Booker T. Washington Spoke In Erie, PA

Booker T. Washington article, Erie Evening Herald, June 1914.

Believe it or not, Booker T. Washington spoke in Erie, PA one hundred years ago. He appeared at the Central Presbyterian Church on the northeast corner of 10th and Sassafras Street on Sunday, June 21, 1914. Dr. Washington spoke to a large audience at 10:45 a.m. about "Negro Education With Relation to the Development of the South."

"The talk to the Erie audience was one of a series being given by the famous Negro instructor in Western Pennsylvania and New York, for the object of acquainting the people of this section with the work being done by this great place of learning [the Tuskegee Institute]. After his talk here Dr. Washington left for Jamestown, NY, where he was scheduled to speak in the evening." Erie Daily Times, June 22, 1914.

At Jamestown, Dr. Washington explained to the audience, "When we first told the parents of the students that, they must work at Tuskegee, they rebelled and said 'why we have been worked as slaves for 250 years and a school is the last place for work.' I explained that there was a vast difference between being worked and working. We have now reached a point where all prejudice is removed. We have entirely changed the spirit of the black people of the South. We have taught them the disgrace of idleness and the dignity and beauty of work. If we educate the mind and strengthen the hand we have accomplished much. Our work is practical. We do not use the book much. It is easier to learn about a horse from the horse than it is to learn it from a book." -Fredonia Censor, July 8, 1914.

Dr. Washington spoke in Auburn, New York on June 12, 1914 at the unveiling of a Harriet Tubman memorial. This was nine days before he appeared in Erie. 

"It is most fitting and proper from every point of view that the name of Harriet Tubman should be perpetuated by means of this tablet so that her memory and deeds can live in the minds and hearts of the present generation, and can be held up as an object lesson for all time to the generations that follow. Harriet Tubman was a unique and great character of which any race and any age should be proud. Here in the city where she spent the larger part of her life, and here where her body rests, is the place of all places where this tribute of love and affection should be expressed.  The citizens of Auburn had a chance to know her better than the citizens of any other community. Indeed, she was a prophet not without honor in her own home." -The Advertiser-Journal, Saturday, June 13, 1914.

Booker T. Washington died on November 14, 1915 in Tuskegee, Alabama. The Central Presbyterian Church at 10th and Sassafras in Erie, PA was demolished many years ago. The Booker T. Washington Center, named in honor of the famous educator, is located at 18th and Holland Street in Erie, PA.

Find more amazing historical facts about Erie, Pennsylvania at Old Time Erie

Antique Koehler Beer Bottle Opener

Antique bottle openers from Koehler's, Wayne Brewery and W. E. McClelland courtesy of B. Chambers.

If you love local local history and collect memorabilia from Erie, Pennsylvania businesses, you may recognize these antique bottle openers. First we have an old Koehler Beer opener in the upper left-hand corner. This was used before the new twist off caps were designed for glass bottles.The Wayne Brew bottle opener looks an awful lot like a shoe horn. The final opener, complete with a corkscrew to open a bottle of wine, was given to customers who bought a new Oldsmobile at the W. E. McClelland dealership in Erie. William McClelland worked as a salesman for his friend Jake Roth in the forties, then ran his own company. 

After awhile, these items were delegated to the junk drawer in the kitchen. You know the one, with mismatched buttons, old shoe laces, an ice pick, a nutcracker, the tool for digging walnuts out of the shell, wheat pennies, the owner's manual for the oven, clicky pens that stopped writing twenty years ago, match books advertising restaurants, playing cards, mismatched dice, Monopoly pieces and every other trinket that was considered too valuable to throw away.

The Erie County Historical Society and BrewErie presented a night of local beer history on March 12, 2014. The sold-out event featured a special BrewErie pint of pre-prohibition era formula Koehler Beer, exceptional Erie brewing archival images and collections from the ECHS holdings! 

Click here to see the old Koehler Clock on State Street. and here for a Wayne Brewing Company ad.

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Big Jim Carter Awarded Purple Heart in WWII

James W. Carter ABMC webpage and Cleveland Call photo.

U. S. Army Technical Sergeant James W. Carter was killed in action during World War II while fighting in Luzon, an island in the Philippines. 

