Discover Lansdale Purchases Historic Freight House

Lansdale, PA -- Discover Lansdale has taken another huge step forward for the borough by purchasing the Reading Co. freight station, in hopes of preserving it, the borough has announced.

The building and the property, located on South Broad and Vine streets, was first purchased by the Lansdale Parking Authority, the borough said.

Discover Lansdale then bought the building for $60,000, and signed a lease for the property with the Authority for 99 years, according to the borough's website.

"We are thrilled to contribute to the preservation of this piece of Lansdale's history," Mary Fuller, Discover Lansdale’s president, said, according to the borough. “Just as the railroad began our town’s development as a center of commerce, the freight station played a key role as the departure point forLansdale-made goods and products that were shipped around the world.”

In addition to the cultural and historical value of the building, the freight station could also be adapted for a variety of future uses, officials said.

The structure was built in 1903 and previously served as the primary shipping terminal for the borough area's industry.

Efforts to save the property have been underway for quite some time.

According to officials, some ideas from past proposals for the property include a railroad museum, a Lansdale visitors’ center, a larger display venue for the Lansdale Historical Society, and a year-round marketplace for local farmers and vendors.