ABOUT ERIE COUNTY CONVENTION CENTER AUTHORITY

The Civic Center complex began with the acquisition of the Warner Theatre. In 1976, Cinemette Corporation of America sold the Warner Theatre to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Upon hearing of the intended plans to sell the theatre, the late Mayor Louis J. Tullio saw the importance of saving the Warner from planned demolition. With the assistance of the Commonwealth, he took it upon himself to negotiate a successful purchase of the building from private interests. Some critical improvements including a new roof, restoration of lighting fixtures and rewiring of the house front and foyer areas were then made. The cornerstone of the Erie Civic Center Complex and the arts community was laid.

Upon receiving fiscal and physical management responsibilities for the Warner Theatre, the Erie Civic Center Authority began investigating the feasibility of building a multi-purpose facility. Appealing to the state for financial assistance, the Authority acquired property from 8th to 9th Streets and French to Holland. On June 7, 1983, after three years of construction, the Louis J. Tullio Arena opened its doors. Erie became a star on the concert tour routes, and the revitalization of downtown Erie began.

In 1994, a core group of community leaders known as Team Erie and the Erie Civic Center Authority requested help to fund another major redevelopment project in downtown Erie. The project included the construction of a $9 million class AA ballpark to replace the abandoned Sears/Roebuck store. In 1995, the ballpark opened with a short-season class A baseball team and in 1999, a class AA team was acquired.

The fourth and biggest development project in Erie's history was given the go-ahead in April 2001, when Governor Tom Ridge and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania presented the Erie County Convention Center Authority with $32 million to fund the Bayfront Convention Center. Three major factors laid the groundwork for the successful launch of this project: tremendous community support from local leaders and groups, a newly implemented hotel/motel tax, and the results from the Bosworth economic development study. The overall development on the Bayfront will include a convention center that features a flexible ballroom, banquet and meeting rooms to accommodate groups of 100 to 1,000, a hotel/restaurant complex, and parking facilities. The new complex opened in 2007 and is estimated to bring in over $15 million in new revenues to the region.