Institution

Commissioned by the famous Warner Bros in 1929 and designed by the Rapp and Rapp Company of Chicago, Warner Theatre opened in 1931. Building costs were over $1.5 million. The auditorium seats over 2,250 between the orchestra and balcony sections, and is decorated in an art deco style. The interior was designed by New York's Rambusch Studios; due to the elaborate and high quality materials used in the construction of Warner Theatre, recreating it today is considered "almost impossible." On April 10, 1931, Warner Theatre opened its doors to the public. The first film shown there was The Millionare, which featured George Arliss with James Cagney. The theatre soon began hosting vaudeville shows, and became an important part of the vaudeville circuit, even hosting Bob Hope. The theatre was sold to the movie theater chain Cinemette Corporation of America in 1971, who operated it until 1976. When Erie Mayor Louis J. Tullio learned that the company wished to sell the theatre, he organized community efforts to buy the property in order to save the building from demolition. Renovations such as replacing the roof were much needed, and took place over the next year. In 1977 the Erie Civic Center Authority was formed and given control over the Warner Theatre. It was then that the theatre again began hosting live performances. The Warner Theatre is home to the Erie Philharmonic and the Erie Civic Ballet Company, and it also hosts touring Broadway productions. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

The Warner Theatre as it looked opening night, April 10, 1931

Warner Organist, Tony Conti in 1950 playing organ is theatre. 

Movie poster for 1931 film, The Millionaire. This was the first film to be shown at the Warner Theatre

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Erie Events: History of the Warner Theatre

The Warner Theatre is an Art Deco and French Renaissance-styled theater located in downtown Erie. The Warner was designed by Chicago-architects Rapp and Rapp and was opened in 1931. It was used as a movie theater until 1976, when it was sold to the City of Erie. In the early 1980s, Erie converted the theater to a performing arts center, which has become the focus of a downtown revival.

The theater features a 65-foot-by-28-foot proscenium stage and is complemented by crushed velour, gold and silver leaf, and gold-backed French mirrors. Today it hosts concerts and Broadway theatre performances and is home to the Erie Philharmonic and the Lake Erie Ballet. The Warner's Grand Lobby can be used as a reception space with a capacity of 500.

Warner Theatre (Erie, Pennsylvania)

This walking tour includes several historic buildings and museums including the Erie Federal Courthouse, Dickson Tavern, Erie Trust Company Building, and the Erie Maritime Museum. 

Shortly after the passage of the National Bank Act by Congress in 1864, several banks were chartered in Erie. One of these, Dime Savings and Loan, was founded in 1866; it was reorganized as the Erie Trust Company in 1902. The economic boom following World War I set off a flurry of building activity in downtown Erie, including a ten-story skyscraper at 12th and State Streets. By the mid-1920s, the Erie Trust Company had become the dominant banking institution in the city and needed space to expand. The bank hired the New York City-architectural firm Dennison and Hirons in 1925 to design its new headquarters. The Erie Trust Company Building was completed in 1928 at a cost of $2 million. A year later, the stock market crashed sparking the Great Depression, and, by 1933, the Erie Trust Company had gone bankrupt. Its remnants and that of another defunct bank were reorganized into the National Bank and Trust, which continue to occupy the building now owned by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.The state auctioned off the Erie Trust Company Building in 1943 in bankruptcy court and it was acquired by the Tenth Street Building Corporation, a local real estate company, for $377,000. The building was renamed after the company's president at the time, G. Daniel Baldwin, in 1945; Baldwin died the next year. National Bank and Trust continued to lease the first floor, along with offices on the third, until it was taken over by First National Bank in 1951; First National maintained a presence in the Baldwin Building until the 1980s. Despite its owners operating a "large and profitable" business, the occupancy in the building decreased to less than 30 percent in the 1970s and 1980s.The G. Daniel Baldwin Building was, again, put up for auction in June 1996. The Tenth Street Building Corporation donated the building to the Greater Erie Charity Golf Classic where it sold to local developer Tom Kennedy for $315,000 with the proceeds going to charity. The Baldwin Building was renamed Renaissance Centre as part of the effort to revitalize the building; a new sign, fashioned to resemble its limestone cladding, was installed over the old name. From its purchase in 1996 to late-1998, the Renaissance Centre underwent a $2.2 million restoration. The Renaissance Centre was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 10, 2000.The Renaissance Centre has a total floor space of 150,000 square feet spread across its 14 floors. Originally, the first floor housed the bank lobby, but it has been divvied up into an atrium and retail spaces for businesses. Six murals by New York-painter Edward A. Turnbull depicting historical events from Erie History were located on the first floor; five remain, but were hidden by renovations. The 14th floor offers views of Presque Isle Park in Lake Erie and, on clear days, Long Point, Canada.

