Located atop Mount Penn, Pennsylvania is a seven-stories pagoda that was designed based on the Pagoda of Nagoya Castle, Japan. Built in 1908, at a cost of $50,000, this stupa was originally intended to be a luxury tourist resort. Although it was built privately by an influential local politician named William Witman, it was sold to the city of Reading for the sum of $1 in 1911 (i.e., as a gift). Since then the pagoda has been primarily used as a public observatory. It is free to the public with a $1 suggested donation. It is open dawn to dusk year around except major holidays, although the interior of the pagoda is currently (as of december 2023*) under construction limiting the visit to only the exterior. It’s a great place to look around the beautiful view of the city and the surrounding mountains from 620 feet above, especially during the Fall foliage.
*The construction is expected to be completed in a year or two making the interior open to the public again.