USA > Pennsylvania > Erie County > Erie > Erie; a guide to the city and county > Part 6
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Many of the modern buildings, however, are recognizably of good architecture. Foremost among these is the Presbyterian Church of the Covenant, 1931, of which Corbesier & W. E. Foster were the architects. It is a large, imposing edifice of English perpendicular Gothic design. The delicacy of its rich detail is etched against a background of warm rough stone. The Luther Memorial Church, 1926, designed by Alden and Harlow, is also English Gothic of rugged proportions. The Mercyhurst College, 1926, of modified Gothic architecture, designed by F. Ferdinand Durang of Philadelphia, is likewise noteworthy.
Among the commercial buildings, the six-story, two million dollar Erie Dry Goods Company, 1930, Shutts and Morrison, architects, is an Erie landmark. It is constructed of steel and concrete with cream brick facing trimmed with terra cotta and limestone. The fourteen-story Erie Trust Company building, 1925, designed by Dennison and Hirons, is the city's lone skyscraper.
The Lord Manufacturing Company, 1937, is a modern commercial building, simply constructed of common red brick and opaque glass brick; which, with the lofty concrete grain elevators of the Pennsylvania Railroad on the Lake Shore, represent functionalism in industrial archi- tecture.
Beyond the city, the county extends in gently rolling farm country with many towns containing much of the picturesque architecture of early days. In Waterford, an attractive town of considerable historic interest, is the old Eagle Hotel built in 1826; Thomas King, architect. It is late American Georgian in character, but bears the rugged stamp of the frontier. The Amos Judson house, 1820, of Greek Revival, and the Waterford Academy, 1822, topped by a graceful cupola, are also notable.
The towns of North East and Girard also retain architectural remnants of their earlier days. The First Baptist Church at North East is a small Greek Revival edifice of white clapboard, with a graceful tower and tall
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ARCHITECTURE
spire. Of more recent times is St. Mary's College on the northern edge of the town. It comprises a group of connected buildings of red brick and grey stone with high, blue slate mansard roofs, some of Victorian Gothic and others of later Tudor architecture. At the western end of the group is a French Gothic chapel.
Since it is not the buildings alone but also their setting within the physical pattern of the city which make for their beauty and greatest usefulness, it is interesting to study the city plan of Erie. Downtown Erie was laid out in 1795 by Andrew Ellicott and William Irvine under the influence of William Penn's plan for Philadelphia. They also laid out the towns of Franklin, Waterford, and Warren.
The original plan is divided into four quadrants by its two axial streets -State Street, running north and south, and Sixth Street, east and west. These intersect at Perry Square. The city was divided into blocks by a plan of intersecting parallel streets known as the "gridiron" pattern.
Little was done, unfortunately, to take advantage of the long water front of the city. James Parton, in his Life of Horace Greeley, written in 1869, says, "The people of Erie care as much for the Lake as the people of Niagara care for the Cataract, as much as people generally care for anything wonderful or anything beautiful which they can see by turning their heads. Not one house is built along the shore, though the shore is high and level. Not a path has been worn by human feet above or below the bluff. Pigs, sheep, cows, and sweetbriar bushes occupy the unenclosed ground, which seems so made to be built upon that it is surprising that the handsome houses of the town should have been built anywhere else."
The same can be said for Erie today. The waterfront with its several piers and factories presents an uninviting coast line.
The new and finer residential areas, particularly the well designed Fron- tier Place section, near the western limits of the city, Southlands sub- division to the southwest, and the Glenwood area to the south, represent the present day movement of moderate income and well-to-do groups away from more congested areas. Houses in these sections are usually substantially built in the style of Elizabethan half-timber houses, Spanish patios, French chateaux, and American and English Georgian houses.
A busy industrial city, Erie's tree-lined avenues, finer residential com- munities and well designed structures, both old and new, reflect her com- mercial development from an outpost fort to a modern city. The needed improvements of the drabber sections, especially the small wooden houses of the poorer workers, and the uncontrolled hodgepodge construction of the lesser business and industrial neighborhoods, are typical of all American cities. They are a challenge to good government, wise planning, and architectural ingenuity.
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EDUCATION
FRIE's educational system is excellent. Graduates from Erie high schools are admitted to leading colleges, in many cases without being required to take entrance examinations. Modern well-equipped buildings and advanced educational methods maintain a high standard.