The Renaissance Centre, formerly known as the Erie Trust Company Building and the G. Daniel Baldwin Building, is a 198-foot skyscraper located in Erie, Pennsylvania. Since its completion, the 14-story building has been the tallest in Erie. Intended to be the headquarters for the largest bank in Erie, the Erie Trust Company Building was designed by the firm Dennison and Hiron in 1925. Completed in 1928 at the climax of the Roaring Twenties, the building's namesake bank failed in 1933 after the start of the Great Depression. It was renamed the G. Daniel Baldwin Building in 1943 and then in 1996, it became the Renaissance Centre. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 10, 2000.

Renaissance Centre (Erie, Pennsylvania)

Commissioned by the famous Warner Bros in 1929 and designed by the Rapp and Rapp Company of Chicago, Warner Theatre opened in 1931. Building costs were over $1.5 million. The auditorium seats over 2,250 between the orchestra and balcony sections, and is decorated in an art deco style. The interior was designed by New York's Rambusch Studios; due to the elaborate and high quality materials used in the construction of Warner Theatre, recreating it today is considered "almost impossible." On April 10, 1931, Warner Theatre opened its doors to the public. The first film shown there was The Millionare, which featured George Arliss with James Cagney. The theatre soon began hosting vaudeville shows, and became an important part of the vaudeville circuit, even hosting Bob Hope. The theatre was sold to the movie theater chain Cinemette Corporation of America in 1971, who operated it until 1976. When Erie Mayor Louis J. Tullio learned that the company wished to sell the theatre, he organized community efforts to buy the property in order to save the building from demolition. Renovations such as replacing the roof were much needed, and took place over the next year. In 1977 the Erie Civic Center Authority was formed and given control over the Warner Theatre. It was then that the theatre again began hosting live performances. The Warner Theatre is home to the Erie Philharmonic and the Erie Civic Ballet Company, and it also hosts touring Broadway productions. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

The Boston Store was founded in 1885 when Elisha H. Mack bought the bankrupt Erie Dry Goods Store. Mack renamed the store after Boston, Massachusetts, then the "perceived...center of fashion and culture."&nbsp;The store was moved from its original location on&nbsp;Peach Street&nbsp;to the 700-block of State Street in 1886. From 1886 to 1930, the Boston Store expanded, purchasing more of the property on its block. By the late 1920s, the store had managed to acquired&nbsp;frontage&nbsp;on all four surrounding streets—Peach, State, 7th and 8th.&nbsp;Mack retired in 1925, shortly after his longtime business partner died.In 1929, a new Boston Store was designed by the Erie-architectural firm Shutts &amp; Morrison. The new store was completed in 1931 and was estimated to have cost $2&nbsp;million.&nbsp;From 1949 to 1953, renovations and expansion of the Boston Store were carried out by the local architectural firm Myers &amp; Krider. The three-story portion of the Boston Store facing Peach Street was raised to six in 1949; the three-story structure on 8th Street was demolished and replaced with a five-story one the next year. Escalators&nbsp;were installed on first through fifth floors in 1953.The Boston Store was bought by&nbsp;Associated Dry Goods&nbsp;in 1959. Management of the Boston Store was assumed by&nbsp;Home's&nbsp;department store of&nbsp;Pittsburgh&nbsp;in December&nbsp;1975. Because of the loss of sales caused by competition from the&nbsp;Millcreek Mall&nbsp;in nearby&nbsp;Millcreek Township, the Boston Store was closed on July&nbsp;7, 1979.The Boston Store was listed on the National Register of Historic Places&nbsp;on October&nbsp;24, 1996.&nbsp;The upper five floors were renovated into 125&nbsp;apartments.&nbsp;The radio stations&nbsp;WFNN,&nbsp;WJET,&nbsp;WRKT, and&nbsp;WRTS&nbsp;broadcast from the building.&nbsp;A restaurant was opened on September&nbsp;22, 2008 on the ground floor of the Boston Store, but closed in December 2013.&nbsp;UPMC Health Plan moved into a 7,600-square-foot&nbsp;space on the first floor in early 2011.

The Boston Store is a former department store located at and State Street in downtown Erie in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The store itself was founded in 1885, with the building being constructed in 1929. At its peak, two other Boston Stores were opened, in addition to the downtown store. The Boston Store was closed in 1979. The building remained abandoned until 1988, when it was renovated into a combination apartment and commercial building, and was renamed Boston Store Place.

