French Street Before Erie Insurance

French Street pre-Erie Insurance. Photo by John E. Baker, used with permission.

A beautiful day in Downtown, Erie, PA. The sun is shining, puffy white clouds are floating by, and gas is only 32¢ a gallon. Life is good.

This scene on French Street between East 5th and East 6th Streets was captured by John E. Baker. The buildings on the left were demolished to make way for the expansion of Erie Insurance. The Gulf station, which sat on the northwest corner of French and North Park Row, is gone as well.

Some of the businesses, from left to right, include Lechtner's Wholesale Company, the Perry Square Cafe, Lake's Electric, Larry's Billiards, Savelli's Tavern and the Erie Achievement Center.

Here is a view of this block from a different angle (and possibly the same blue Volkswagon): http://oldtimeerie.blogspot.com/2012/10/6th-and-french-st-savellis-tavern-erie.html

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

6th and French St Savelli's Tavern Erie PA

East 6th and French St., Erie, PA. Photo by Chester Wasielewski, ©Debbi Lyon 2012.

Philip A. Becker constructed this building on the northwest corner of Sixth and French Street in Erie, Pennsylvania in 1872, a year before he served as the president of the Erie City Select Council. Erie Insurance occupies this corner today. The old building had a unique Mansard roof with porthole windows.

Savelli's Tavern was located on the first floor of the Becker building in the sixties. The Crazy Horse Saloon was located there in the late seventies/early eighties. The building was demolished in 1982. None of the buildings shown in this photo still stand today. Erie Insurance preserved four of the cast iron columns from the Becker building. They stand outside the French Street entrance to the company.

Perry Square is located on the left side of this picture, just out of view. This is a site you would have seen when you left the Erie Public Library on South Park Row.

Philip A. Becker served as Mayor of Erie from 1883 to 1884. He was born in Germany in 1835 and was the son of Jacob and Mary Bierle Becker. Philip operated a grocery store in the building shown above, with his sons Emil and Otto Becker.

Here's a picture of the Becker building with the top stories missing:
http://oldtimeerie.blogspot.com/2012/10/crazy-horse-saloon-6th-and-french-erie.html

And a different shot of the southern end of this block:
http://oldtimeerie.blogspot.com/2012/09/french-street-from-5th-to-6th-before.html