Eichenlaub House on West 26th St

Valentine D. Eichenlaub lived in a 5,658 square foot brick house at 10 West 26th Street in Erie, PA. The house still stands on the north side of 26th St. and thousands of cars pass it each day as they travel from State to Peach St. It was a single family home when it was built in 1887 and it's now a four-family apartment house with a couple of satellite dishes bolted to the roof of the porch. It still had a sidewalk made of bricks in 2013. The Eichenlaub family would have had a bird's eye view of the destructive Mill Creek Flood in 1915.

V.D. Eichenlaub was a businessman who was active in local community affairs. He served on Erie City Council in 1881 and had previously served as county assessor, city assessor and collector of delinquent taxes. He was born in Erie in 1852, the son of German immigrants. 

Mr. Eichenlaub was a sewer and paving contractor who helped build a conduit system for underground utility wires in downtown Erie. He built the Eichenlaub block on the southeast corner of 18th and State in 1894, and he built the Hotel Wayne near 12th and State St. in 1906. Valentine died in 1929 and was buried in Trinity Cemetery in Millcreek Township.

Enjoy more historical facts and photos of Erie, Pennsylvania at: Old Time Erie

Hotel Wayne and Commerce Bldg, 12th and State

Hotel Wayne on West 12th Street near State around 1960. Photo ©Debbi Lyon 2012.

The Hotel Wayne was located at 12-14 West 12th Street in Erie, Pennsylvania. This four-story hotel was the third building west of State Street on the north side of the street. It was constructed by Valentine D. Eichenlaub, who made all of the concrete blocks for the project. The tall building on the right is the Commerce Building, which was on the east side of State Street.

Here is a color shot of the Hotel Wayne from a different angle and an old postcard of the Commerce Building at 12th and State.

None of the buildings shown in the photo above exist today; this area is now occupied by a bank. 

Enjoy more historical facts and photos of Erie, PA at: Old Time Erie

Hotel Wayne West 12th & State Street Erie PA

Hotel Wayne on West 12th near State St. Feb. 1961. Photo by Chester Wasielewski ©Debbi Lyon 2012.

Another shot of long lost buildings in Downtown Erie. This one features Hotel Wayne on West 12th Street. The smaller building to the right of the hotel was the side entrance to The Spa. The brown building on the northwest corner of 12th & State was a bar. Notice the old Chevys parked along Twelfth Street? Probably long gone, along with the buildings and the parking meters. 

The little red and white shed might have been used for the traffic cop who directed traffic on 12th and State. There is a red telephone booth to the left of it.

Citizen's Bank currently occupies the northwest corner of Twelfth and State. The rest of the property from State to Peach is a parking lot.