I first learned of his fate while reading a Cleveland, Ohio newspaper. "T-Sgt. James Walker Carter of 217 E. 17th St. met a heroes death on the island of Luzon April 23, according to word received by Miss Lillian Carter, his wife, from the War Department and Lt. Col. George D. Bunch of the 870th Aviation Engineers, who was his commanding officer. Carter was born 35 years ago in Richmond, VA, and met and married his wife in Philadelphia in 1939. He worked with contractors throughout the country and came to Erie in 1941 and was inducted there on January 6, [19443]. 

'Big Jim' as he was known to his friends, could have possibly avoided death if he had accepted the opportunity offered him just prior to the time his outfit left Jefferson Barracks, where he was stationed. An offer was made to him to serve as an M.P. which he refused because of his admiration for his friends, who would leave him behind if he chose M.P. duty; he had always been known as a man of action. Sgt. Carter was buried with full military honors April 24 on Luzon Island. He is Erie's second casualty of this war." -Cleveland Call and Post, May 26, 1945.

I did a little more searching and found an article about the 870th Engineers in a Baltimore, MD newspaper. "With two battle stars, construction of five major airdromes and a unit citation to their credit, all but 83 of the original 752 men of the 870th Engineer Aviation Battalion expect to be home for Christmas...During their 28 months of oversea's service only  one man, T/Sgt. James Carter, Erie, PA, was lost due to enemy action...Every man in the unit wears the gold wreath on his right sleeve, signifying the Unit Citation award for meritorious service on New Guinea. Battle stars are for the New Guinea and the Luzon campaigns." -The Afro-American, September 24, 1945.

The 870th was sent to Japan after T/Sgt. Carter died. Ranking officers thought it was hypocritical to try and change the government and economy of this nation. "First steps toward the democratization of Japan should be taken in America, in the opinion of ARC Field Director Alvin Turner and Capt. Ernest N. Mattison, chaplain, both Washingtonians serving with the 870th Engineer Aviation Battalion here.

'America is in error trying to democratize the rest of the world,' says Mr. Turner. 'People can be made to swallow a thing but they won't always digest it and the chances of making a democracy out of Japan are slim because this nation is fundamentally a feudalistic state.'

By treating people in the United States fairly, especially colored ones, the country can best prevail upon other nations to let the Golden Rule be the international creed, he continues." -The Afro-American, November 24, 1945.

The American Battle Monuments Commission maintains 24 overseas cemeteries and 26 memorials, monument and markers which memorialize the sacrifice of more than 218,000 U.S. servicemen and women.

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Planes, Trains, Good Looks and Brains

A cute little girl coloring working on an art project. Photo courtesy of the Erie School District.

"I hope that cute little Fran Schanz will come over and teach me to draw. Hey, is he even watching me?" 

Of course I have no idea what this doe-eyed little girl is thinking, but it's fun to look at old pictures and try and imagine a scenario. It looks like this Erie School District student was studying planes, trains and automobiles, along with other modes of transportation like tricycles. Maybe her family was about to move far away because there is a 1955-era Allied Van Lines truck just to the right of her head. There might even be a '56 Chevy Nomad and a '56 Corvette pasted on the board. 

I remember decorating boards like this at the end of the hallway when I was in elementary school. I would bring in magazines like Woman's Day and Family Circle after my mom was done reading them, and use the little safety scissors to hack away and try to cut out a proper shape without lopping off an important piece of the picture. The next step was to apply an evenly spread layer of Elmer's glue to the back of the picture and try to stick it to the butcher's paper without wrinkling it or dropping it on the floor. 

It never failed that the little white container of Elmer's had a layer of caked on glue dribbled down the orange cap. I'd peel off the residue, twist the cap, squeeze, and get NOTHING! Then I'd have to untwist the entire cap, run it under water in the little sink, and hope the weird kid didn't have enough time to drink all my glue. 

OK, where was I? Oh, yeah. Being transported back in time to the days when I would peel off the wrappers and melt the crayons on the cast iron radiators next to the windows. 

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West 12th And Lincoln Holds Many Memories

Interstate 79 at West 12th near Lincoln Avenue. Erie Conference on Community Development photo.

When Interstate 79 was extended from West 26th to West 12th Street in Erie, PA, it forever changed the community. For most people it meant a faster commute in or out of the City of Erie. For others, it was the final chapter for their homes and businesses. 

