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Erie public hearing hears push to list Erie Cemetery as city historic site
Summary
At a public hearing, city staff and the Erie Cemetery Association presented a nomination to list Erie Cemetery on the city’s register of historic places; proponents said the designation would help secure preservation grants for mausolea and monuments, and council closed the hearing to consider next steps.
A public hearing before the Erie City Council on the nomination to list Erie Cemetery at 2116 Chestnut Street on the city register of historic places drew detailed testimony from city planning staff and the Erie Cemetery Association on preservation needs and community value.
Matthew Falconee, the city’s historic preservation planner, told the council the cemetery was nominated by the Erie Cemetery Association and that the Historic Review Commission and Planning Commission had recommended listing the site because it meets criteria B (association with significant persons), C (design significance as an example of the rural cemetery movement), and F (prominent visual presence). Falconee said the cemetery ‘‘would stretch from where we are nearly to the bayfront’’ and emphasized its scale and integrity.
Becky Wiser, who identified herself as representing the Erie Cemetery Association, said the cemetery holds roughly 55,000 interments across about 75 acres and that the association operates volunteer programs and targeted preservation work such as repairs to the Scott mausoleum. Wiser said historic designation would improve the cemetery’s ability to apply for preservation grants that address structures and monuments rather than routine maintenance. "We're almost full," she said, noting limited space for active burials and the high cost of preserving buildings and monuments.
David Renderly, executive director of the Cemetery Association, told council members the association is also discussing a potential acquisition of Lakeside Cemetery because that site is currently not being maintained. "We view it as a community asset that should be maintained," Renderly said.
Council members asked practical questions about where grant money would be used and whether designation would create inequities between cemeteries. Wiser and Renderly clarified that the grants sought would fund preservation of historic structures and features (for example, stabilizing mausolea or repairing headstones), not routine grass cutting, which volunteers and inter-cemetery cooperation currently handle.
The public hearing was closed after community members and councilors exchanged questions and comments. The city clerk will place the matter before council for action consistent with the public-notice and ordinance procedures for historic designations.
