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's Reading Works in Berks County, Pennsylvania, was a manufacturer of integrated circuit and equipment for communication and computing. The work force grew to nearly 5,000 by 1985 making the Reading, Pennsylvania, facility one of Berks County's largest industrial employers. As a part of and the , it changed its masthead many times during its life.The Reading Eagle, 6/17/07, Our industrious roots: Western Electric, This was Silicon Valley; Reading (PA), US; Reading Eagle Press.

1952: From Allentown to Laureldale
The origins of Western Electric can be traced back to 1876 when lost the race to invent the telephone. Alexander Graham Bell submitted a patent application just hours before Gray filed his own. Despite this setback, Gray left a lasting impact on the telephone industry in 1869 by founding Gray and Barton, a small manufacturing firm in , , with Enos N. Barton. By 1872, the firm had moved to and was renamed the Western Electric Manufacturing Co. By 1880, Western Electric had grown to become the largest electrical manufacturing company in the United States. In 1881, the rapid expansion of the telephone network outpaced smaller suppliers, leading American Bell to purchase a controlling interest in Western Electric Company (WECO), appointing it as the exclusive manufacturer for Bell telephone companies. Western Electric was tasked not only with manufacturing but also with developing Bell equipment. In 1907, Theodore N. Vail merged the engineering departments of AT&T and Western Electric, creating in 1925. Western Electric subsequently became the manufacturing division of the Bell System.

In 1951, just four years after Bell Laboratories invented the , Western Electric opened the Allentown Plant to produce the first transistors.Prescott C. Mabon (1975). Mission Communications: The Story of Bell Laboratories; Murray Hill (NJ), US; Bell Laboratories. Page 181Western Electric Co. (1983). Western Electric Reading Works; Reading (PA), US; Page 3 Under the leadership of Jack Morton, tasked with developing transistors for mass production, Western Electric established branch labs at several plants. These labs, staffed by Bell Labs scientists and engineers, focused on production engineering and maintained close collaboration with Bell Labs headquarters in Murray Hill. Morton refined this innovative approach at the Allentown Plant, which produced electronic devices and components for the Bell System, and placed Eugene Anderson in charge of the Bell Labs semiconductor development group at the site.Michael Riordan (2006). IEEE Spectrum, Volume 43, Issue 12: How Bell Labs Missed the Microchip; IEEE Press, Piscataway (NJ), US; Pages 36–41

In 1952, operations in Reading began when Western Electric converted an old Rosedale knitting mill in into a factory for producing electronic components for the U.S. government, particularly for military and space applications.The Reading Eagle, 12/6/98, "Once a wee mill, Western Electric now dominant employer in Berks"; Reading (PA), US; Reading Eagle Press. On August 22, 1952, Western Electric opened its new electronics manufacturing facility in Laureldale.Reading Eagle Company (1999). Reading Towne: 1748–1998; Reading (PA), US; Reading Eagle Press. Page 141 Growth was initially modest but steady.Michael Riordan and Lillian Hoddeson (1997). Crystal Fire: The Invention of the Transistor and the Birth of the Information Age. New York: Norton. Page 204 By the end of 1952, the factory employed 130 workers, and this number grew to 253 by the end of 1953.

On January 12, 1956, a diffused base transistor was unveiled at Laureldale before top military brass at a solid-state diffusion symposium. That was the same year that Bell Labs' scientists Bardeen, Brattain, and Shockley received the 1956 Nobel Prize in physics for the invention of the transistor. "Bell Laboratories scientists in Murray Hill, N.J., may have won the Nobel Prizes and gotten most of the press, but Allentown and Reading delivered the goods," notes Stuart W. Leslie, a historian of science at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.Michael Riordan (2005). " IEEE Spectrum, Volume 42, Issue 7, The End of "AT&T"; IEEE Press, Piscataway (NJ), US; Page 46-51

In 1958, a group of Bell Laboratories scientists moved to Reading, Pennsylvania, from other locations and started the Laureldale Laboratory in the Laureldale Plant. was a division of Western Electric. Initially the Laureldale Laboratory designed electron tubes (). Eventually, after becoming the Reading Laboratory, it designed semiconductor devices which eventually included integrated circuits, light emitting diodes, and .

1962: From Laureldale to Reading
By the late 1950s, the increased demand for its products necessitated building a larger facility, so plans were developed for a building at the North 11th Street site. The Greater Berks Development Fund built the Reading plant at the end of 11th street for $2 million to lease to and Western Electric.

Ground breaking took place in November 1960, and on January 2, 1962, Western Electric took possession of the new building, Building 30 (the manufacturing building).

