West 6th Street has a way of stopping people in their tracks. The mansions that line Millionaires’ Row are hard to walk past without wondering who built them, who lived in them, and how they came to be here at all. If you love historic architecture, local history, or just a good story, this street delivers on all three. And if you happen to be looking for a place to stay while you explore it, Spencer House Bed & Breakfast has been welcoming guests from right in the middle of it since 1992.
A Neighborhood That Defined a City
Millionaires’ Row stretches six blocks along West 6th Street in Erie, PA, from Perry Square on the east to Gridley Park on the west, and it has served as the city’s most prominent residential address for well over a century. The historic homes and buildings that define the district were constructed over a span of roughly ninety years, from around 1840 through 1930, representing nearly every major architectural style of that era. The street was listed as a historic district on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984, and a walk along it today is a genuine step back in time.
One of the things people often ask us is what created all this wealth in one place. The honest answer is that Erie, PA was simply home to an unusually diverse mix of successful people. Doctors, lawyers, congressmen, lumber dealers, shipping merchants, and industrialists all built their lives here. Local manufacturers produced everything from paper and locomotives to tools, toys from one of the largest toy companies in the world and the legendary Griswold cast iron pans that collectors still hunt for today. The man who would become the first Surgeon General of the Navy lived on this street. So did one of the founders of the First National Bank of Erie. No single industry created Millionaires’ Row. It grew from the ambitions of many.
The Houses and the People Who Built Them
Built in 1876, Spencer House is one of the earlier homes in the historic district, constructed by Judah Colt Spencer as a wedding gift for his son William. Judah Colt Spencer was one of the founders of the First National Bank of Erie, organized during the Civil War era, with three generations of the Spencer family going on to serve as its president. Spencer House became Erie’s first bed and breakfast when it officially opened in 1992. But we are just one chapter in a much longer story.
Spencer House is actually one of three homes on West 6th Street that were built as wedding gifts, and the stories behind all three are worth telling. At 259 W. 6th St., the Galbraith Mansion was built in 1892 by prominent businessman and civic leader J.F. Downing as a wedding gift for his daughter Winifred. The Richardsonian Romanesque building is exceptional inside, with hand-carved woodwork, ten to twelve-foot ceilings, and marble fireplaces throughout. Winifred Galbraith, herself a member of the Woman’s Club of Erie, later sold the property to the club in 1921, and it has been their home ever since.
The third wedding gift on the street is the grandest of the three. Congressman William L. Scott, one of Erie’s wealthiest and most influential citizens, commissioned the Strong Mansion at 109 W. 6th St. for his daughter Annie and her husband Charles Strong. Scott had come to Erie as a young shipping clerk and built a fortune through coal, iron manufacturing, banking, and railroads estimated at $15 million. He died in 1891, two years before the 46-room mansion was completed, never seeing the finished gift he had commissioned for his daughter.
Charles and Annie Strong more than honored his vision. Charles was a Yale-educated railroad and utilities magnate descended from some of Erie’s earliest families, and Annie became one of the city’s most prominent civic leaders, founding the Hamot Hospital Training School for Nurses and earning the colorful title of “Erie’s Social Dictator” in a 1934 Fortune Magazine profile. The mansion became a gathering place for the powerful and well-connected, and over the years Charles and Annie welcomed three sitting presidents as guests: Grover Cleveland, Theodore Roosevelt, and William Howard Taft. Taft, a Yale classmate of Charles, stayed two nights in September 1911. In 1941 the mansion was sold to Gannon College for $50,000 and today serves as Old Main, the heart of Gannon University’s campus.
Three wedding gifts on the same street, spanning nearly two decades, ranging from the intimate Victorian charm of Spencer House to a 46-room showpiece that welcomed three American presidents. It says something about the era and the people who lived here.
Just down the street, the Watson-Curtze Mansion at 356 W. 6th St. dates to 1891. Built in the Richardsonian Romanesque style for Harrison F. Watson, a paper and roofing materials manufacturer, the home later passed to the Curtze family before being donated to the Erie School District. Today it serves as the Hagen History Center, home to a growing collection of exhibits on Erie’s history, and is open for public tours.
The Wood-Morrison House at 338 W. 6th St. has a particularly rich history. Built in 1858 in the Italianate style, it was once the home of Navy surgeon William M. Wood, who served aboard the USS Michigan and later became the first Surgeon General of the Navy. The home eventually passed to the Morrison family, and one of their children, William, went on to become Superintendent of Presque Isle State Park.
At 429 W. 6th St. in Erie, PA, the Oliver Elliott House is another fine example of the Italianate style, built in 1871. Dr. Oliver Elliott, who lived here until his death in 1885, was a dental surgeon who came to Erie from New York.
A Commitment to Erie’s Past
One of the most interesting parts of living on Millionaires’ Row over the past seven years is having a front row seat to the transformation that has been taking place during that time. When we first moved here in 2018 it was great to see all the mansions that were here, but it was also sad to see that a number of them were slowly falling into disrepair. Peeling paint, rotting box gutters, and brickwork in need of repointing plagued some of them, generally the ones owned by absentee landlords rather than the families or institutions living in and caring for their homes day to day. You could tell some of these grand old homes were heading in a direction that, without intervention, wouldn’t end well.
