Commission backs housing authority's restoration plan, recommends Bodecker Rathstatter House for city landmark

The Historic Resources Commission unanimously found reasonable cause that the Bodecker Rathstatter House (357'359 E. 10th Street) merits designation on the City of Erie register and voted to forward a positive recommendation to City Council.

Staff member Matthew reviewed the property's history and physical characteristics, noting it is a two-unit duplex with a wood-frame structure faced in brick and stone and with some later stucco. He said the building is an unusual local example of a larger-scale duplex form that provides a window into early-20th-century housing patterns in Erie.

Dusty Dennis, executive director of the Housing Authority of the City of Erie, outlined a reuse plan presented with the property's owner, Michael Hooks. "We wanna renovate his building. It's a 4 one-bedroom apartments that will serve transition age youth, young men, ages 18 to 25, who are either homeless or at risk of becoming homeless," Dennis said. He said the housing authority will attach project-based vouchers to the apartments, use the existing commercial kitchen for job training and mentorship, and bring partner services (for example, GCAC and Community Health Network) into the project.

Commissioners asked about original interior features such as fireplaces and staircases; Dennis said some woodwork and a central stair remain and that the housing authority will try to preserve historic fabric where feasible. After discussion, a commissioner moved to find reasonable cause under criteria A and C that the property conveys historical significance and retains sufficient integrity; the motion was seconded and passed without opposition. A separate motion to recommend listing the property on the City of Erie register also passed unanimously.

The commission's actions forward the nomination and the housing authority's redevelopment plans to City Council for final consideration.