In 1964, Western Electric bought the building. By 1966 all facilities had moved from the plant to the Muhlenberg Township, Pennsylvania, site. The new facility was called the Reading Works and the branch of Bell Labs was called the Reading Labs.The Reading Eagle, 2/16/92, AT&T Reading Works plans on growth; Reading (PA), US; Reading Eagle Press.

In 1967, when the Reading Works celebrated its 15th anniversary in , it employed about 2,600 employees. Various additions since the mid-1960s increased the manufacturing space to . Construction on the office building (Building 20) began in 1980, and the building was first occupied in 1982.

1984: Western Electric to AT&T Technologies
In 1984, the broke up into the various operating companies and AT&T. As a result of this divestiture in 1984, the Western Electric plant became an location as part of AT&T, supplying devices for use in the former Bell System's network. By 1984, employment had reached what would be an all-time high of 4,900.The Reading Eagle, 12/31/06, A time of CHANGE:; Reading (PA), US; Reading Eagle Press. In 1988, and component manufacturing was combined into an AT&T organization called . In 1989 the AT&T work force nationwide was 297,000 and while employment at the Reading Works was 3,200.The Reading Eagle, 12/14/89, 25 local jobs at risk in AT&T restructuring; Reading (PA), US; Reading Eagle Press. In 1992, the Reading Works of AT&T Microelectronics had 3,300 workers and provided an annual payroll of $100 million. The product mix included lightwave components, linear bipolar integrated circuits, high voltage integrated circuits, high speed silicon integrated circuits, and gallium arsenide integrated circuits. A satellite manufacturing building, Building 10, was constructed on North 13th Street, just north of the General Mail Facility, in 1992. The same year the Falconer building across the street was also used. AT&T Reading Works was the No. 2 employer in Berks County in 1993,The Reading Eagle, 1/04/04 but that was soon to end. In February 1994, AT&T Reading Works announced that it would be cutting 850 jobs over a 3-year period.Reading Eagle Company (2000). A 20th Century Journey: 1990-1999; Reading (PA), US; Reading Eagle Press. Page 10 In 1994 the Reading Works' work force was reduced from 2,929 to 2,700 with most of the cuts in the Lightwave unit. The Lightwave unit makes fiber-optic laser transmitters and receivers.The Reading Eagle, 11/09/94, Reading Works to lay off 84 workers; Reading (PA), US; Reading Eagle Press. In 1995 the Reading Works' work force stood at 2,400 including AT&T Microelectronics and Bell Labs as it prepared for the spin off from AT&T into Lucent Technologies.The Reading Eagle, 9/21/95, Reading Works will be part of manufacturing company; Reading (PA), US; Reading Eagle Press.

1996: AT&T to Lucent
Under the 1996 restructuring of AT&T, became Lucent Technologies. The Lucent Technologies' Reading, Pennsylvania, facility became both a and a Lucent Optoelectronics facility, designing and manufacturing and integrated circuit components for applications in the telecommunications and industries.

The Lucent Reading Plant was unique in the industry because it manufactured both optoelectronic and integrated circuit components. The facility received a $6 million renovation to boost its optoelectronics manufacturing capacity.

In addition to serving the traditional communications markets, the Lucent Optoelectronics portion of the facility provided a family of transmitters and receivers for use in applications. Lucent was also a leading player in the and hybrid fiber coaxial markets. In addition to Reading, Pennsylvania, other Lucent Optoelectronics facilities were located in Breinigsville, Pennsylvania; Murray Hill, New Jersey; Alhambra, California; and Matamoros, .

The Lucent Microelectronics portion of the facility produced linear bipolar, high voltage and gallium arsenide integrated circuits. These were used in tone ringers, data processing, voltage regulators, video distribution, and in the industrial, computer, communication and instrumental markets. In addition to Reading, other Lucent Microelectronics integrated circuit sites included Allentown, Pennsylvania; Orlando, Florida; Bangkok, Thailand; Tres Cantos, Spain; and .

In 1996, the Reading Works' work force stood at 2,450 including AT&T Microelectronics and as it made the transition from AT&T into Lucent Technologies.The Reading Eagle, 2/6/96, Reading Works to be Lucent Technologies; Reading (PA), US; Reading Eagle Press. The spin off of AT&T manufacturing units as Lucent Technologies became necessary as these units increasingly found that their prospective customers were AT&T competitors. The divestiture of the manufacturing units made them suppliers rather than competitors, opening up new markets to Lucent and to the Reading Works. At the same time it caused the anxiety that comes with change.The Reading Eagle, 6/23/96, Lucent Technologies to focus on the future; Reading (PA), US; Reading Eagle Press. On October 1, 1996, Lucent Technologies became independent of AT&T. The Reading Works became Lucent Technologies Reading Facility. It employed 2,177 people, down considerably from 4,900 in 1985.The Reading Eagle, 10/1/96, Lucent is cut loose by parent AT&T; Reading (PA), US; Reading Eagle Press.The Reading Eagle, 12/7/97, again has largest local work force; Reading (PA), US; Reading Eagle Press. By the end of 1997, the Reading Facility workforce had declined and remained stable at 2,000.The Reading Eagle, 12/7/97, Reading Hospital again has largest local work force; Reading (PA), US; Reading Eagle Press. By the end of 1998, the Reading Facility workforce had rebounded to 2,177. In 1999 a pickup in Lightwave business caused expansion of both the Reading Facility and the Breinigsville plant.The Reading Eagle, 4/22/99, Lucent adding 100 jobs at Muhlenberg plant; Reading (PA), US; Reading Eagle Press.

