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.

Find more historic photos and facts about Erie, Pennsylvania at Old Time Erie

Rad-O-Lite RELCO Emergency Lights

Old Time Erie - 1971 ad for RELCO.

Remember the white light at the top of the traffic lights in Erie, PA that would blink when triggered by an emergency vehicle? Police, fire and ambulances drivers could with on this system at major intersections. The only problem? It was very confusing to tourists passing through Erie who did not have this system in their town. Under ideal conditions, drivers would see the blinking white light, hear the sirens and pull over to the right side of the road, clearing a path for the police car or fire truck. This system was marketed by the Radio Emergency Light Co (RELCO) under the name Rad-O-Lite. The company was located at 3427 Sterrettania Road in Millcreek Twp.

This system no longer exists, but I wish there was something like it, especially at East 12th and East Avenue and East 12th and the Bayfront Connector. Too many close calls there for me.

Enjoy more historical facts and photos of Erie, PA at: oldtimeerie.blogspot.com

May the Force Be With You, 1884 EPD

-Detail from photo of the 1884 Erie Police Dept. from Erie Dispatch, January 11, 1920.

Joseph Ferguson was the Chief of Police in Erie, Pennsylvania in 1884 when there were a couple dozen coppers on the force. I'm looking for real photos of the Erie Police Department. The older the better. Copies from the old newspapers just don't cut it. 

Daniel Mitchell was captain of the police department circa 1884-85. Patrolmen included Patrick Applebee, William Brown, Thomas Culhane, Cornelius Daily, Jacob Dudenhoffer, Michael Emling, William J. Grant and Henry Gross. 

John W. Henry, James Higgins, J. P. Hiller, Roger Kane, John Kelly, Jacob Metz, T. Jefferson Miller, Mark Morrison, Adolf Pamperrien, John Sandusky, George Schaffer and Peter Shufel also served as patrolmen at this time. 

I'm also looking for a photo of Chief Crowley, or any unidentified photos of Erie police officers. Chief Crowley is mentioned in the book Memoirs of a Great Detective .

Did one of your ancestors serve on the E.P.D.? Do you recognize one of them in the picture above or see their name in the list? If you do, please leave a comment below.

If you've visited Erie before or lived here for a time, reminisce at Old Time Erie