Monday, October 29, 2012

Greyhound Station at Perry Square Erie PA

"Sleek, streamlined, stripped of detail, the Art Moderne style became the architectural symbol of the Motor Age during the 1930s. Roadside motels and diners, gasoline and bus stations became new fixtures on the American scene; in this outgrowth of the European International Style of the 1920s, the fast-paced nature of American life found its perfect expression.

Built in 1939 on the site of the demolished Park Opera House, Erie's Greyhound bus terminal was designed by W. A. Arrasmith of Louisville, Kentucky, a nationally-known transportation architect responsible for dozens of Greyhound facilities in nearby states.

The glazed exterior surface, the sleek curvi-linear floor plan, the liberal use of glass brick and aluminum, make this Moderne building take on a streamlined, machinelike appearance expressive of America's newfound fascination with high-speed highway transportation.

The building is Erie's only pure example of the Art Moderne style and was incorporated into the National Register of Historical Places in 1979 as part of the West Park Place historic district. Recent exterior renovations, however, have stripped the terminal of much of its original character."
-article by Tom Weber, used with permission of the author. Here is a link to Tom Weber Films: http://tomweberfilms.com
-ads in Erie Dispatch, March 22, 1940.

1 comment:

  1. I spent many a late night in that bus station waiting for the last bus out to Waterford after taking night classes.

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