My friend Marylou remembers sitting down to a family meal in the back room at Serafini's when it was located at 1714 West 12th Street. Other friends, like Ron Damico and Barbara Woodside, think of their family home in the 1700 block of West 14th St. If you happened to live in this neighborhood in the 1950s, you might recall the Big Erie Market at the corner of 12th and Lincoln, DeBello's Restaurant (next to Serafini's Cafe), Grehl's Dry Cleaners, Kent Hardware or Hayes Motors. Or the cluster of gas stations, like Victory Service Station at 1702 West 12th, Kahwka Esso at 1741 West 12th or Young's Atlantic Service Station at 1748 West 12th.

How can you forget the Delaware Avenue Housing Projects, built in June of 1943 to help ease the housing shortage experienced by returning World War II veterans? Or Custer Drive?

"It will consist of 200 dwelling units at 12th and Delaware Avenue and will be ready for occupancy soon. This again is of a temporary nature, the total cost being only $716,000. Owing to scarcity of materials, the houses will be heated with old-fashioned coal stoves, and refrigeration will be with ice-boxes. This project is to be known as the Delaware Avenue Housing Project and is about two blocks from the west city limits." -Know Erie compiled by Emelia Bark, Teacher of Civics, Gridley Junior High, Erie, Pennsylvania.

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Erie School District Boundaries in 1911

Knowing the boundaries of Erie, PA public schools can help figure out what school your parent or grandparent may have attended. The following list includes the borders for each school as they existed in 1911. In general, each school accepted students up to the halfway point of the next closest school, as long as their grade was taught there. In the boundaries of the districts listed here, "to" a street means the side of the street nearest the school, not both sides unless so specified. For example, "To Fifth" means the side of Fifth Street nearest the school of which it is a boundary.

Keep in mind that Millcreek Township wrapped around the City of Erie on three sides, to the east, south and west. The schools on this list were in Erie as it existed in 1911. The schools were referred to by number at that time. I have included the modern names to better describe them. Click here to read about the history of the Erie public schools.

The old Central High School, which was located on Sassafras Street between 10th and 11th Street, accepted students who lived anywhere in the City of Erie, PA. 

School No. 1 Lafayette. Located on northwest corner of 3rd and French Street. Outlying boundaries were north to Lake Erie; south to 5th Street; east to Parade Street; north (both sides of street) to 4th Street; east (both sides) to Wallace Street; north (both sides) to Lake Erie; west to Sassafras Street. 

School No. 2 Jones. Located at 150 East 8th Street (on Holland Street between 7th and 8th). Boundary beginning south on 10th Street from French Street to Holland Street; north to 9th Street; east on 9th Street (both sides of street) to Parade Street; north on Parade Street (both sides) to 8th Street; east on 8th (both sides) to Wallace; north (both sides) to 7th; east on 7th (both sides) to Ash; north (both sides) to 6th; west on 6th (both sides) to Wallace; north (both sides) to 4th; west to Parade; south (both sides) to 5th; west (both sides) to Sassafras; south to 8th; east (both sides) to Peach; south (both sides) to 11th; east to French; north (both sides) to 10th. Note: Students residing on Sassafras Street (both sides) from 6th to 8th Streets attend School No. 16.

School No. 3 Lowell. Located at 158 West 16th (and Sassafras Street). This was the fresh-air school.

School No. 4 Burns. Located at 414 West 5th Street (on West 5th St. near Chestnut). Boundary beginning on Cherry Street (both sides) from Lake Erie to 6th Street; east to Sassafras Street; north on Sassafras to Lake Erie. Note: Students residing on both sides of West 6th Street from Cherry to Sassafras attend School No. 16.

School No. 5 Marshall. 234 East 12th Street (between Holland and German). Boundary was south to the Lake Shore Railroad tracks from Wallace west to Sassafras; north to 12th Street; east to Peach; north to 11th; east on 11th (south side) to French; north to 10th; east to Holland; north to 9th; east to Parade; south to 11th; east to Wallace; south to the Lake Shore Railroad tracks.

School No. 6 Irving. 2310 Plum Street (West 24th between Plum and Cascade). Boundary was north to the Nickel Plate railroad tracks from Cherry to Liberty; north to 18th; west (both sides) to city limits; south to city limits; from west limits east to Hazel; north to 26th; east to Cherry; north to West 19th Street. 

