Erie Insurance Buys National Guard Armory

January 30, 2013

Erie Insurance has continued its buying streak on the City's East Side...now purchasing the Armory at East 6^th and Parade Streets

    Local business owners aren't complaining.... They're thrilled for what this will bring to their community.

    Erie Insurance has been looking into purchasing the National Guard Armory for quite some time now...  The purchase became final at the beginning of this week.... With a price tag of $330,000.

    Officials at Erie Insurance are calling the 24,000 square foot Armory, built in the early 1920s... A great opportunity that they needed to take advantage of.

    Spokesperson for Erie Insurance Leah Knapp tells us

"We remain committed to improving the area and attracting more businesses downtown"

    But what does the future hold for the historic National Guard Armory?

Knapp explains "We don't have plans for the armory at this time but I can tell you that we're committed to this community and to making Erie a great place to live and work"

    The lower East Side neighborhood is familiar with Erie Insurance... They've already purchased several buildings.

    Business owners say they'd like to see the recently vacant armory turn into a museum that the community can utilize.. He sees this as nothing but a plus

Knapp tells us their primary concern now is employee parking and they hope to have a parking garage built between 7th and 8th streets.

    The project should be completed by October of this year.