DISTRICT INFORMATION
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Name |
Federal Row |
Status |
Listed 1984 |
State Key number |
79673 |
Municipality |
City of Erie |
Last Entry Update |
4/30/2018 |
DISTRICT DESCRIPTION |
The Federal Row Historic District consists of five buildings
constructed between 1832 and 1842. The Charles M. Tibbals House,
Alexander Brewster House, Kennedy Row House, David Kennedy House, and
the Kennedy Double House occupy a rectangular plot on East 5th and
Holland Streets. The Tibbals House, Brewster House, Kennedy Row House,
and half of the David Kennedy House face East 5th Street. The other
half of the David Kennedy House and Kennedy Double House face Holland
Street. The buildings are of Federal architectural style with except
the Charles M. Tibbals House which is to Federal from Greek Revival.
Federal style dominated the American landscape from 1780 to 1840. All
the buildings are constructed of red brick and all except the Tibbals
House are laid in Flemish bond. They are between two and two and a half
stories tall with gentle sloping roof lines. The Federal Row Historic
District is the single remaining concentration of the city’s first
Federal Style brick structures.
The Kennedy Row House, David Kennedy House, and the Kennedy Double
House exhibit David Kennedy’s appreciation for the simplicity of the
Federal style. His houses have raised basements containing cooking
hearths, bake ovens, and service rooms. Ornamentation around the door
and window openings, and the wall-to-ceiling transition, and around the
fireplaces are simple moldings. The Alexander Brewster house is a two-
story 3 bay brick home. Its Federal style was later “Italianized” by an
addition of an oriel window. Its street façade still retains a degree
of architectural integrity. The Tibbals House is a 3 bay, two and one-
half story Greek Revival home in transition to the Federal style. It
has flat wall surfaces, flat lintels, and a portico at the front
entrance. The Alexander Brewster House, Kennedy Row House, and David
Kennedy House are adjoining, while the Tibbals House and Kennedy Double
House anchor both ends of the complex.
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DISTRICT HISTORY |
Erie’s mercantile activity was concentrated in this area during the
early 19th century. Each house on Federal Row is associated with
prominent Erie individuals. More than any of the influential residents
of the district, it was David Kennedy who gave this neighborhood its
architectural flavor. Kennedy came to America in 1828 as an Irish
immigrant. He became an accomplished mason and was one of the first men
to build in all brick on any scale. His buildings, the Kennedy Row
House, David Kennedy House, and Kennedy Double House convey a good
grasp of the fundamentals of design and exhibit the simplicity of the
Federal architectural style. After Alexander Brewster built his house
in 1823, he and William Fleming acquired the property where the Tibbals
House sits in 1836. Charles M. Tibbals, another prominent Erie
businessman, bought the house in 1846. Tibbals Sr. was engaged in
numerous ventures before moving into public service. Between 1983 and
1984 the Erie Insurance Group (“The ERIE”) acquired and restored the
buildings in Federal Row as part of the Erie Redevelopment Authority.
Their restoration was completed in 1984. Soon thereafter, they became
the first National Register certified historic restoration project of
its kind completed in the city. Federal Row was added to the National
Register of Historic Places in 1987.
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UPDATE |
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. |
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