Erie City Council will hold a public hearing Feb. 7 on whether to designate a 97-year-old Spanish Revival house linked to a bootlegger as a historic structure.
The hearing will take place during Council’s 9 a.m. meeting at City Hall, 626 State St.
Home owners Matthew and Adam Falcone submitted a nomination form in April to the city’s Historic Review Commission for the property at 317 Frontier Drive, identified as the Way-Built Weber House.
About the house
Also referred to as the Weber Semple “WayBuilt” House, the structure was constructed in 1927 by the R.B. Way Co. of Erie in the Frontier neighborhood. Built in the Spanish Revival style, it was purchased by Carl and Florence Weber. Later owners included notorious bootlegger Joseph Semple and his wife, Betty, according to a letter to the city’s Planning Commission from the Historic Review Commission.
Historic structures
Jake Welsh, Erie’s chief zoning officer, said historic designation is meant to help rehabilitate and preserve structures and could lead to funding for their improvements.