Historic Name

St. John's Lutheran Ch.

Address

2216 Peach Street

Municipality

City of Erie

Tax Parcel

19060003020000

Historic District

Classification

Class 2 (Definitions of Classes)

State Key Number

803401

Historic Function

Religion - religious structure

Style

Gothic Revival Towers

Built

1861

Architect

Builder

Barn Type on property

Last Entry Update

8/8/2016

Saint John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church is known as the oldest congregation in the City of Erie. The parish has been serving its members for over 200 years. The church was founded in 1808 as the first Lutheran church in the region, a telltale sign of the growing Pennsylvanian German population in the region. Until 1836, the congregation worshipped at various schoolhouses in Erie. The parish’s first church, a frame or wooden structure, was built in 1836 at this current site. The church structure that currently stands was constructed in 1861 for $10,000. In 1883, the church was renovated and enlarged to its current size for $23,000, and included the addition of a new bell in the church’s Gothic spire. Over the 80 years between the founding of the church and the completion of the major renovation, the congregation had begun welcoming an influx of European-German immigrants, which was occurring across the United States. In March 1906, St. John’s purchased property just east of the church, constructing the Lutheran Home for the Age. In 2016, St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church and the Lutheran Home are still in operation.

Sources:

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Photo courtesy, Erie County Assessment Office