Boston Store (Erie, PA)

The first United States courthouse in Erie had been constructed at this location in 1888 under the supervision of Mifflin E. Bell., also in the service of the Western District of Pennsylvania. This building also served as a&nbsp;post office. It was demolished to make way for the existing 1938 courthouse. The 1938 courthouse was designed by Rudolph Stanley-Brown, a Cleveland architect who was the grandson of President&nbsp;James A. Garfield. Built during the Great Depression with funds from New Deal programs, its construction provided local jobs. However, the Erie Public Library, completed in 1899 and incorporated into the United States Courthouse complex in the 1980s, is the oldest building in the complex. The Library was designed by the firm of Alden &amp; Harlow of Pittsburgh.The 1947 Baker Building was originally a clothing store. Isaac Baker and Son established its first store in the 1850s at another downtown location. When fire destroyed an earlier building, the proprietor hired Erie architect Walter Monahan and consulting architect George Mayer of Cleveland to design a new building. Construction of the building occurred during the period 1943-1946 by the Henry Shenk Company, a prominent Erie general contractor. Shenk had constructed the adjacent Erie Library, over 40 years earlier, and his company was quite large when it began constructing the Baker Building. Work was stopped on the building shortly after it began, because of the constrictions imposed by&nbsp;World War II; however, it resumed in 1945 and was substantially completed in 1946.&nbsp;The new portions are the Courthouse Annex and the Connector, which unite the annex, library, and courthouse. Both are clearly modern. The design and restoration was completed in 2004 by DPK&amp;A Architects and Kingsland Scott Bauer Associates.&nbsp;The courthouse complex overlooks Perry Square, a park named to honor Admiral Oliver Hazard Perry. Other major buildings front the square, creating a monumental town center.

The Erie Federal Courthouse, also known as Erie Federal Courthouse and Post Office, is a complex of buildings that serve as a courthouse of the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, and house other federal functions. The main courthouse building was built in 1937 in Moderne architecture style. It served historically as a courthouse, as a post office, and as a government office building. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993. By the late 1980s, the federal courts needed more space to effectively serve the public. To resolve the space shortage, the General Services Administration undertook a bold plan to purchase, restore, and adaptively use two adjacent historic buildings: the Main Library and the Isaac Baker & Son Clothing Store. The existing courthouse was rehabilitated and two additions were constructed. Each of the buildings in the complex is of a different architectural style.

Erie Federal Courthouse

*From the Erie Public Library website: "The Erie Public Library was established in 1897, the first in Pennsylvania to be organized under the Free Library Act of 1895, providing that public libraries could be established under school district auspices. The formal dedication of the building at 27 South Park Row took place on February 16, 1899.The building’s original tenants were the Erie School District’s administrative offices, the Public Museum, the Public Library and the Art Club of Erie. Until 1969, the Erie School District offices occupied the second floor while the library was located on the first and basement levels.In 1963, the State Librarian designated the Erie Public Library as the District Library Center of Erie and Crawford Counties. The primary responsibilities of a District Library Center are to provide free interlibrary loan, reference services and a consultant’s services to the branch libraries as well as to all the local independent libraries in the two county area.On November 14, 1973 the Erie Public Library broke its direct ties with the Erie School District and became the Erie Metropolitan Library, a non-profit corporation with an independent Board of Directors.The Erie County Commissioners established a separate library, the Erie County Public Library in 1949. The main purpose of the Erie County Public Library was to serve the elementary schools of Erie County, which were without libraries of their own. This purpose dictated the direction the county library took in its formative years: that of a library on wheels and a philosophy of outreach. The County Library was established in the Priestly Avenue School in Lawrence Park and in 1966, moved again to an industrial arts building at 4212 Iroquois Avenue, the present location of the Iroquois Avenue Branch Library.The Erie City and County Library formally came into existence on July 1, 1976. This library was a result of the merger between the Erie Metropolitan Library and the Erie County Public Library. A merger had been discussed since the 1960’s. In 1973, an independent library consultant was commissioned to study the feasibility of a merger. The result of this study was “the Machinski Report” and the recommendation was to merge. Serious negotiations between the board of Directors of the Erie Metropolitan Library and the Board of Trustees of the Erie county Library resumed in the fall of 1975. A $200,000 federal grant and agreement by the Erie County Commissioners to provide financial support to the Erie Metropolitan Library supplied the final impetus for merger. The federal grant was used to implement the merger and to establish two new branch outlets.In October 1979, the Erie City and County Library was taken over by Erie County government. Administration spearheaded the takeover and signed an agreement with the School District of the City of Erie. The agreement reduced annual funding by the school district until contributions ceased on July 1, 1982, the first time since 1899 that the library did not receive appropriations from the Erie School District.With the change in financial support came other major changes. The name of the library became the Erie County Library System. The library became a department of County Government and an Advisory Board was appointed, and all the staff became county rather than school district employees in 1982.In 1996, after nearly 100 years of service, the main library on South Park Row closed its doors for the last time. The System name was changed back to the Erie County Public Library and a new main library, the Raymond M. Blasco, M.D. Memorial Library was erected on Erie’s bayfront. This facility was named after Dr. Blasco because of a generous endowment to the library through the Erie Community Foundation. The Erie County community contributed significant funding for the building.The Erie County Public Library outlets are located as follows. A Bookmobile services those areas of Erie County that do not have local libraries or branch libraries."

