Historic Name

Marlena Place

Address

24-26 N Park Row

Municipality

City of Erie

Tax Parcel

17040002010600

Historic District

West Park Place HD

Classification

Class 1 (Definitions of Classes)

State Key Number

859

Historic Function

Commercial - business

Style

Italianate

Built

1858

Architect

Builder

Barn Type on property

Last Entry Update

7/24/2016

The history of Marlena Place is encompassed in the larger story of Erie’s West Park Place. Bounded by bustling thoroughfares North Park Row, State Street, Peach Street, and 5th Street, West Park Place was built to accommodate Erie’s population growth and manufacturing boom. Originally this block was lined with simple wooden buildings, but in 1857 most of these structures were scorched in a fire. The fire was a blessing for the city of Erie because it prompted the construction of a more sophisticated and grander West Park Place. John Hill, who was the designer of the Erie County Court House, was commissioned to design eleven of the thirteen desired buildings, which included Marlena Place. Almost all of these original structures remain, with the exception of the demolished Park Opera House that once stood on North Park Row. Upon completion, West Park Place was the center of consumerism in the City of Erie. One could buy clothes, groceries, hardware, and other household goods, as well as visit the offices of local doctors, lawyers, and dentists. In close proximity to Millionaire’s Row, or the West 6th Street Historic District, wealthy clientele frequented West Park Place, which allowed the strip to become a commercial hub in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

In 2016, West Park Place accommodates local restaurants and apartments, attracting locals, including those from surrounding townships, as well as visitors. The first floor of Marlena Place features Indian restaurant, Tandoori Hut, while the upper floors are apartments. One- hundred-and-fifty years after its construction, West Park Place continues to thrive as a commercial strip in downtown Erie, boasting its mid-nineteenth century architecture that illuminates its historic past.

Sources: Bates, Samuel P. History of Erie County, Pennsylvania. Chicago: Warner, Beers, & Co., 1884.

Marlena Place National Register nomination

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Submitted information is reviewed by Preservation Erie prior to updating the database.

Photo courtesy, Erie County Assessment Office