School No. 7 Washington. 148 West 21st Street (near Sassafras Street). Boundary was north to the Lake Shore Railroad tracks from French west to Chestnut; north to 18th Street; west to Walnut; south to 19th Street; east to Chestnut; south to 23rd; east on 23rd (both sides) to State; south (both sides) to 24th; east to French; north to the Lake Shore Railroad tracks. Note: Both sides of French Street from East 26th Street north to the Lake Shore Railroad tracks go to School No. 14.

School No. 8 Columbus. 655 West 16th Street (near Poplar). Boundary was north to the Lake Shore Railroad tracks; east to Chestnut Street; south to 18th Street; west to Walnut; south to 19th; west to Liberty; north to 18th; west to Erie City Limits. Note: Liberty Street (both sides) from 19th to 18th and West 18th Street (both sides) west to the city limits to to School No. 6.

School No. 9 Franklin. 2617 Peach Street. Boundary was north to 23rd Street; west to Chestnut; south to 26th; west to Hazel; south to city limits; east to Holland; north to 26th; west to French; north to 24th; west to State; north to 23rd. Note: Both sides of East 26th from French to Holland go to School No. 14.

School No. 10 Gridley. 816 Park Avenue North (between Liberty and Plum). Boundary was north to Lake Erie; east to Cherry; south to 7th; west to Cascade; north to 6th; west on 6th (both sides) to city limits. Note: Students on Cherry (both sides) go to School No. 4. Students between Poplar and Cherry go to School No. 4, 16 or 10 as they prefer.

School No. 12 Wayne. 650 East Ave. Boundary was north to Lake Erie; west to Reed (both sides); south to 17th; east to Wayne Street; south to 10th; east to railroad; south to Lake Shore Railroad tracks; east to city limits.

School No. 13 Penn. 554 East 10th Street. Boundary was north to Lake Erie between Wallace and Reed; south on Wallace to 6th; east to Ash; south to 7th; west to Wallace; south to 8th; west to Parade; south to 11th; east to Wallace; south to the Lake Shore Railroad tracks; east to the P & E Railroad tracks; north to 10th; west to Wayne; north to 7th; west to Reed. Note: Sixth and 7th streets (both sides) from Ash to Wallace go to School No. 2; East 10th (both sides) to East Avenue go to School No. 13; Eighth (both sides) from Parade to Wallace go to School No. 2; Eleventh (both sides) from Parade to Wallace go to School No. 5.

School No. 14 Garfield. 316 East 21st (and German Street). Boundary was north to the Lake Shore Railroad tracks; east to Wallace from 16th south to 21st; west (both sides) to Parade; south on Parade (both sides) to 23rd; south to the west side of 28th Street; south on Old French Road to city limits; west to French from Lake Shore Railroad tracks south to 26th; east to Holland; south on Holland (both sides) to city limits. Note: Both sides of French Street go to School No. 14.

School No. 15 Jefferson. East 23rd and Ash Street. Boundary was north to the Lake Shore Railroad tracks; east to Wayne Street; west to Wallace from 16th to 21st; west to Parade; south to the city limits. Note: Students living on Old French Road and those living on both sides of Parade from 23rd south to 28th Street go to School No. 15.

School No. 16 Longfellow. 509 West 8th Street (8th and Walnut Street). DESCRIPTION COMING SOON.

School No. 17 McKinley. 961 East 22nd Street. Boundary was west to Wayne Street; south to the city limits; east to city limits; north to the Lake Shore Railroad tracks.

School No. 18 Emerson. 1010 West 10th (and Cascade Street). DESCRIPTION COMING SOON.

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I Pledge Allegiance To The Flag

Elementary school students reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. Photo courtesy of the Erie School District.

"I pledge allegiance to the flag, of the United States of America." This is how we started our school day every day all throughout elementary, middle and high school. After we arrived in our homeroom, the class would recite the Pledge of Allegiance in unison and there was always one kid who was a fraction of a second behind his classmates. And in my case, there was always one kid in the seat behind me pulling my pigtails. 

The one thing that always bugged me was the painting of George Washington. Why was it half-finished? Was President Washington too fidgety to sit for a portrait? If I would have raised my hand and asked this question in school I'm pretty sure I would have gotten an eraser bounced off of my head. 

