Greater Erie Award for Preservation Excellence

If Goodell Gardens & Homestead had a flagship, the Goodell Bank Barn would be it. First set on its foundation in 1885 by George Goodell, this landmark building consists of a circa 1840s barn with hand-hewn beams on the north end and a circa 1860s addition with early sawn beams on the south end. Mr. Goodell purchased these two buildings and moved them to his farm, setting them atop a foundation made of stones pulled from his fields in 1885.

Renovating the barn has been a multiyear effort. In 2013, the Erie County Gaming Revenue Authority granted funding to put a new metal standing-seam-style roof on this historic building. In 2016, an angel donor pledged $20,000 toward the repair and renovation of the barn. This gift was made in four installments of $5,000 per year through 2019. In 2018, the Erie Community Foundation granted funding to finalize the fieldstone foundation repair and add temporary electrical service outside of the barn.

In May 2018, Goodell Gardens & Homestead launched a “Buy a Board” campaign. Members, donors, and supporters were asked to contribute to the renovation of the exterior of the historic Bank Barn by “buying a board” to help side it.

The re-siding project took two years to complete. The western elevation on the barn was re-sided during the fall of 2018 and the two most public-facing elevations were completed in the fall of 2019.

The current slate of work for 2020 will address the northern elevation of the building and will include updating and repairing the doors and the ramp leading to them.

Goodell Gardens & Homestead is being awarded a 2020 Greater Erie Award for Preservation Excellence. This award category recognizes buildings, structures or spaces, at least 50 years or older,that have been conserved, stabilized and preserved in a manner honoring the individual property.

Erie County has a strong agricultural heritage. A temperate climate, fertile soil and access to rail transportation make the Lake Erie shoreline ideal for fruit and vegetable farming. Apple, cherry and peach orchards, vineyards and roadside farmers’ markets have dotted the landscape along the lake since 1850. Inland, Erie County farmers specialized in dairying for most of the 20th century.

Agriculture remains an important sector of the county’s economy with approximately 1,100 operating farms. Studies show, however, that the agricultural sector is slowly shrinking, threatening the preservation of Erie County’s agricultural heritage. When Preservation Erie and Wise Preservation Planning completed the countywide historic resource inventory in 2014, which updated data collected during the 1982 inventory, it was noted we are quickly and quietly losing our agricultural heritage.

Our rural communities are just beginning to grapple with two questions: “What will become of Erie County’s historic farmhouses, silos and barns as land is removed from active agricultural use, and how do you determine which buildings are worth preserving?”

The Bank Barn is worth saving. With the rich agricultural history of Goodell Gardens & Homestead and southern Erie County, the barns at Goodell Gardens are well-recognized and loved by the community. The relocation and reconstruction of the 1845 sheep barn, which is now known as the Event Barn, further illustrates the dedication of Goodell Gardens & Homestead to the preservation of our agricultural resources. The Evert Barn is a second example of an historically accurate adaptive reuse project.

Restoration of the Goodell Gardens & Homestead Bank Barn supports the broader regional goals for community and economic development and an improved quality of life for our region. Thank you, Goodell Gardens & Homestead, for helping to preserve and share Erie County’s agricultural heritage!

2020 Greater Erie Award for Education and Advocacy

Preservation Erie honors the Erie County Gaming Revenue Authority with a 2020 Greater Erie Award for its increasing focus on preservation and design efforts throughout Erie County over the past decade. Through their provision of grant funds for communities and organizations, buildings in neighborhoods and downtowns throughout the county have been restored and preserved for future generations.

In an era when funding for historic preservation activities can be hard to come by, the Erie County Gaming Revenue Authority is a reliable source of local support for preservation work. Through their Community Assets, Mission Main Street, Anchor Building, and Renaissance Block Grant Programs (among others), the authority has provided 1:1 matching funds to historical societies, museums, municipalities, and neighborhood revitalization organizations for adaptive reuse projects, façade grant programs for commercial and residential property owners, streetscape initiatives, preservation planning, and more.

Passed in 2004, the Pennsylvania Race Horse Development and Gaming Act was designed to greatly benefit Pennsylvanians by ensuring gaming jobs and gaming revenue aid local organizations and residents.

