The high points and history of the Renaissance Centre, Erie's tallest building

Jim Martin, Erie Times-News
·2 min read
The Renaissance Centre, 1001 State Street in downtown Erie, is shown on Nov. 3, 2022. When it opened in 1928, the 14-story office building was called the Erie Trust Building, later renamed the G. Daniel Baldwin Building and now the Renaissance Center. It is still Erie's tallest building.
The Renaissance Centre, 1001 State Street in downtown Erie, is shown on Nov. 3, 2022. When it opened in 1928, the 14-story office building was called the Erie Trust Building, later renamed the G. Daniel Baldwin Building and now the Renaissance Center. It is still Erie's tallest building.

Work began in 1925 — 97 years ago — to build the $2 million Erie Trust Co. Building at 1001 State St. At 198 feet and 14 stories, it was Erie's tallest building when it was completed in 1928 and remains so to this day. Here's a look at some notable moments in its history:

  • 1933: Erie Trust's tenure as the building's owner didn't last for long. The company filed for bankruptcy protection in 1933, according to Eriehistoryblogspot.com. According to the same source, Erie Trust and another bank were reorganized into the National Bank and Trust. The building at 10th and State streets was then owned by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

  • 1943: The Tenth Street Building Corp. purchased the building at auction for $377,000.

  • 1945: G. Daniel Baldwin, the company's president, for whom the building would be named, dies in 1945.

  • 1949: Erie police Sgt. Leo Waldinger and Patrolman Walter May were shot and killed inside the building when they attempted to disarm a man who entered a Veterans Affairs office demanding more compensation. A plaque dedicated in their honor was installed in 2021.

  • 1951: First National Bank takes over National Bank and Trust, which had been leasing the building. First National remained in the building until the 1980s, according to Eriehistoryblogspot.com.

  • 1996: Tom Kennedy, CEO of Professional Development Associates, bought the former G. Daniel Baldwin Building at auction for $315,000 and launched a $2.2 million restoration effort. The proceeds were donated to charity. Kennedy would rename the building the Renaissance Centre.

  • 2015: As part of a fundraising effort for Gaudenzia Erie, 59 people, each of whom raised at least $1,000, rappelled off the north side of the building.

  • 2021: The Renaissance Centre is offered for sale.

  • 2022: A limited liability company based in California is under contract to buy the building

► By clicking here, subscribers can read all the details about what might be next for Erie's skyscraper, and take a look inside the building.

Contact Jim Martin at jmartin@timesnews.com.

The lobby of the Renaissance Centre, 1001 State Street in downtown Erie, is shown on Nov. 3, 2022. When it opened in 1928, the 14-story office building was called the Erie Trust Building, later renamed the G. Daniel Baldwin Building and now the Renaissance Center. It is still Erie's tallest building.
The lobby of the Renaissance Centre, 1001 State Street in downtown Erie, is shown on Nov. 3, 2022. When it opened in 1928, the 14-story office building was called the Erie Trust Building, later renamed the G. Daniel Baldwin Building and now the Renaissance Center. It is still Erie's tallest building.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Erie's Renaissance Center: Nearly a century of history