The public school system of the city of Erie is comprised of three senior high schools, one technical high school, four junior high schools, and twenty-three grade and grammar schools with an enrollment of 19,000 students in 1937. In addition to the public schools, there are five paro- chial high schools and eighteen grade schools with an enrollment of 7,100 pupils under the control of the Erie Catholic Diocese. The public school system of Erie embraces school property valued at $12,000,000, including the three large high schools, which were constructed at a total cost of approximately $4,000,000.
Special courses make educational facilities available to the exceptional child. Forty-two specially trained teachers are employed in this work. Adult education and recreation programs sponsored by the Works Pro- gress Administration supplement the activities of the public school system.
Complementing the public schools are institutions located in the county where the students may continue their education. These are the State Teacher's College at Edinboro, Villa Maria, Mercyhurst College, and Cathedral Preparatory School in Erie.
The University of Pittsburgh maintains a junior college center which offers regular college courses of the freshman and sophomore years. Penn- sylvania State College also conducts extension evening classes in Erie.
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EDUCATION
HISTORY OF THE SCHOOLS
Educational advantages have increased greatly since the inception of the "Free Public School Law" in 1834. The early schools had but little equipment; many of the classes were held in teachers' homes, or in churches.
The first schoolhouse in Erie was built at the corner of E. 7th and Hol- land Streets in 1806. Erie was then a village of 100 inhabitants and the schoolhouse, constructed of hewn logs and costing about $30, stood among the trees on the outskirts of the village. Capt. Daniel Dobbins bought the lot with contributions collected from the villagers for the purpose of founding the school, which was christened the "Presque Isle Academy." The school was known as a "pay school," as were all schools in the State during this early period. The 1812 roll list, preserved as a historic relic by the Erie Board of Education, named 70 boys and girls.
The public school law enacted in 1834 permitted each school district to decide whether a public school system should be adopted. Erie was one of the first to take advantage of this law, which also provided for the maintenance of such schools by levying a general tax. Four frame schoolhouses were constructed on leased ground in 1837 at a cost of $310 each. Classes were held in reading, writing, speaking, geography, gram- mar, and arithmetic. The four small buildings became inadequate, and in 1848 two brick buildings were erected. These new buildings were the East Ward School, E. 7th and Holland Streets, and the West Ward School, W. 7th and Myrtle Streets.
During 1861 and 1862 the schools were divided into three departments, primary, intermediate, and grammar. By 1866 there were five school buildings; three in the West Ward and two in the East Ward.
Central High School was formed in 1866 by consolidating several higher-class schools. During that year 144 pupils were enrolled and the first graduates of the high school completed their courses in 1869. Re- quirements for admittance were simple, comprising examples in common fractions, decimals, and U. S. money, the boundaries of two or three states and the names of 20 cities and rivers in the United States, and ex- amples in mental arithmetic. No tests were made in spelling or grammar. Carter W. Trow, wrote of the Erie High School in 1877:
"The yard was surrounded by a stone wall on top of which was an iron fence. There were two gates, one on Holland and one on Seventh Street. On the third floor there was a large study room in which the whole school assembled and four recitation rooms. In each recitation room were from four to six long benches with backs, but without desks. Usually the boys sat on one side of the room and the girls on the other, with the teacher's desk between them."
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Central High School remained at E. 7th and Holland Streets until 1891, when it was transferrd to W. 10th and Sassafras Streets. In 1930 the classes were transferred to the new Strong Vincent High School, 1330 W. 8th Street, and in February, 1931, old Central High School became the Technical High School. Other high schools were Academy High School, 2825 State Street, in 1920, and East High School, 1151 Atkins Street, in 1921.
Prominent citizens of Erie working in conjunction with the Erie School Board drafted the first law permitting Boards of Education to organize and operate public libraries. This law was passed in 1895, and Erie was the first city in the State to organize such a library. Previous to this, the only library was a privately-supported one at the Y.M.C.A. Branch circulating libraries are maintained in all Erie schools.
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CITY TOUR 1 Downtown Erie, 1.5 miles
P ERRY SQUARE, the central starting point for all city tours, occupies two city blocks extending across State St. between N. and S. Park Rows. In W. Perry Square is a large fountain consisting of a 15 ft. metallic pedestal centered in a concrete basin about 30 ft. in diameter. Surmounting the pedestal is an iron crane with outspread wings which spouts water from its long bill. Four smaller figures of sea serpents are mounted in each quad- rant of the basin. In E. Perry Square there is an eight sided fountain. The square is shaded by tall maple trees, and contains iron park benches for the convenience of visitors. On the R. side of State Street is a MONU- MENT TO GENERAL "MAD" ANTHONY WAYNE. Its base is 6 ft. wide and 6 ft. high and is topped with two cannon, aimed in opposite directions. A bronze inscription faces the street.