2000: Lucent to Agere
The Reading Plant's heritage, combined with constant innovation and product quality, positioned the Reading site as one of the largest facilities in the world. In 2000, Microelectronics and Optoelectronics were reorganized as with the intention of spinning it off as an independent company. Agere Systems produced high-tech components such as products, which use lightwave technologies to transmit information, and integrated circuits, which are miniaturized chips used in computers and communications. The opto-electronics parts were used in systems such as submarine communication cables, cable transmitters, cable receivers, laser components, and network computing devices. The integrated circuits were found in a wide array of electronic products from modems and computers to cell phones and telephone offices to video equipment and digital television. After becoming Agere Systems, by the end of 2000, the Reading Facility became the Muhlenberg plant and had grown its workforce by 800 to 3,000 as the anticipated lightwave business materialized.The Reading Eagle, 12/17/00, Berks County's top 20 employers; Reading (PA), US; Reading Eagle Press. In 2001, Agere Systems' stock went public in late March. The spin-off was completed on June 1, 2002. By mid-2001, Agere cut 508 jobs at the Reading Works.The Reading Eagle, 5/9/01, Agere boosts job cuts in Berks; Reading (PA), US; Reading Eagle Press. These layoffs continued in waves as conditions in the semiconductor market deteriorated and by the end of the year Muhlenberg had a workforce of only 1,546.The Reading Eagle, 12/16/01, Berks County's top employers; Reading (PA), US; Reading Eagle Press.

2003: From Agere to Closure
On January 24, 2002, announced that it would be closing the Reading Works in 12 to 18 months. The planned changes involved closing the Breinigsville, Pennsylvania plant in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, which was opened in 1988;The Reading Eagle, 12/8/04, TriQuint cutting jobs in Lehigh; Reading (PA), US; Reading Eagle Press. selling the Orlando plant in Florida; and consolidating several locations in New Jersey. All operations were consolidated at the Allentown, Pennsylvania, headquarters location and the New Jersey locations. About 1,500 workers were transferred from Reading to Allentown where 3,200 workers were employed prior to the relocation. As Agere was leaving, Legerity, Inc. assumed some of the operations formerly done by the Muhlenberg plant in the old Building 10 on North 13th Street. In this facility Legerity assembled 40 former Agere circuit-design, physical-design, application-design and process development engineers to support the analog line card integrated circuit business it purchased from Agere. Legerity is a design facility that uses other companies foundries to manufacture its products.The Reading Eagle, 2/23/03, New Berks chip operation has a familiar ring; Reading (PA), US; Reading Eagle Press. In May 2003, Agere Systems ended all manufacturing and began decommissioning its Muhlenberg plant. The last 346 manufacturing employees were laid off. About 50 employees — mostly maintenance — remained at the plant until a buyer was found.The Reading Eagle, 5/55/03, Agere shuts down Muhlenberg plant; Reading (PA), US; Reading Eagle Press.

Agere built a $165 million World Headquarters building in Hanover Township, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. This building was started in 2001 and completed in 2003. It brought together research and development facilities from Breinigsville and Muhlenberg. It absorbed about 2,000 workers from these two facilities.The Reading Eagle, 4/7/02, Agere Moves Up; Reading (PA), US; Reading Eagle Press. Agere Systems tried unsuccessfully to sell its Union Boulevard plant in Allentown, where the first commercial production line for transistors was set up in 1951. Agere Systems demolished the manufacturing part of the Union Boulevard facility. The company continues to use the offices and wet labs in the remaining part of the building. Its headquarters building is nearby in Hanover Township, Pennsylvania. In 2003, Agere Systems sold the chip plant and research center in Breinigsville to TriQuint Semiconductor, which also bought the company's components division. The facility, now under different ownership, is a multi-tenant technology park.

