A once blighted corner on the city’s eastside is now taking on new life.
The Housing and Neighborhood Development Service (HANDS) has announced the opening of the Emma Howell Apartments on Parade Street.
The once dilapidated property was purchased by HANDS last year, and demolished.
The organization then built a new complex, which houses four apartments.
The one-bedroom apartments are 600-square-feet, with full appliances and energy efficient.
While everything inside of the building is new, the property that it sits on is steeped in history.
“It was once a station on the Underground Railroad,” said HANDS CEO Matthew Good. “Emma Howell was the first black female landowner in the city of Erie on record.”
A historic marker now sits outside of the building, honoring Howell for her role in helping out slaves seeking freedom.
Kevin Johnson is a member of the Early Erie History Project.
He wrote a book about the life of Emma Howell, entitled “The Short Story, Big Life of Emma Howell, the Ford Family, and Erie’s First Underground Railroad Station,” which can be viewed at the Blasco Library.
“Those are the early people of Erie that made Erie what it is today,” said Johnson. “I’m just a person who found her name in a book and pointed everyone else to her name and hopefully I can do that for other people in Erie.”
The new apartment complex will provide additional housing to people with disabilities and people experiencing homelessness.
“For quality affordable housing, I think there is a significant need, especially for one-bedroom apartments,” said Good. “There seems to be individuals and people with disabilities that need that space of their own. Our waiting lists are significant and so this takes a small chunk out of that waiting list.”