Posted Sep 11, 2008, 7:03 PM
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Registered User
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Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Pittsburgh & Miami
Posts: 7,664
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^One of the oldest large-scale tool & die manufacturers in the nation (Erie is still known as the tool & die capital of the world. For whatever reason, Erie and Meadville have long been the worldwide hub of skilled toolmaking). I think Modern operated up until the 1950s?, making precision tools and machines for industrial applications (grinding machines, presses, stamping, etc.) The building, I'm guessing, dates to the 1870s?
I know that after the machine shop closed, the complex was a public market house mainly serving the fishing fleets. In the mid 1980s, it was converted to condos, apartments, a restaurant, and a large indoor market. The market only lasted a couple years (in the 1980s, that area of downtown was a high crime area... actually all of downtown was), but the restaurant (Marketplace Grill) has been very successful and the market area was converted to professional office space. The apartments are pretty nice, but could use updating... the 1980s was a long time ago.
The complex has been touted as one of the first multi-use renovations of a former industrial building in the country. It definitely helped that part of downtown revive itself.
I really dislike the current paint scheme though... it screams 1992 to me. It was originally red brick, obviously, and it was painted an off-white when I was a kid.
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