While the Erie Public Library system was established in 1897, a building to house the library system would not be completed until 1899. The Main Library Building is the the oldest building of the government complex in Erie that includes the Erie Federal Courthouse and Baker Building, a clothing store. The building is also known as the Erie Public Library. 

Main Library (Erie Pennsylvania)

The Cashier's House was designed by Philadelphia-architect William Kelly and was built as part of a three-structure complex, in 1839. The Coach House and&nbsp;Old Customshouse&nbsp;were also part of the complex. It was built primarily as the residence for the&nbsp;chief executive officer&nbsp;of the next door Erie Branch of the&nbsp;Bank of the United States.&nbsp;The bank closed in 1841, but the cashier of the bank continued to live in the house until his death in 1843.&nbsp;In 1850, the house was sold for $4,000 ($101&nbsp;thousand in present-day terms) at half of its original cost.&nbsp;The Cashier's House was bought by Samuel Woodruff in 1872.&nbsp;The Woodruffs occupied the Cashier's House until 1913, leading the house to sometimes be referred to as the "Woodruff Residence" or "Woodruff House. The state of Pennsylvania bought the Cashier's House on July 17, 1963 for $30,800 ($237&nbsp;thousand today). The state restored the Cashier's House, and the next-door Old Customshouse, in the late 1960s and early 1970s. On March 9, 1983, the boundary of the site was increased to include the Coach House. The Coach House, located on East 4th Street, was built at the same time of the Old Customshouse and the Cashier's House. The house was sold to a marble dealer in 1882 and was sold, again, in 1904 to a Blacksmith.&nbsp;The depth of the house was expanded to nearly triple the original size by the Blacksmith to house&nbsp;heavy machinery.&nbsp;

This 1839 structure was part of a three-building banking complex that included what is now the Old Customshouse, and Coach House. This building housed the CEO of the Erie branch of the Bank of United States located next to the complex. When the branch closed down in 1841,  the house continued to act as a residence until 1913. From then until 1963 it was sparsely used until the city of Erie purchased the building and restored it. Currently it is being used by the Erie County History Center.

Cashier's House

John Dickson, a Baltimore&nbsp;native, arrived in Erie in 1808. During the&nbsp;War of 1812, Dickson became a&nbsp;prisoner-of-war. After the war, Dickson opened a hotel on French Street between 3rd and 4th Streets. He bought a plot of land on the corner of 2nd and French Streets where, a year later, William Himrod built a tavern.&nbsp;The tavern itself was named by Dickson the "Exchange Coffee House" to appeal to the&nbsp;higher class.&nbsp;Dickson was known for hosting outdoor&nbsp;banquets&nbsp;during the summer months. One such banquet, on June 9, 1825, was attended by the&nbsp;Marquis de Lafayette, who visited Erie on his return to the United States.&nbsp;Dickson moved to&nbsp;Meadville, Pennsylvania in 1829 and opened another establishment. He moved, again, to&nbsp;Pittsburgh&nbsp;two years later and sold the tavern in Erie for $1,800.The tavern continued to be used as an eating establishment by various owners, until it was sold 1841.&nbsp;In 1841, an addition was made to the building and it was used as a residence until 1924. It was then acquired by the city and faced demolition.&nbsp;It was often alleged that the tunnels under the Dickson Tavern were part of the&nbsp;Underground Railroad, but the claims have since been disputed.&nbsp;The building's interior was modified from 1928 to 1963 for use as a museum and became known as the Perry Memorial House.&nbsp;The museum was closed in 2004 and Dickson has since remained vacant.&nbsp;In November 2009, Kidder Wachter Architecture &amp; Design bought the tavern and renovated the building for use as its office.The Dickson Tavern is a three-story building on the corner of 2nd and French Streets, across the street from the UPMC Hamot&nbsp;medical center.&nbsp;The northern, original section the building is chacterized by a Federal architectural style with its evenly spaced windows. The southern, Greek Revival portion of tavern was constructed as part of an addition and lacks the symmetry of the original building.

