New buildings are rising, iconic buildings are being restored and abandoned structures are undergoing demolition as Erie, Pa., reinvents its downtown.
They are just some of the construction projects under way in the heart of the city along the southern banks of Lake Erie in northwestern Pennsylvania this summer, according to a recent article in the Erie Times-News.
Mixed-Use Building Going Up at Fifth and State Streets
The five-story, 62,000-sq.-ft. building under construction on the site of the former McDonald's restaurant at 430 State St. will house an indoor climbing facility and apartments.
The three lower floors are slated to be occupied by Ascend Erie, a local hub of Pittsburgh-based Ascend Climbing. The center will include three-story rope walls as well as space for yoga classes and workshops, fitness and training areas, youth programs and concessions.
In addition, a total of 30 apartments will be developed on the building's top two floors.
The Erie Downtown Development Corp. (EDDC) project is expected to be finished late this year or early in 2023.
West Fifth and Peach Street Project Also Under Way
The Times-News reported that the EDDC also is constructing another mixed-use building at West Fifth and Peach streets — one that will house three retail shops and 36 apartments — all wrapped around a 312-space parking garage.
The first new structure is projected to be done next year, while the parking deck is expected to be completed this fall.
Erie's Quin-T Smokestack to Come Down
Demolition is ongoing to bring down the 210-ft.-tall smokestack at the former Quin-T Tech Paper and Boards property at 140 E. 16th St. The stack is being removed brick by brick to make way for a new use of the land, the Erie news source reported earlier in August.
Erie Mayor Joe Schember's administration has proposed using federal American Rescue Plan dollars to create a public park and recreational facility at the site.
Crews from West Virginia-based Reclaim Company LLC began the demolition work in July under a contract worth $493,888.
Finishing Touches Applied to Cathedral
Drivers passing by the St. Peter Cathedral at 230 W. 10th St. undoubtedly have noticed the scaffolding in place there to allow for continuing work on the church's exterior masonry.
The effort is part of a multi-year, multi-million restoration of the cathedral, the mother church of the Catholic Diocese of Erie that first opened in 1893.
Rev. Michael Ferrick, the cathedral's rector, told the Times-News that stone on the structure's south tower had shifted over the decades and is currently being reset. He added the project should be concluded later this fall.
Renovations under way inside the cathedral are part of a $4.7 million project begun in 2018. That work will culminate with the return of the church's restored pipe organ, set to be reassembled in a three-month-long process.
"The goal is for it to be finished by Christmas," Ferrick said.
Nearby, new construction also is in progress at the Cathedral Preparatory School, including work on a $12.5 million, three-story building devoted to science, technology, engineering, mathematics and art.
Renovations at the school include the conversion of the pool to a dance and fitness center, and rebuilding an existing library to serve as a chapel.
New Roof, Steeple Upgrade at Another Chapel
Finally, Gannon University's Mary Seat of Wisdom Chapel, located at 520 Peach St., is getting a new roof, and, as part of the project, new sheet metal also is being installed on its steeple.
The 72-year-old chapel's current roof has reached the end of its useful life, a college spokesperson told the Times-News.
Following the discovery of an abandoned natural gas well nearby in 2019, buildings north of the chapel were demolished to deal with the problem. The chapel itself was later reopened in the spring of 2021. Additionally, interior renovations, a new fellowship hall, and a reflection garden were included in a two-year, $1.5 million project completed last year.
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