After accepting nominations from the public, assessing and considering each nominated property’s individual threat and significance to the community, Preservation Erie has created 2021’s list of Erie County’s Most Endangered Properties. The nine properties included on the list face an immediate threat of demolition, functional obsolescence, or neglect and slow decline. The purpose of the list is to bring community awareness to the historic resources in Erie County that are threatened and help Preservation Erie focus outreach efforts with the intent to positively impact these important places.

The Tudor/Arts and Crafts style home that once sat between the buildings of Cathedral Prep at 246 W 10th Street, was built around 1906. Its original inhabitant was Henry A. Messenger and his wife, Myrtle. He was an insurance salesman who kept his office at 1119 State Street and was also a popular musician and vocalist who was active in local choruses. They lived there briefly and sold the home to Allan D. and Florence Robinson Skinner around 1913. The Skinners were the family who ultimately made the home what it was, as they lived there for over 30 years.

Guided by visiting barn historian and author of The Historic Barns of Southeast Pennsylvania – Architecture and Preservation 1750 to 1900 Greg Huber, the tour includes six historic barns of northeast Erie County. Several of the barns featured on the tour have been lovingly cared for and still function as barns, while others have been adaptively reused – one is a private residence and another serves as a winery!

Thanks to generous support from the Erie County Gaming Revenue Authority, The Erie Community Foundation, the Perry 200 Commission, and individuals, Preservation Erie completed an unprecedented county-wide inventory of historic resources. Between December 2013 and May 2015, the consulting firm of Wise Preservation Planning identified, documented and mapped all historic resources and historic districts that are individually listed on, determined to be eligible for, or appear to be eligible for, the National Register of Historic Places.