We didn't have the old desks like the ones in this photo, but I understand that boys took great pleasure in dipping girls' ponytails into the inkwells. Speaking of desks, I got a job through CETA one summer and cleaned at Wilson Middle School in Erie, PA. One of my duties was to scrape bubblegum off of the underside of the desks. It was disgusting. Multi-colored, rock hard miniature stalactites. This was during the era when we used to make chains with bubblegum wrappers.  

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Booker T. Washington Center Aerial View

Booker T. Washington Center at 1720 Holland St. in Erie, PA.

The Booker T. Washington Center, at 1720 Holland Street in Erie, PA, was built around 1970. This aerial photograph from the Erie Redevelopment Authority shows the rebirth of the neighborhood, with several gaps where new homes had yet to be constructed.

The BTW Center is in the middle of this picture, on the north side of 18th St. If I remember correctly, the circle to the west of BTW was one of the old, shallow cement pools that the City of Erie used to fill in the summertime for kids to play in. Most of these pools were filled in with soil and are no longer used for that purpose. 

The old Lakeshore Ice Cream and the cold storage building at 347-351 East 15th Street is the tallest structure on the left side of the photo. Those buildings, on 15th and Parade, have been demolished. The white building below that, at 242 East 16th St., was Nagle Engine & Boiler Works at the turn of the century.

Booker T. Washington Center is a community gathering place which has educational and recreational activities for children, teens, adults and seniors. Booker T. Washington spoke in Erie, PA on June 21, 1914 at the Central Presbyterian Church on 10th and Sassafras St.

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Strong Vincent High School Aerial View

Taken from the air, looking southwest at Strong Vincent High School. Photo courtesy of the Erie School District.

Strong Vincent High School, at 1330 West 8th St. in Erie, PA, was built in 1930. This incredible aerial photograph shows how undeveloped and the area was. At one time all of the property north of West 8th Street that is visible in this picture was owned by Charles Hamot Strong. It's a neat coincidence that Strong Vincent was built on the Strong estate. C. H. Strong was a very shrewd businessman; he was president of the Erie & Pittsburgh Railroad Company in 1908, owned the Erie Dispatch newspaper and held an interest in many other ventures.

Actress Ann B. Davis graduated from Strong Vincent, as did Tom Lawless. Lawless played professional baseball for eight seasons, 1982 to 1990, for the Cincinnati Reds, the Expos, the Cardinals and the Blue Jays.

The Bayfront Highway follows the path of the old railroad tracks on the right side of this photo. The intersection near the upper right hand corner of the high school is 8th and Weschler. Reed Manufacturing is across the street from the school, a block to the west.

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Lou Tullio's Transitway Mall

Tullio's Transitway Mall. Looking north on State from 10th St.

Now you see it, now you don't. Erie mayor Lou Tullio envisioned a retail mecca in downtown Erie, PA and he secured hundreds of thousands of dollars into construction projects in the hopes of attracting shoppers to State Street. A recent study claims that 39,400 people lived within one mile of the area pictured above. The idea was to build a pedestrian-friendly area with wide sidewalks so that throngs of locals and tourists could meander from store to store and boost the local economy. And people would conserve gasoline and ride the EMTA buses to get downtown.

So, what happened? People hated it. If you look closely near the bottom of the picture, you'll see a yellow sign with two arrows, pointing east and west. Look closer and you'll see three round red circles with the friendly, welcoming words, "Do Not Enter." It worked. Erieites are quite attached to their vehicles and most of us like to park as close as possible to our favorite store, not in a parking lot several blocks away. You can't change human nature. 

Here is a photo of the Transitway Mall near 8th and State.

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Academy High School Rocked the Court

Academy High School basketball coach Don Zonno with Bob Thomas and Fred Williams around 1963. Photo courtesy Erie School District.

The more respect you give the more you are likely to receive. Don Zonno (1931-2013) lived by this motto. He taught by example and was an educator, coach and later principal at Academy High School at 2825 State Street in Erie, PA. In the early 1960s, Mr. Zonno lead a powerhouse basketball team which included Bob Thomas and Fred Williams, shown in the photo above. 

Bob Thomas (AHS '64) led the city in scoring for three consecutive years. Academy High School finished second in the City and Sectionals for the 1962-63 season.

