by Christine Lorraine Morgan, Oct. 10, 2024~updated Dec. 16, 2025

This house was constructed in 1836, very early on in Erie’s history, in a geographic area which was relatively untamed. In Erie’s earliest days, “People passed from one side of the town to the other by going into the ravine and crossing a foot bridge that spanned a stream of water which ran down to the bay. This ravine was gradually filled up with the growth of the town, and the court house was built over it where it crossed the West Park,” as stated in History of Erie County, PA 1884. The courthouse is one block away from this historic structure, so when the home was originally built the terrain was challenging to say the least.

The home’s east and south wings added on during the 1850s. It has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1979.

So who was John Hill and how did this structure come to bear his name? According to eriebuildings. info: “Dr. William Johns, a prominent physician and political official, built this structure in 1836. Pierre Simon Vincent Hamot, a merchant banker and pioneer in Erie’s early development, bought the home for his daughter and her husband in 1840. In 1854, John Hill, a carpenter by trade who became a leading architect and building contractor, purchased the home—giving the building its historic name.”

According to Wikipedia: “A two-story brick coach house and servants’ quarters were added to the property after 1891, and the original house was connected to the main dwelling with the expansion of the rear ell The main dwelling was created in a transitional Greek Revival/Italian Villa ‘picturesque’ style, and features round-headed and hooded windows, prominent brackets, balconies, porches, and window bays. It is faced with scored poured concrete and clapboard and topped with a gable roof.”

The east and south wings were added on to 230 W. 6th in the 1850s, the original section of the house was built in 1836. This structure had already been here for 25 years when the Civil War started.

The architectural details on this amazing property are picture perfect.