location Name
Wilhelm Mansion and The Inn at Centre Park
Location Description
Built in 1877, the Wilhelm mansion is a three-story Gothic Revival building approximately 60 feet in height, 40 feet in width, and 50 feet in length, built primarily of granite.
Among the distinctive features of the first floor are a reception room with an extremely ornate molded plaster ceiling in high relief, a solarium with an oriel window and art glass panels, and a ballroom with two bay windows, a fireplace, ornate molded plaster arch, and an exit through a wrought-iron door to a spacious side porch. The dining room is paneled in oak with hardwood and terra cotta tile floor, terra cotta fireplace, brass wall sconces, and an arched ceiling ornamented with bands of molded plaster.
The second floor includes three spacious bedrooms, three bathrooms, a library with a Teutonic fireplace bearing the date 1884, oak paneling and carved pilasters, and lead-paned bookcases. Again, there are several instances of the use of art glass, most notably in an archway between two areas of a bedroom suite. There are three fireplaces on the second floor, two with handsome mirrors over the mantle. One of the bedrooms has a bay window.
The third floor served as servants’ quarters.
The two-story carriage house sits on the rear of the lot and bears an 1890 datestone.
The first occupant of the house was the Right Reverend Mark Anthony DeWolfe Howe, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese. The next owner of the property was Charles Wilhelm, president of the Wilhelm Paint Company which was later purchased by the Glidden Paint Company. Wilhelm lived in the house for approximately 50 years until his death in 1936.
Current Use
Active Bed & Breakfast
Location Address
730 Centre Ave
Location City
Reading
Location Zip
19601
Latitude
40.346874914918885
Longitude
-75.9312396672664
Location Attributes
Mansion/Historic Home
Main Image
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