"Academy's 'hot and cold' Lions, as they were called by the newspaper, proved to be mostly hot by remaining in contention for the sectional and city championship throughout the year. Although off to a slow start the surprising Lions astounded everyone by capturing the first annual Scholastic Invitational Tournament. Bob Thomas' field goal in the last two seconds of play gained the victory over Tech in the championship game...Bob Thomas led the team and the league in scoring...The hustling leadership of Freddy Williams was also instrumental as was Coach Zonno, in his first year of varsity coaching." -The Academe, 1962.

Other players from this era included Walt Crosby, Mike Trott, Dave Stingel and Everette Williams.

To sum it up, the team with the highest scoring player in the City of Erie for three consecutive years? Check. Top seed in local competition? Check. Nothing but net? Check. This is one team that will long be remembered. 

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Connell Elementary School Talent Show

Joanna Connell School talent show. Photo courtesy Erie School District.

Here we go round the mulberry bush. Lots of children participated in the talent show at JoAnna Connell School on East 38th and Stanton Street in Erie, PA. Look closely to see if you recognize any of the students. The Connell Cougars played basketball in the school gym, shown in the photo above. 

Eric "Broadway" Jones, manager of the Harlem Wizards basketball team, spoke to students and faculty in the Connell school gym on February 3, 2014. 

This Erie public school opened in 1958 and is located at 1820 East 38th St. It was named in honor of JoAnna Connell, an exceptional woman who taught English at the old Central High School on 10th and Sassafras in the 1920s and at Strong Vincent High School. She was born in September of 1878 in Pennsylvania and lived on West 11th Street in Erie in 1940. Miss Connell died in October of 1964 and was buried in St. James Cemetery in Crossingville, Crawford Co., PA.

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General Electric Dan Patch Electric Locomotive

General Electric Erie Works and Dan Patch Electric Train postcard courtesy of Jim Peters.

The sprawling GE Transportation Systems Erie Works campus is shown in the top picture on this postcard. GE is bordered by Franklin Avenue, East Lake Road, Water Street and the Conrail railroad tracks on the south.

The center photo shows a gas electric motor car made by General Electric for the Dan Patch Electric Lines, run by the Minneapolis, St. Paul, Rochester & Dubuque Electric Traction Company.

The bottom photo, billed as the Largest Electric Locomotive in the World, shows the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway Company locomotive No. 10203. This 3,000 volt engine was GE locomotive No. 5028. Go train spotting for more C.M. & St. P engines in General Electric promotional photographs.

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Steel Beams For City Hall

The new Erie, PA City Hall under construction in 1963 with the old City Hall in the background.

The steel beams arrived for the new Erie City Hall in June of 1963 and the crew of the H. Platt Company started to construct the frame on the southwest corner of State and South Park Row. This was the site of the original Erie Trust Building and later the newer Elks Club. The old City Hall, seen in the photo above, was on the southeast corner of Peach and South Park Row. Gannon's Old Main (the Strong Mansion) is visible in the lower right hand corner of the photo.

The new City Hall was 245 long on the South Park Row side and 160 feet in length along State Street. Parts of the building were five stories high with a basement, and other parts were one story high with a basement. There was surface and below ground parking on the Peach Street side. The Erie Police Department shooting range and the Erie City Jail was located in the northwest portion of the main building. The office of Erie Mayor Lou Tullio was also located in this structure.

Architects Nelson, Goldberg & Heidt designed the building. Perry Truck & Erection Company rigged the I-beams. William T. Spaeder provided heating, cooling and air conditioning, and Church & Murdock installed the electrical work.

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Then and Now: Jerry Uht Park near 10th and French

Jerry Uht Park photo ©2014 Google Maps. Inset photo from 1950s at 10th and French in Erie, PA ©2014 John E. Baker.    
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The green arrow points to Jones School at 150 East 8th Street. This building is located on the southwest corner of 8th and Holland. It is no longer used as an elementary school, but has been converted into office space for attorneys and medical professionals.

The red X marks St. Mark's Episcopal Church at 30 East 10th Street in the old picture. It was located on the northwest corner of 10th and French before it was demolished. The white building in the large 2014 photo from Google Maps is the telephone company on the site of the old church building.

Click here to view the original bird's eye view photo by John E. Baker. The inset photo on this post is a small section of John's picture from the 1950s and was taken from the old Commerce Building. Most of the buildings that existed in the photo from the fifties have been razed to make room for the Erie Insurance Arena and Jerry Uht Park.

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