Old Federal Courthouse was Majestic

Old Federal Courthouse 1888-1937

The old Federal Courthouse stood on the southeast corner of State and South Park Row in Erie, Pennsylvania. The old Erie County public library at Perry Square is visible on the left side of this picture.

Federal Courthouse

"The ground was secured by purchase June 7, 1883, for $36,000. It was broken in April, 1885, and the building was completed and occupied in the latter part of 1887, the cost of construction being $223,759.35.

The walls of the basement are of granite, and of the superstructure sandstone. The building has a cubic contents of 667,500 feet; is provided  with steam heat supplied by the Home Heating Company, and is equipped with an electric passenger elevator. Besides the first floor, which is used entirely by the post-office, the number of rooms occupied is twenty-eight, they being assigned principally to the postal, customs, internal-revenue, and marine-hospital services, United States courts, United States engineers, pension examiners, and Weather Bureau.

The legislation on its account is contained in acts of Congress approved June 27, 1882, February 17, 1885, August 4, 1886, March 3, 1887, and August 5, 1892 (elevator).

During the year ended June 30, 1899, the gross postal receipts amounted to $84,241.10. In 1890 the population of the city was 40,634 and in 1900 it was 52,733."
-History of Public Buildings Under the Control of the Treasury Department

The old Federal Courthouse was demolished in 1937 and replaced with the current federal courthouse at 17 South Park Row.

Here is a photo of the Federal Courthouse from 1913: http://oldtimeerie.blogspot.com/2012/08/this-image-which-is-missing-boston.html

State Street, Boston Store circa 1932 Erie, PA

This image of the Boston Store at 716 State Street was taken around 1932 in Erie, PA. The photographer was standing in State Street near South Park Row, looking south. The old Federal Building, which was torn down in 1937 to make way for the new Federal Courthouse, is on the far left. The old Isaac Baker building at 629-633 State Street, which was destroyed by fire in 1943, is the pink building next to the courthouse with the 'Baker's' sign.

The red building across the street from Baker's to the south was later torn down for the new (now old) Erie Sport Store.

The trolley tracks down the middle of State Street were either torn out or paved over around 1935-36.

The old Elk's Club on the corner on the right side of the picture was torn down to make way for the new Erie City Hall, as were all the other buildings between South Park Row and West 7th Street on State.

For a view of the Elk's Club and the Boston Store from the Richford Arms Hotel, see this article: http://oldtimeerie.blogspot.com/2012/05/boston-store-elks-club.html

For a view of the new Federal Courthouse and the Boston Store circa 1945, click here:
http://oldtimeerie.blogspot.com/2012/07/august-1945-state-street-looking-south.html

State Street Federal Courthouse, Boston Store 1945

August 1945 State Street looking south from South Park Row.
Photo by Chester Wasielewski. ©Debbi Lyon 2012.

The Boston Store looms large in the upper right corner of this photo taken by Chester Wasielewski in August of 1945. The Federal Courthouse is on the left side of the the shot of downtown Erie, PA, as are the old pole street lamps. An old Erie Coach Company bus (#605) is taking passengers to the end of its route at 2nd and State. You can also see a number of military recruiting posters in front of the courthouse which are geared toward female recruits. The corner where the Isaac Baker building was on 7th and State (later the U.S. Post Office) looks empty. Lots of pedestrian traffic and cool old cars cruising State Street.

The retro buses of the Erie Coach Company replaced the old trolley lines. The Erie Metropolitan Transit Authority took over the Erie Coach Co. in the late sixties.

This shot of the Boston Store circa 1932 is taken from a similar spot: http://oldtimeerie.blogspot.com/2012/08/state-street-boston-store-circa-1932.html

Here's another shot of the Boston Store: http://oldtimeerie.blogspot.com/2012/06/state-street-at-night-murphys-and.html

And another shot of the Boston Store: http://oldtimeerie.blogspot.com/2012/05/boston-store-elks-club.html

Look closely...the Boston Store is on the left in the distance: http://oldtimeerie.blogspot.com/2012/05/boston-store-elks-club.html

And here's the Boston Store in the winter time: http://oldtimeerie.blogspot.com/2012/05/state-street-snowstorm-thanksgiving.html