Following the opening of Presque Isle Downs and Casino, the Erie County Gaming Revenue Authority was established in 2008 by Erie County Council and charged with administering municipal grants and serving as Erie County’s economic development authority, according to the Pennsylvania Race Horse Development and Gaming Act.

In Erie County, a full 1% of the annual gross revenue of Presque Isle Downs and Casino returns to Erie residents. Erie County government receives the first ½% and uses it to underwrite bonds for transformational projects, such as the Erie International Airport/Tom Ridge Field runway extension and upgrades to Erie Insurance Arena. The second ½% of Erie County’s gaming revenue (approximately $5.7M per year) is entrusted to the Erie County Gaming Revenue Authority to invest in projects and initiatives that invigorate the Erie County economy.

Part of ECGRA’s unique and innovative approach has been to invest in neighborhoods and communities using the analysis and recommendations of renowned economist and historic preservation proponent, Donovan Rypkema. By investing in historic preservation projects, ECGRA feels Erie County can add economic value to its built environment, generate more jobs than new construction, and protect and enhance the quality of place that makes Erie County both a destination for heritage tourism as well as a source of pride for residents.

The first competitive grant program created by ECGRA was the Community Assets Grant Program. Community Assets grants are awarded to arts, culture, heritage, entertainment, and recreation based organizations that can demonstrate how their project, programming, or event drives tourism and improves quality of place in Erie County.

With funding received through the Community Assets Grant Program, the North East Historical Society, Hornby School Restoration Society, Edinboro Area Historical Society, Fairview Area Historical Society, Harborcreek Historical Society, Elk Creek Township Historical Society, Corry Area Historical Society, Lawrence Park Historical Society, Fort LeBoeuf Historical Society, Goodell Gardens & Homestead, and Lake Shore Railway Historical Society have performed maintenance and restoration projects on their historic properties, improved storage of and public access to archival collections, and developed new programming.

As two of the nine cultural organizations identified as Lead Assets, the Erie County Historical Society and Flagship Niagara League, the “friends” group for the Erie Maritime Museum/US Brig Niagara, receive operational support on an annual basis from ECGRA.

The Mission Main Street Grant Program launched in 2013. Through this program, ECGRA targets revitalization along countywide commercial corridors that are home to small businesses, historic structures, and special events. Municipalities and nonprofit organizations with plans to renew historic commercial corridors can apply for Mission Main Street Grants. Eligible projects may include overhauled streetscapes, revamped landscapes, and restored façades.

Mission Main Street funding has supported façade grant programs and/or streetscape projects in Downtown Erie, North East Borough, Union City Borough, Downtown Corry, Girard Borough, Edinboro Borough, and Waterford Borough. Four of these downtowns include National Register listed historic districts, while two others feature districts that have been determined to be eligible for listing on the National Register.

Two years ago, ECGRA announced two new funding programs that further their commitment to historic preservation: Anchor Building and Renaissance Block grants. The Anchor Building Grant Program provides financial assistance to municipalities, municipal authorities, and non-profit organizations to rehabilitate underutilized or vacant buildings which are of historic, architectural, or cultural significance. Anchor Building funds can be used for architectural services, engineering, environmental services, construction, rehabilitation, building code compliance, and materials. The goals of the program are to assist eligible entities adaptively reuse buildings, leverage private investment, create jobs, and support small businesses.

The identification and development of financial resources for historic preservation activity has been identified as a priority in the Erie County Cultural Heritage Plan, which was adopted by Erie County Council as the part of the county’s comprehensive plan in August 2017.

The Renaissance Block Grant Program provides financial assistance to municipal governments, municipal authorities and non-profit organizations to create an incentive-based program to reverse housing blight in Erie County. The program was designed to help improve Erie County neighborhoods through a block-by-block strategy that targets aging or neglected areas where neighbors are organized and willing to work together to combat blight.

Renaissance Block funds can be used for sidewalks, walkways, driveways, landscaping, trees, porches, doors, painting, and other exterior improvements. The goals of the program are to remove housing blight and reverse deterioration, incentivize private investment, make neighborhoods more attractive, and increase the market value of homes.

