The building at 61 South Reading Avenue in Boyertown was built in 1837 by Jacob K. Boyer. It is the oldest building still standing on a town lot. There are a couple of older buildings in the borough, but they are farm buildings that were built long before the town lots were laid out.

The building was built on a two-hundred-acre tract, known as the furnace tract, which was bought by David Powell in 1714. It is well documented that William Penn wanted to establish an ironworks in Pennsylvania. No doubt, he tasked his deputy surveyor, David Powell, and blacksmith, Thomas Rutter, to make this happen. Powell bought the tract because Thomas Rutter found iron-ore deposits near 230 South Reading Avenue.

In 1719, Thomas Rutter bought the two-hundred-acre tract from Powell. By 1720, Rutter built the Colebrookdale Furnace at 15 Mill Street in Morysville. It was built along Ironstone Creek and was the first blast furnace in Pennsylvania.

After Rutter died in 1730, the tract was inherited by his son, John. When he died in 1737, the furnace tract was sold to Thomas Potts. He managed the Colebrookdale Furnace and became extremely wealthy.

When Thomas Potts died in 1752, he owned two-thirds interest in the furnace tract, and his brother-in-law, Thomas Rutter, III, owned the remaining interest.

In 1768, Potts’ two-thirds interest was sold to George Douglas. The next year, Thomas Rutter, III bought this interest and was the sole owner of the furnace tract.

In 1770, Thomas Rutter, III, created a four-hundred and twenty-nine-acre tract when he combined the furnace tract with adjacent properties. He sold half of the interest in this tract to Samuel Potts.

Rutter, III and Potts split the four-hundred and twenty-nine-acre tract in half in 1772. They sold the northern half of the tract to Henry Stauffer in 1774.

Stauffer sold the majority of this property to his son, Jacob, in 1795.  A few years later, Jacob Stauffer sold six acres of this tract to Ludwig Worman.

In 1801, Worman sold the six-acre tract to Henry Boyer. He built a tavern on this tract and sold it to his son, Michael K., in 1829. The property was sold to Abraham Eshbach and his brother, Joseph, in 1832.

By 1835, Joseph Eshbach owned the six-acre tract. He divided the tract into six town-building lots and offered them for sale. The lot on which this building stands was bought by Christian Shaner.

Shaner sold the building lot to Jacob K. Boyer in 1837 and Boyer built the building that stands here today. He sold the building to his father, Henry, in 1849. Peter Brendlinger managed a general store in the building around this time. From 1850 to 1858, Jacob Freed managed a shoe repair shop in this building.

When Henry Boyer died in 1858, the building was inherited by his daughter, Catharine, and her husband, John Rhoads. They rented space in the building to Joseph Holsinger where he managed an oyster salon.

Henry W. Johnson and his son-in-law, William K. Grim bought the building in 1861.  The next year, they sold it to Elizabeth and Adam Leiden. They sold the building to Franklin Bucher in 1867 and he opened a tavern known as the American House. His son, Thomas R., bought the business in 1893.

The building was sold to beer brewer, John Barbey, in 1900. He tried to obtain a liquor license but was unsuccessful. In 1907, Barbey sold the building to Jacob H. Sassaman and a barbershop was opened in the building.

The building was bought by J. Warren Klein and William Klein in 1911.  They sold it to Thomas R. Houck that same year. By 1922, they leased space in the building to the gas company.

Between 1944 and 1947, the building had several owners: Robert L. Houck, Anna S. Houck, Helen B. Gottshall, and Gloria Stevenson.

In 1947, Anna S. Houck and Gloria G. Stevenson sold the building to Nicholas Iezzi.  He was the proprietor of the Keystone Hotel across the street.  He bought this building because the Friendship Hook and Ladder Fire company bought the Keystone Hotel in 1946 and planned to replace it with a firehouse.

When the Keystone Hotel closed in 1949, he opened a restaurant in this building and called it the “New Keystone Hotel.” He changed the name to “Iezzi’s Place” a few years later.

James and Joseph DiCindio bought the building in 1956.