The Hotel Lawrence

Once stood at the corner of West 10th and Peach streets, the Hotel Lawrence, which was Erie's finest beaux-arts hotel, and in fact one of the leading hotels in the state at one time, was built in 1911 at a cost of $2,500,000. Originally nine stories tall, the upper three stories were later added making the hotel 12 stories. It was owned and operated by the United Hotels Company, who owned and operate the hotel Bancroft in Worcester, Massachusetts. The hotel had 3 elevators, 267 rooms, a penthouse, an attractive main dining room, grill, several small banquet rooms, and a beautiful ball room. It was widely known for its attractive wall decorations and panel paintings: three panels representing Charlemagne and his army crossing the Alps; two panels representing Roland in the Fairy Gardens of Falerina, where he went in search of Hector's armies ; and a painting representing A Roland for an Oliver.

The Hotel Lawrence had many guests throughout the years and the most notable was Senator John F. Kennedy who on On September 27, 1960, was met at the airport by his supporters and fans, where he made a few remarks to the crowd that had greeted him, then proceeded to the hotel where he spent the night. The next morning, prior to his campaign speech, he had breakfast with his supporters at the hotel’s banquet room. Afterwards, Senator Kennedy gave his campaign speech in front of the Hotel. All the Catholic Schools were closed so that the students could attend the downtown rally in support of the nation's first soon-to-be-elected catholic president. Thousands of people crammed the corner of West 10th and Peach streets to see the future President of the United States.

By the 1950s, suburbanization and economic losses had impacted downtown Erie. Elected on a reform slate in 1954, Mayor Arthur Gardner, championed urban renewal. After consulting with Pittsburgh Mayor David Lawrence, Gardner created the Erie Redevelopment Authority who oversaw sixteen projects, which culminated in 1962, under Mayor Louis Tullio, when the city adopted a plan that called for a revitalization of the business district with improved port facilities, industrial development, and an improved highway system. The Hotel Lawrence became a victim and was unceremoniously demolished in 1968, replaced in 1974 by the Hilton Hotel.