Historic Name

Old Greyhound Bus Depot

Address

28 North Park Row

Municipality

City of Erie

Tax Parcel

17040002010700

Historic District

West Park Place HD

Classification

Class 1 (Definitions of Classes)

State Key Number

859

Historic Function

Recreation and Culture - theater

Style

Moderne

Built

1939

Architect

Builder

Barn Type on property

Last Entry Update

8/8/2016

The Old Bus Depot is part of the West Park Place National Historic District, a downtown Erie business complex preserved for its historic buildings constructed between 1857 to 1865. The buildings are notable for being some of the first brick edifices in downtown Erie, constructed after major fire issues with the preexisting wooden buildings. In 1860, a grand total of sixteen buildings were constructed in the general vicinity of West Park Place, thirteen of which were raised along the street of North Park Row. Of these thirteen buildings, all but one of the original historic structures still stands. The one building that has not survived to the modern day is that of Farrar Hall, which was demolished in 1939, and where the Bus Depot was built.

Farrar Hall was, like the majority of the buildings in West Park Place, was built in the Commercial Italianate style, mostly due to the influence of the primary architect, John Hill. John Hill was famous for erecting buildings in the Italianate Villa style, including his own residence, John Hill House, on West Sixth Street. In 1872, Farrar Hall underwent a massive renovation and was reopened the following year as the Park Opera House, commonly boasting the title of the ‘largest theater house between New York and Chicago,’ seating a maximum of 1,500 people. The new Opera House was designed by New York architect Thomas Jackson, mimicking the famous Booth’s Theater in New York City. The Opera House was highly active, and hosted a wide array events, averaging around 100 events a year at the height of its popularity around the late 1880s. Though fire safety was paramount when building Park Place, and was maintained stringently at the Opera House itself, the building caught aflame and burned twice throughout its lifetime. Over time, the popularity of the Opera House declined with the end of the traveling acting troupe, and by the time of its demolition in 1939, it was a deteriorating burlesque club.

The Opera House was replaced by a Greyhound Bus Depot, which ran successfully at this site for four decades, going out of business in 1979. Today, the ‘Boardwalk Complex’ operates at this site, featuring a dance club, a high-end pub, and a beach-themed bar. The Old Bus Depot is a stunning example of Depression-Era Art Deco architecture, and is a unique example of the recycling of historic spaces, showing several layers of public use.

Sources:

Old Greyhound Bus Depot National Register nomination

If you have additional information or corrections to the existing information, send an email to info@preservationerie.org.
Submitted information is reviewed by Preservation Erie prior to updating the database.

Photo courtesy, Erie County Assessment Office