Post Office: 121 Ellicott Street
Ellicott & Swan, looking toward South Division St. c 1890. This block of mansions, bounded on the 4th side by Oak St., was
purchased in 1892 by the U.S. Government for $476,250 ($9,774,045 in 2005 dollars). They were demolished in 1894.
Construction began in 1894 on
the new U.S. Post Office.
The same view after the post office was completed in 1901. During that year, a number of new postal clerks were hired from
civil service lists for a salary of $500 per year (($11,077.90 in 2005 dollars).
The same view in 2006. Note that at some point during its first century the structure's crockets along the roof ridges
were removed.
Swan & Oak, c. 1890. The brick mansions in the center were demolished in 1894 to make way for the post office. There
were no local objections to the demolition of an entire city residential block for a federal project.
The same view in 2006, Swan Street right to left above, Oak Street at right out of view.
By late 1963, the U.S. Post Office had moved its major operations out of this building and into its new 20-acre facilty
on William Street on the site of the former stockyards. This building, informally known as "the Old Post Office" retained
some federal offices (one of them a postal substation) after that until Erie Community College acquired the facility
and in 1982 re-established its presence downtown with the opening of the ECC City Campus here.
For information on the building's architecture, look here.