The transformation of Millionaires’ Row has a name behind it: Tom Hagen. He grew up in Erie, PA and went on to lead Erie Insurance Group, serving as CEO and then Chairman of the Board, a position he only recently stepped down from at the age of 90. Forbes lists him as one of the five wealthiest people in Pennsylvania, and he has channeled a significant portion of that fortune into preserving the city that shaped him. In 2020 he created the Historic Erie Preservation Trust, an organization modeled after the Newport Restoration Foundation in Newport, Rhode Island, which was founded by Doris Duke in 1968. The idea is the same: purchase historic properties, restore them thoughtfully, and sustain them permanently through rents and leases so they never fall into disrepair again. In many ways, Hagen’s preservation efforts continue a tradition established by the very people who built Millionaires’ Row, using private success to leave a lasting mark on Erie.
To date, Hagen has acquired more than 40 historic buildings across Erie, with close to half of the restorations already complete. Many are on West 6th Street, but the work extends into other neighborhoods as well. His earlier preservation efforts in Erie also include the Erie Zoo, Mercyhurst College, and the Erie County Historical Society’s Watson-Curtze mansion, which was renamed the Hagen History Center in his honor.
The Hagen History Center is also home to a remarkable permanent exhibit: the original San Francisco office of architect Frank Lloyd Wright, purchased by Hagen complete with its furnishings and artworks and donated to the museum. Frank Lloyd Wright enthusiasts who travel between his famous homes in the Buffalo area, including the Darwin Martin House and Graycliff Estate, and his celebrated western Pennsylvania sites, Fallingwater and Kentuck Knob, now have a compelling reason to stop in Erie, PA along the way.
One Block North and Worth the Walk
Just one block north of Millionaires’ Row, at 428 Chestnut St. in Erie, PA, sits the Erie Firefighters’ Museum. Founded in 1969 and operated entirely by volunteers, the museum is dedicated to honoring firefighters who risked and lost their lives protecting others. It is housed in the former Engine Co. #4 firehouse, built in 1903 and closed in 1979, which reopened in 2016 as this one-of-a-kind tribute. It is a short and easy walk from anywhere on West 6th Street and well worth the stop. Note that it is generally only open on Saturdays from June to October so if you want to see the inside be sure to check.
Come See It for Yourself
One of the things we love most about Spencer House is that we are not just near this history, we are part of it. From Spencer House, guests can easily walk the length of Millionaires’ Row in Erie, PA at a leisurely pace.
When you are ready to experience Millionaires’ Row for yourself, we would love to have you stay with us. Reservations can be made directly at spencerhousebandb.com.
If you have questions when you arrive, just ask. We are always happy to share what we know about the neighborhood we are proud to call home.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Millionaires’ Row in Erie, PA? Millionaires’ Row is the historic name for West 6th Street in Erie, Pennsylvania, a six-block stretch from Perry Square to Gridley Park that served as the city’s most prestigious residential address from the mid-1800s through the early 1900s. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.
What historic sites are on West 6th Street in Erie? West 6th Street is home to several notable historic properties, including the Hagen History Center in the Watson-Curtze Mansion, Gannon University’s Old Main in the former Strong Mansion, the Woman’s Club of Erie in the Galbraith Mansion, and Spencer House Bed and Breakfast, Erie’s first bed and breakfast, in the 1876 Spencer Mansion. The Erie Firefighters’ Museum is located just one block north at 428 Chestnut St.
Did any US presidents ever visit Erie, Pennsylvania? Yes. Presidents Grover Cleveland, Theodore Roosevelt, and William Howard Taft all visited Erie and were guests of Charles and Annie Strong at their mansion at 109 W. 6th St., now known as Gannon University’s Old Main. President Taft, a Yale classmate of Charles Strong, stayed two nights in September 1911.
What Frank Lloyd Wright sites are near Erie, PA? Erie, PA sits between several significant Frank Lloyd Wright sites. To the east in Buffalo, NY, the Darwin Martin House and Graycliff Estate are both open for tours. To the south in western Pennsylvania, Fallingwater and Kentuck Knob draw visitors from around the world. Erie’s own Hagen History Center is home to Frank Lloyd Wright’s original San Francisco Field Office Museum, making it a natural stop for anyone traveling the Frank Lloyd Wright trail.
Can someone stay in one of the mansions on Millionaires’ Row in Erie, PA? Yes. Spencer House Bed and Breakfast at 519 W. 6th St. is an 1876 Victorian mansion located in the heart of Millionaires’ Row and is Erie’s first and only historic bed and breakfast. Guests stay in beautifully appointed rooms, enjoy a full homemade breakfast each morning, and have easy walking access to the historic district and downtown Erie.
Sources and Further Reading
- Hagen History Center, Long Life and Happiness to All its Residents blog series, hagenhistory.org
- SAH Archipedia, West Sixth Street Historic District, sah-archipedia.org