On the L. side of State Street is the SOLDIERS' AND SAILORS' MONUMENT, a square granite base 7 ft. in height, surmounted by two life-sized bronze figures representing the Army and Navy. The monument was designed by Martin Milmore and erected by public subscription in 1872. Band concerts are held in Perry Square on Saturday nights during the summer months. Music is furnished by Campbell's Band. (Perry Square is shown as point of interest No. 13 on map.)
S. from Perry Square on State Street.
I. The ERIE TRUST BUILDING, 1001-1007 State Street, largest office building in the city, is 14 stories in height. The first and second stories are of Indiana limestone, and the 12 upper stories are of light buff brick. Doors and arched entrances are of Romanesque design, and the interior sidewalls are of Italian marble. The structure, designed by Den- nison-Hirons, architects of New York City, was built in 1926.
The first floor of the building is occupied by the National Bank and Trust Company of Erie. On the walls of the bank are seven murals, painted by Edward A. Trumball, of New York, depicting historical events of the colonization of Erie. They are: The Visit Of The First White Man To Erie and the French Expedition Into The Ohio; Pontiac's Attack (1763); Washington's Visit To Fort LeBoeuf (Waterford, 1753); Visit Of General Lafayette To Erie (1825); Building Of Perry's Fleet At Erie (1813); Battle Of Lake Erie ( 1813); and Bringing Powder Overland From Wilmington, Delaware. The Erie Center of the University of Pitts- burgh is on the eighth floor.
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R. from State Street on W. 10th Street.
2. The ERIE TIMES BUILDING, 110 W. 10th St., is the home of the Erie Daily Times, circulation 40,000, the only newspaper in Erie which has retained the same name and ownership since its founding. The newspaper was founded in 1888 by striking printers from the Evening Herald and the Morning Dispatch who pooled their resources. With $225 in cash, and under the leadership of John Mead, Sr., present president and owner (1938) of the Times Publishing Company, they set up a shop at the S. W. corner of 9th and State Streets. The Times was published there for 36 years, and then was moved to its present location. The paper started as an independent evening publication, its first issue appearing April 12, 1888. In 1894 the Times absorbed the Erie Sunday Graphic (est. May 20, 1880) and the Erie Observer (founded 1886).
3. The ERIE TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL, SE cor. W. 10th and Sassafras Streets, is the seat of vocational training of the Erie public school system. Arts and crafts, sheet metal work, and other units requiring special equipment are contained in the building, a 4-story structure of red brick with a tall, square tower. Shop wings have been added in recent years.
4. ST. PETER'S ROMAN CATHOLIC CATHEDRAL, NW cor. W. 10th and Sassafras Streets, is a Gothic structure of red Medina lime- stone, with three spires over the main entrance on Sassafras Street. Built during the Most Rev. Tobias Mullen's episcopacy, the Cathedral was dedicated in 1893. The architect was C. C. Keely, of New York City. On each side of the square central tower are four huge clocks, each facing a cardinal direction. Each of the spires is surmounted by a cross; the one on the central spire is 11 feet in height. The huge bells in the central tower peal, at quarter-hour intervals, the Chimes of Erie, composed by Bishop John Mark Gannon.
The Cathedral interior, seating 2,000, is of lofty proportions and is adorned with busts of Erie bishops. The organ was built for the Chicago World's Fair of 1893.
5. The LUTHER MEMORIAL CHURCH, 225 W. 10th St., is a granite building of English Gothic inspiration. The cross surmounting the building is a reproduction of the cross at King's Chapel, Oxford, England. The altar is of Botticino marble; the pulpit, baptistry, lectern, and altar rail are of oak. The panels of the main north window represent the three stages of the ministry of Christ. The building, dedicated in 1926, seats 1,000. The architects were Alden and Harlow, of Pittsburgh, and H. K. Jones, supervising architect.
Retrace W. 10th St .; L. from W. 10th St. on Sassafras St., R. from Sassa- fras St. on W. 9th St.
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CITY TOURS
6. ST. LUKE'S EVANGELICAL CHURCH, 120 W. 9th St., erected in 1844 by the Universalist Society of Erie, is a frame structure of late Greek Revival and Gothic architecture, with a square, tapered belfry overlooking the street. The classic Doric piers and columns of its white facade are in contrast to the Gothic lancet windows. The oldest church building in the city, it was purchased by the St. Luke's Evangelical Luth- eran congregation in 1897.
