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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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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Mayor Tullio and the Barbershop Proclamation

Old Time Erie photo contributed by Tom DiLuzio.

Mayor Louis Tullio presented a Proclamation from the City of Erie to the Erie Chapter of the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barbershop Quartet Singing in American (SPEBSQA). Tullio proclaimed the month of April "Barbershop Harmony Month." The picture might have been taken in 1977. 

Mayor Lou Tullio is the man in the black jacket. I will post the names of the other men when I discover who they are. (One of them might be George Lyons.)

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Coach Lou Tullio and Erie Vets 1948 Football at Erie Stadium

-ad in Erie Daily Times, Sept. 28, 1948.

The Erie Vets blanked the Brooklyn Eagles 35-0 at the Erie Stadium on September 28, 1948. Red Herron, a well-known local car salesman, owned the Erie Vets, a professional football team made up of returning veterans. Lou Tullio coached the team and Joe Robie played right guard for the Vets. (Joe would later become Mayor Lou Tullio's right hand man, serving as his administrative assistant.) Joe had played football for Georgetown.

The Erie Vets played in Erie, Pennsylvania. The team also included two Wesleyville High School classmates, Len 'Bull' Romecki and Bob Wykoff. Len was called the 'Glenn Davis of the Vets lineup' by the Erie Times.

The Vets also included Dave Wiley (who played briefly with the New York Giants and later the Jersey City Giants), Bob Orlando (Eastern All-American with Colgate), Leo Marzka, center Casella, right tackle Breon, Owen Kelly, Joe Kehoe (Wisconsin and Marquette), Augustine and Dom Berarducci, Matt Nickson (Tech High), Bill Schollenberger (Girard High) and Tom Brown (former end with the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Dodgers).

The roster of the Vets also included Frank Lichtenwalter, Henry Galla, Deco Schwindt, Jack Greip.

The Erie Vets also played the Long Island Indians of the American Association and the Staten Island Stapletons of the National Professions Football League.

Here's a picture of Mayor Lou Tullio boarding an EMTA bus.

Do you have any photos of members of the Erie Vets? Let me know and I'll post them here.

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Lou Tullio boarding an EMTA bus in Erie, PA

Mayor Lou Tullio boarding a new EMTA bus, one of a fleet of fifty.

Mayor Lou Tullio boarding an EMTA bus.

Louis J. Tullio had a long and illustrious career as the Mayor of Erie, Pennsylvania. He served from 1966 to 1989. He is shown here helping EMTA promote its new Fleet of 50 new buses. I wonder where this Express was going to drop the mayor off. Tullio was a teacher and a football coach before he was elected to public office. He remains are recognizable figure years after his death, which occurred in 1990.

Below is a rare shot of football referee Lou Tullio with the Wesleyville High School cheerleaders around 1951.

Old Time Erie- Lou Tullio on upper right.

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