In 2024, the City of Erie tasked the community with identifying historic buildings, spaces and events across the region for its historic resources survey.

After gathering public input and sending teams out to survey, the city has wrapped up that study, sharing its findings with the community.

“It tells us a lot more about our own history. It also tells us a lot about the architecture and our neighborhoods. It also makes suggestions about what is historic, and what has historic integrity,” said Matthew Falcone, City of Erie Historic Preservation Planner.

Falcone said community organizations can use the information in their own preservation initiatives and grant proposals, and the city can use it to help shape planning decisions and policy, so nothing gets overlooked in future projects.

City of Erie launches phase one of its historic resources survey

Historic places the public identified include the Gideon Ball House on East 6th street, Saint Peter Cathedral on West 10th Street, Kraus Department Store on Parade Street and many more.

“The store itself started in 1886, so we’re 140 years old this year, but it was a restaurant from 1871 to 1885, so technically, in this spot, my family has had a business for 155 years,” said Tom Nowosielski, Kraus Department Store Owner.

Tom Nowosielski is a fourth-generation owner of Kraus Department Store on Parade Street, and taking a walk through the building, you can see his family’s rich history.

The top two floors are filled with family photos, old wares, and relics of the past – so much history that Nowosielski said he wants to turn it into a museum in the future.

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“Everybody thinks we’re like an anchor here on the East side because we’ve been here forever and ever and ever, which is really cool, and I’ve been dealing with generations of families,” said Nowosielski.

The city is hoping the historic resources survey sparks more conversation about local history like Kraus’s story and opens an opportunity for owners to apply for local designation of their historic resources.

“Our hope and the hope of the city is that we’re able to make all of this information available to everybody, so we all have a better understanding of where we live, and those that came before us, and what they left us,” said Falcone.

If you would like to learn more about the historic resources survey, you can head to the link here.

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