L. from W. 9th St. on Peach St .; L. from Peach St. on W. 7th St.
7. The COMMUNITY PLAYHOUSE, 128 W. 7th St. (open from Sept. to June), is operated by public contribution for the production of stage plays by local actors, amateur and professional. It is the home of a group organized in 1916 as the Little Playhouse. Its name was changed to Community Playhouse in 1929. A new building was erected in 1928 and opened in 1929. The building, a 2-story, red brick structure, is of Georgian Colonial design and seats 300. Among recent presentations were: The Rivals, Front Page, As Husbands Go, and Murray Hill. Retrace W. 7th St .; L. from W. 7th St. on Peach St.
8. CITY HALL, SE cor. Peach St. and S. Park Row, is a 3-story building of red pressed brick, trimmed in sandstone, with a square tower rising from its northwest corner. The basement, which is partially above ground, houses police headquarters and the dungeon-like city jail. The other floors are occupied by the various departments of city government. The cornerstone was laid on July 31, 1884, with Masonic ceremonies. The bell of the Queen Charlotte, the British flagship captured by Perry in the Battle of Lake Erie, is suspended from the ceiling of the first floor corridor, at the foot of the wide oaken stairway. The interior of City Hall is somber, the woodwork is dark and heavy, and the lighting is poor. Adjacent to City Hall on the east is CITY HALL ANNEX, containing the offices of the City Solicitor, and the City Planning Commission. This building, a 2-story, tan colored brick structure, was the home of MUL- LIGAN HALL, a relief depot supported by Erie merchants and citizens dur- ing the early days of the 1930 depression. Transients and other needy persons were given food here before the State and Federal relief agencies were sufficiently organized to care for Erie's needy persons.
9. The STRONG MANSION (private), SW cor. W. 6th and Peach Sts., is the most pretentious dwelling in Erie. It is a two-and-a- half-story structure of tan brick, with limestone trim. A balcony follows the second story level across the W. 6th St. side, railed with delicate iron- work. The entrance is of modified Roman pillars, six in number, support- ing the ceiling of a recessed foyer. The doorways are topped by pointed, limestone arches. The building is of English town house design, with con- siderable French chateau influence. Long French windows look out upon
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the streets. Though in a rectangular form the structure is so broken with ells and buttresses as to give an effect of symetry, and of a gracefulness seldom found in huge mansions. This effect is accentuated by the height of the building and the steep pitch of the roof. It contains 40 rooms. It was built by William L. Scott, early Erie philanthropist, railroad mag- nate, newspaper publisher, and politician, and presented in 1896 to his daughter, Mrs. Anna Wainwright Scott Strong.
10. The ERIE CLUB BUILDING (open to members and guests), NW cor. W. 6th and Peach Sts., was erected in 1849 as the residence of Gen. Charles M. Reed, grandson of Col. Seth Reed, the first settler of Erie. The Erie Club, incorporated January 10, 1882, purchased the build- ing and took possession in 1905. It is two stories in height, and is of red brick painted brown, with sandstone trim. Four fluted Ionic columns support a pediment facing Peach St. Doric pilasters accentuate the corners of the house.
R. from Peach St. on N. Park Row; R. from N. Park Row on French St .; R. from French St. on S. Park Row.
II. ERIE PUBLIC LIBRARY BUILDING (open weekdays, 9 a. m. 9:30 p. m .; Sun. and holidays 2-5), SW cor. S. Park Row and French St., is of Italian Renaissance architecture, two stories in height. The entrance on S. Park Row consists of a group of classical columns support- ing an extended pediment. The structure is of brick and granite with lime- stone quoins. It was built in 1897-99 by the Board of Education and is controlled by that body through a board of trustees. Alden and Harlow, of Pittsburgh, were the architects.
The first floor and mezzanine are occupied by a free public library con- taining 135,000 volumes. There are reading rooms, reference rooms, a periodical room, and the librarian's office. In the basement are complete files of all Erie newspapers, and a museum containing historical and scien- tific exhibits.
The library maintains seven branches in the public schools, placing books for free distribution in all grade and high schools. The works of various writers and authors who were native to Erie city and county, or who made their home here at times, are included in the library. Ida Minerva Tarbell (1857- ), probably Erie County's most outstanding writer, is the author of a History of the Standard Oil Company, an authoritative history of the industry and a biography of an organizing genius, a Life of Lincoln, and Tariff in Our Times. She was born near Wattsburg, in Amity Township, and gave up a teaching career to be- come an associate editor of the Chautauquan, a small New York magazine, later becoming managing editor of the publication, and afterward quitting the post to visit Europe to study the writing of biography.