At the end of 1999, shares of Lucent stock hit a high of nearly $80. After spinning off Agere Systems, Lucent shares dropped to around $4.50 and later dropped to $0.55 in October 2002. After being spun off, Agere shares were about $4 and dropped to a low of $0.50 in October 2002. Agere started 2000 with 18,000 employees. By the end of the year it had only 10,000 employees. By the end of 2001 the number of employees had dropped to about 7,000. The last wafer starts at the Reading Works were scheduled for April, 2003 and the last shipments were scheduled for May, 2003. The doors locked on May 16, 2003. Starting May 17, the Reading work force consisted of 100 employees who cleaned up the facility and disposed of equipment. In July the work force was down to 50 maintenance employees who manned the facility while attempts were made to sell or at least rent or lease it. On December 13, 2005, it was announced that Agere had signed an agreement with a Montgomery County, Pennsylvania developer to sell the Agere Systems property in Muhlenberg Township, Pennsylvania, and projected the return of 1,000 jobs to the site within 18 months, with more jobs to follow.

2006: Greater Reading Expo Center
Audubon Land Development of Oaks, Pennsylvania, bought the old Reading Works in December 2005 for an undisclosed amount. had been asking for $8 million for the property. The assessment of the property was lowered to $9.5 million from $26.3 million after Agere Systems appealed. On Tuesday, March 14, 2006, Urban Expositions, a Georgia-based trade show company, announced it would hold the 10th annual Philadelphia Gift Show at the Reading Center July 23–26, 2006, the facility being called the Greater Reading Expo Center. A company press release called the event, with an expected 1,400 booths, the largest regional gift show in the country. Gene Call, an Audubon spokesman, said Audubon's subsidiary, Stonepoint Management Corp., which was leasing the Agere Systems building, would run the expo center. Stonepoint would use , he said. Stonepoint was exploring other uses but had not made firm plans.

Crystal Seitz, president of the Greater Reading Convention & Visitors Bureau, said a typical convention center with a steady stream of shows generates about $150 million for a local economy, including money spent for lodging and meals. Jon C. Scott, president of the Berks Economic Partnership, said he has met several times with Audubon officials and was excited about the prospects for the center. "It opens up the type of exhibits that would never have been available before," Scott said. "It leads to other intriguing possibilities." Some of the shows scheduled for the facility included: Philadelphia Gift Show which includes Birdwatch America-Philadelphia, Great Train Expo, Bead Fest Philadelphia, Greater Philadelphia Pet Expo, Great American Guitar Show, Sports Card & Memorabilia Show,The Reading Eagle, 3/01/07, Sports memorabilia show at expo center; Reading (PA), US; Reading Eagle Press. Home & Garden Show,The Reading Eagle, 3/8/07, Making value judgments; Reading (PA), US; Reading Eagle Press. and The Greater Reading Sport, Travel & Outdoors Show.

Success of the Expo Center was in part due to the closing of the Fort Washington Exposition Center in Montgomery County and the Pennsylvania Expo Center in Lehigh County and in part due to the of inside space, several auditoriums, numerous meeting rooms, 13 loading docks, ample parking and a full-service cafeteria among its amenities.The Reading Eagle, 10/29/06, Two closed expo centers give renovated local site a big boost.; Reading (PA), US; Reading Eagle Press. Muhlenberg Township waived the 10% amusement tax on admission to the Expo Center from January through September 2007. This was an attempt to allow the Expo Center to become better established. The township estimated future revenues at $50,000 per year.The Reading Eagle, 12/19/06, Expo center granted break on taxes; Reading (PA), US; Reading Eagle Press.

The Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development included the StonePointe Center, which includes the Greater Reading Expo Center, as part of the Greater Reading Keystone Innovation Zone and invested $235,000 to fund its operations. Also included in this zone is TEK Park, the former home of Lucent/Agere Optoelectronics in Breinigsville, Lehigh County, which houses a number of industrial tenants and the Kutztown University Innovation Center.The Reading Eagle, 11/15/06, State creates local job-growth area; Reading (PA), US; Reading Eagle Press. Building 30 is now called the "Flex Building" and building 20 is the "Office Building". Stonepoint pitched the center: "Imagine a state of the art business center, with more than one million square feet of available space for office, manufacturing and distribution; a facility with high-tech infrastructure and easy access to transportation. Imagine a convenient location near Reading, Pennsylvania, with professional on-site management to support your business. Imagine your business at StonePointe Center."

The Expo Center was the latest in venues that mark a renaissance in Reading. It started with the opening of the Sovereign Center and its sister the Sovereign Performing Arts Center. Now it includes the .The Reading Eagle, 9/24/06, Sovereign Center, Sovereign Performing Arts Center spark area renaissance; Reading (PA), US; Reading Eagle Press.

The Greater Reading Expo Center closed in 2013.

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