Client: Erie Community Foundation
Location: 453 West 6th St., Erie, Pennsylvania
Dates: Original building — 1889; Renovation complete — In progress
Size: 2,900 SF
National Register of Historic Places: Contributing building in the West Sixth Street Historic District.
This Victorian Eclectic-style house was built c.1890 as a single-family home and later converted into apartments.
This property was renovated to create additional offices for The Erie Community Foundation. Due to damage caused by a fire, the building had been gutted to the studs when it was purchased by the foundation. This project involved extensive masonry restoration and cleaning, roof replacement and reconstruction, window replacement, painting and landscaping. Significant interior renovation work and modifications were required. While respecting the original design of the building, a new stairway was created to replace the original, which had been removed when the building was converted into apartments in the 1970s. Additional work included all new walls, doors, architectural interior trim, painting, flooring, finishes, improved accessibility, as well as electrical, HVAC and plumbing.
The home was commissioned by Ricardo St. Philip Lowry (1864–1919), known as Richard Lowry and his wife, Annie Wrenton Maus (1865–1906). Richard was born in Philadelphia, son of Venezuela-born Reigart Bolivar Lowry (1826–1880). Reigart was a career U.S. Navy officer who, while stationed on board Erie-based USS Michigan (later Wolverine) in 1858, married Catherine Elizabeth Courtright (1838–1932) from an early Erie County family. Reigart distinguished himself in the Civil War, later becoming Navy flag officer with the rank of commodore. In 1944, the destroyer USS Lowry DD-770 was named for him.
Richard Lowry attended Erie public schools and was known for being “prominent in the business and social life of the community.” He served the community in various ways — as deputy collector of customs, president of Erie City Select Council and general manager of Erie Evening Herald.
Richard and Annie Maus Lowry raised two sons here. George Maus Lowry (1889–1981) graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1911 and commanded the U.S. Brig Niagara during a 1913 tour of the Great Lakes. George was awarded the Medal of Honor for valor at Veracruz, Mexico, in 1914, and served at sea in WWI. He commanded three destroyers before resigning from the Navy in 1927 to become an investment banker in San Francisco. Recalled to active duty for WWII, George received the Legion of Merit and retired a rear admiral. Philip Wager Lowry (1893–1969), a graduate of Harvard and Columbia Law School, served in France as an Army officer in WWI. He practiced law at several leading New York City firms and retired from the U.S. Department of Justice.
In 1916, the Lowrys sold the house to Byron A. Walker (1852–1922). Walker was a founder and president of Lovell Manufacturing Co. and founder of Erie City Mission. His family owned the house until 1941.
For 44 years, Joseph Palermo and his family rented the building as apartments. After two devastating fires, the property was acquired by Historic Erie Restoration in 2020 and gifted to The Erie Community Foundation.
The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places by the U.S. Department of the Interior as a contributing building in the West Sixth Street Historic District in 1984.
