Grain Elevator Demolition 1986 Erie PA

Grain Elevator at Erie, PA in October of 1986. Photo ©Debbi Lyon 2012.

The Grain Elevator was located near the foot of Holland Street in Erie, Pennsylvania. It was built around 1918 and was demolished in October of 1986. The United States Border Patrol was located in the Cruise Boat Terminal at 1 Holland Street. I took this photo from the top of the Bluff near the Russian Church.

Here is a photo of the Grain Elevator in its prime: http://oldtimeerie.blogspot.com/2012/07/grain-elevator-erie-pa-bayfront-prr.html

And another shot of the Grain Elevator and ice fishermen on the Bay: http://oldtimeerie.blogspot.com/2012/06/ice-fishing-in-erie-pa-bay-in-1965.html

Grain Elevator, Erie PA Bayfront, PRR Tracks

Grain Elevator in Erie, PA. Photo by Chester Wasielewski. ©Debbi Lyon 2012.

The Grain Elevator was a fixture on Erie's Eastside for many years. After it was demolished, Holland Street was extended down to the end of this dock. The Blasco Memorial Library would later be built on the far left of this picture. The set of tracks in the forefront with the maroon Pennsylvania Rail Road car still exist, and you cross them as you come down Holland Street to go to the library.

The sets of tracks that curve to the north in this picture were ripped out to make way for the East Bayfront Parkway, which runs parallel to the PA Rail Road tracks. The Intermodal Transportation Center, where you can catch a Greyhound or an EMTA bus, replaced the two story building near the center of this photo. The beige building on the right still exists and is currently Donjon Shipbuilding and repair. Donjon has 4,000 feet of pier space. The old U.S. Border Patrol building sits on the northeast part of the dock where the skinny structure was.

This photo was taken from the bluff near the Russian church facing northwest. Presque Isle State Park is visible on the horizon.

Here is a shot of the Grain Elevator from the west bayfront in Erie, Pennsylvania from 1965: http://oldtimeerie.blogspot.com/2012/06/ice-fishing-in-erie-pa-bay-in-1965.html

Ice Fishing in Erie, PA Bay in 1978

Ice Fishing on the Bay in Erie, PA in 1978

Ice fishing on the bay at Erie, PA in 1978. Photo by Chester Wasielewski, ©Debbi Lyon 2012. 

Ice fishermen love it when Lake Erie freezes over. The proof is in the picture. This shot was taken near the Public Dock at the foot of State Street in Erie, Pennsylvania in January of 1978. The old grain elevator is visible in the background on the right. It has since been demolished. How many people went fishing on this day? It's hard to tell for sure. There are a couple of different strategies here; the simple one involves sitting on a bucket. The other involves dragging a small ice shanty out onto the ice (and hoping that a major wind-gust doesn't launch your shack to Canada.) 

The Maritime Museum and the Blasco Memorial Library were not located on East Front Street when this photo was taken. A new hotel may be in the works on the property where the grain elevator was.

On a good day, you can walk across the Bay to Presque Isle. Do you need a passport to walk across the lake to Canada? Hmmm...

Find more fun facts about Erie PA at Old Time Erie