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CITY TOURS
Emory A. Walling, 1854-1931, who served a term on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, wrote a biographical history titled Memoirs of the Erie County Bench and Bar. This book is the only accurate history of the Erie County bench in existence.
Effie B. Kaemmerling (Aldis Dunbar), born in Philadelphia, Pa., 1870, now (1938) living in Erie, was one of the most prolific writers of the county. Among her writings are Lightbearers, Once There was a Prince, Sons O' Cormac and Tales of Other Men's Sons.
Baroness Von Hutten (nee Betsy Riddle), born in Erie in 1874 and now (1938) living in England, wrote fiction of the early 1900's, such as Bag of Saffron, Halo, Kingsmeade, Lives of a Woman, Miss Carmichael's Conscience, Our Lady of the Beaches, and Pen Decides.
Sarah A. Reed, born in Ashtabula, O., 1838, died in Erie in 1934, pub- lished a number of volumes. Her best were My Grandmother's Story and Other Stories, After Fifty Years, Belated Passenger, Dora Bently, Ro- mance of Arlington House, and Study Class Programs.
Francis Newton Thorpe, born in Swampscott, Mass., in 1857 and de- scended from Miles and Rose Standish, moved with his parents to North East in 1865. In 1889 he wrote The Government of the People of The United States, designed as a text book on American institutions, which passed through eight editions in the next four years.
The ART GALLERY, also on the second floor (open Sat. 2 to 5; Sun. and Mon. eves. 7:30 to 9), was established in 1898 and has a permanent col- lection of 40 paintings covering a general field. The most valuable paint- ing is Late Afternoon, Isle of Shoals, by Childe Hassam, painter of the impressionistic school. Other noted paintings are White Cliffs of Albion, by Edward Moran; Sans Souci, by Gustave Mosler, the elder; The Echo, by Mosler, the younger; and Silent Woods, by R. W. Shurtlaff. Two interesting paintings by Harry Klopp, done under the WPA Federal Art Project, are Robin Hood and The Pied Piper of Hamlin.
The MUSEUM in the basement (open 9-5:30 daily except Sun.), contains numerous relics, antiques, costumes, and specimens of scientific and historical collections, such as a facsimile of Oliver Hazard Perry's flag; the kettle in which the flesh was boiled from the bones of Gen. Anthony Wayne to make a package for shipment to his old home at Radnor, Pa., where his bones were reinterred; a chair used in the blockhouse where Wayne died; the side lanterns of Perry's first flagship, the Lawrence; the surgical kit of Dr. Usher Parsons, surgeon of Perry's fleet; and a letter from George Washington to one of his generals in 1777. Other exhibits include Indian implements, documents written by Washington, Com- modore Perry, and John Brown, and a deed containing the names of William, John, and Richard Penn. From time to time various foreign
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collections are exhibited. The museum is also headquarters for lectures, and garden and hobby club gatherings.
12. The FEDERAL BUILDING, SE cor. S. Park Row and State St., is a 3-story, ell-shaped building of Indiana limestone, trimmed with slate, soapstone, and granite. The architect was R. Stanley Brown, con- sulting architect of the U. S. Treasury Dept. The building houses the federal offices of the district, including the Federal Court. The Perry Square station of the Erie post office occupies the first floor. R. from S. Park Row on State St.
14. WOODRUFF RESIDENCE, 417 State St., is a large, simple, buff- plastered home with Doric entrance, built in 1839. Samuel E. Woodruff, a distinguished Erie citizen, lived here from 1872 to 1881. It is now used for commercial purposes.
15. The HORACE GREELEY BOARDING HOUSE, 416 State St., a simple 2-story brick house is now occupied by a laundry. The famous editor, founder of the New York Tribune and Liberal-Democratic nominee for President in 1872, worked in Erie during 1830-31, as a printer on the Erie Gazette, and boarded in this house.
16. The OLD CUSTOMS HOUSE, 407 State St., was designed by William Kelly and erected in 1839. It is of Greek Revival design, with a finely proportioned marble portico of six fluted pillars, supporting a large entablature and pediment. It was planned originally for the Erie branch of the United States Bank of Philadelphia, but before the structure was completed the bank had failed. The building was sold in 1849 to the United States Government for $29,000, and was used for many years as a Customs House, Internal Revenue Office, and Post Office. It was pur- chased by Erie County Commissioners in 1937, and leased to the Erie County Historical Society, present (1938) occupant of the building. R. from State St. on E. 2d St.
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