Reducing blight as an economic development strategy has been identified as a priority in Emerge 2040, Erie Refocused, the Corry Neighborhood Initiative, A Citizen’s Action Guide to Blight, and the Erie County Housing Plan (a component of Erie County’s comprehensive plan).

In addition to building grant programs that support historic preservation activities, ECGRA also occasionally offers community education workshops. In October 2017, ECGRA brought together Congressman Mike Kelly (PA-3), the Pennsylvania Historic and Museum Commission (PHMC), the National Trust Community Investment Corporation (NTCIC), and Preservation Erie for a discussion about financing improvements to historic properties.

ECGRA is also choosing to invest with funding partners which value historic preservation. In 2017, ECGRA invested $1M with The Progress Fund in Pittsburgh to grow businesses in Erie County. The Progress Fund is a nonprofit community development financial institution focused on new or expanding tourism businesses, such as accommodations, attractions, entertainment, farms, outdoor recreation, restaurants, retail, service business, and wine and spirits makers. They provide loans, as well as business coaching. Through their financing, The Progress Fund encourages job creation, historic preservation, diverse business ownership, local agriculture and trail-based development. To-date, The Progress Fund has provided more than $2.8M in financing to three Erie County businesses.

Most often, historic buildings located in the heart of the community are anchor buildings with intrinsic historical, architectural, and/or social qualities that make places special or unique. Similarly, these buildings can be adaptively reused due to the quality of original construction, location, and/or suitability for new uses. Unfortunately, communities sometimes find that these older buildings are difficult to reuse due to construction costs relative to new building codes, lack of financial resources, or appraisal values that do not support local lenders making an investment. ECGRA funding can serve as a vital part of the financing structure to bridge the gap, boost the real estate market, assist in developing equity, and enhance the quality of place. For this reason, Preservation Erie is recognizing the Erie County Gaming Revenue Authority with a 2020 Greater Erie Award.

When the planning committee members began work on the 2020 Greater Erie Awards last year, they never guessed that, nine months later, our community and communities around the globe would be dealing with a pandemic. No one did. But, it’s thanks to this nearly year-long planning effort that Preservation Erie is still able to recognize the great work happening in Erie City and County in the midst of a stay-at-home order.

The Greater Erie Awards is Preservation Erie’s signature annual event. The awards program is used to recognize individuals, businesses or organizations that are exceptional stewards of the physical and cultural landscape that is Greater Erie. The awards reception, which typically takes place in or around May, National Preservation Month, also includes a keynote address given by an acclaimed lecturer in the fields of historic preservation and urban planning.

This year, in lieu of an event, we are using Preservation Erie’s website and Facebook page to announce awardees throughout the month of May. Twelve awards covering four categories – Adaptive Reuse, Preservation Excellence, Education and Advocacy, and Planning – are being given in 2020, and we plan to announce three per week for the next four weeks.

Please join us in acknowledging twelve amazing projects that are contributing to the greatness of our region by liking, commenting, and sharing our blog and social media posts. Let’s show them some love!

2020 Greater Erie Awardees

Amos Judson House for Adaptive Reuse (Announced May 5, 2020)
Bastion Studios for Adaptive Reuse (Announced May 7, 2020)
Goodell Gardens & Homestead Bank Barn for Preservation Excellence (Announced May 9, 2020)
Community Shelter Service’s Cochran House for Adaptive Reuse (Announced May 11, 2020)
Union City Borough’s Historic Preservation Plan for Planning (Announced May 13, 2020)
Erie Times News for Education and Advocacy (Announced May 15, 2020)
Mayor’s Office & Erie City Council for Education and Advocacy (Announced May 18, 2020)
Erie County Gaming Revenue Authority for Education and Advocacy (Announced May 21, 2020)
Church of the Nativity for Preservation Excellence (Announced May 23, 2020)
Grace Church for Adaptive Reuse (Announced May 27, 2020)
Jeff Kidder for Preservation Excellence (Announced May 29, 2020)
Performing Artists Collective Alliance (PACA) for Preservation Excellence (Announced June 3, 2020)