Historic Review Commission recommends Manor Club and Erie Labor Temple for local historic listing

The City of Erie Historic Review Commission on March 2 voted unanimously to find "reasonable cause" to advance two nominations and recommended both properties to the city council for listing on the City of Erie register of historic places.

The commission voted to advance the nomination for the former Manor Club at 1607 State Street after a staff presentation by preservation staff member Matthew Falconee, who outlined the building’s construction in 1889, major renovations in 1935, 1946 and 1970, and its ties to Erie’s German-immigrant community. "The Manor is quite simply put iconic," Falconee said, describing the building’s rounded-arch façade and terracotta ornamentation as characteristic features that convey the site’s architectural and cultural significance.

Falconee told commissioners the property was acquired by its current owner in 2018 and said the nomination meets local designation criteria for historical association and architectural character. After public testimony from residents and local preservation supporters, Commissioner David moved to determine reasonable cause; the motion passed unanimously and the commission then voted unanimously to recommend the Manor Club nomination to city council.

Public speakers included Julio Reyes, who identified himself as an investor in Erie properties and read a prepared statement in support of designation, and Edward Kron, who described business plans to activate the ground floor of the labor temple with a binder studio and creative enterprises. "This is absolutely disgusting," Reyes said at one point when criticizing past leadership and the difficulty of volunteer boards; he also outlined decades of family investment in the properties and asked the commission to preserve them for future generations.

The commission then considered the nomination for the Erie Labor Temple at 1701–1707 State Street. Falconee presented the building’s long association with organized labor dating to the early 20th century, its connected storefronts and union offices, and a well-preserved third-floor meeting hall. He said the site was part of an architectural survey that recommended National Register consideration and that the owners planned to submit the nomination to the state historic preservation office.

After a second unanimous vote, commissioners determined there was reasonable cause to move the Erie Labor Temple nomination forward and voted unanimously to recommend listing it on the city’s register. Chair Mark Tannenbomb thanked the property owners and families for their cooperation; staff noted the Manor Club nomination will be presented to the planning commission in two weeks and other submissions will go to the state historic review board in June.

The recommendations do not themselves place the properties on the local register; both nominations will be forwarded to the Erie city council for final action and, separately, to the state historic preservation office for National Register consideration.

Next steps: the staff presentation indicated the Manor Club nomination will appear before the planning commission in two weeks for additional review and that the city’s city-hall nomination and other National Register work are moving toward a state review in June.