The Dickson Tavern, or the Perry Memorial House, is the oldest building in the city of Erie. Located at the corner of 2nd and French Streets in downtown Erie, the structure was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990. The three-story, Federal and Greek Revival-style building was constructed in 1815 by William Himrod and owned by John Dickson. It was acquired by the city of Erie in 1924. The Tavern hosted Revolutionary War Hero the Marquis de Lafayette and has been reported (but unconfirmed) as being part of the Underground Railroad helping escaped slaves get into Canada. 

Dickson Tavern

The museum offers a wide range of multimedia and interactive exhibits coupled with lively interpretive programs that vividly illustrate the region's rich maritime heritage. When in homeport, the ship herself is the major &amp;quot;exhibit&amp;quot;. Berthed within yards of the museum, Niagara is visible from the building's bay side picture window. Inside, the centerpiece exhibits of the museum are a former steam-powered electricity generating station and a reconstruction of the mid-ship section of the USS Lawrence. The replicated Lawrence, Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry's first flagship during the Battle of Lake Erie, comes complete with mast, spars and rigging to foster hands-on learning in the ways of sail handling. Another powerful display is the adjoining section of the Lawrence replica that has been blasted with live ammunition from the current Niagara's own carronades at the National Guard training facility in Fort Indiantown Gap, near Harrisburg. This unprecedented exhibit of the Lawrence recreates the horrific carnage inflicted upon both ships and men during the Battle of Lake Erie and throughout the Age of Fighting Sail. Other exhibits tell the stories of the USS Wolverine (previously the USS Michigan), the nation's first iron-hulled warship, the environmental transformation of the Great Lakes ecosystem and much more.

Housed in a former PENELC generating station, the Erie Maritime Museum permits visitors to learn about the rich history of the Lake Erie and the people and ships that sailed upon it from the War of 182 through present day.  Located on Presque Isle Bay, the museum first opened back in 1998 and uses interpretive displays and historical artifacts to enlighten its patrons.  It is also the home port for the US Brig Niagara, the full size recreation of the famous ship from the War of 1812.  While in port, the Niagara is open for tours.

Erie Maritime Museum

During the war, a crew of 155 manned the ship.&nbsp;After the war, it was sunk to help preserve it. In 1913, it was raised and rebuilt for centennial celebration of the battle. Another partial restoration was attempted in 1931, but lack of funds prevented it from being completed.&nbsp; As a result, it slowly began to deteriorate again and eventually was placed in a concrete cradle in the 1950s. The Flagship Niagara League was then formed in 1981 and raised enough funds to attempt a third restoration effort in the mid-1980s.&nbsp; However, during this process it was discovered that much of the ship was damaged beyond repair and mush of the original ship was destroyed.&nbsp; A replica ship was then built which incorporated as much of the original as possible.&nbsp; It was launched in 1988 to celebrate the 175th anniversary of the Battle of Lake Erie.The Flagship Niagara League still tends to the replica Niagara and she sails the waters of the Great Lakes as an ambassador for the state of Pennsylvania as she is the official flagship of the Commonwealth.&nbsp; She also serves as a sailing school preserve the skills of square-rig seamanship.&nbsp;

The U.S.S. Niagara is a historic, reconstructed ship built in 1813 to help protect the American coastline along Lake Erie during the War of 1812. It was one of nine American ships that defeated a British fleet of six ships in the Battle of Lake Erie, which took place in September 1813. The American fleet was commanded by Oliver Hazard Perry (the older brother of  Matthew Calbraith Perry—"Commodore Perry"—who succeeded in the opening up of Japan in 1854). He won the battle by employing the "T" move, in which his fleet ran in a straight line perpendicular to the British fleet. The ship is now mostly a replica and contains little of the original material. It is part of the of Erie Maritime Museum as an exhibit space but it is still an active ship, designated an official sailing school vessel by the U.S. Coast Guard and it sails in the Great Lakes. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.

Walking Tour of Historic Erie Pennsylvania

Warner Theatre (Erie, Pennsylvania)

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Sources

Additional Information