Many Erie Times-News readers have taken note in recent months of older buildings in the region that are threatened by neglect or by the desire to replace them with more modern structures. Preservation groups have rallied in Erie, Pa., to save such buildings as the chapel at the former Villa Maria Motherhouse and, more recently, Roosevelt Junior High School.

Today's front-page spread in the Times-News is timely, therefore, because it deals with many of Erie's lost historic buildings, most of which exist only in the memories of longtime residents of the community. The occasion for such reflection is the opening of a new exhibition called "Lost Erie" at the Erie County History Center, 419 State St.

Times-News reporter John Guerriero writes of the 200-room Reed House in downtown Erie, which "was one of the finest hotels between New York City and Chicago before it came down in 1933."

The Park Opera House on the city's North Park Row was rebuilt after a fire, Guerriero writes, and replaced with a Greyhound Bus Station, which has since been converted to a tavern. Newspaper readers -- especially younger ones -- might have been surprised at their breakfast tables this morning to see an overhead photo of downtown Erie taken on V-E Day, May 8, 1945. Dozens of cars can be seen streaming north and south across four lanes.

One of my teenage sons observed, "Look at all the cars. I didn't know so many cars existed in Erie in 1945, let alone in the downtown area." He and his brother spent the rest of their breakfast, poring over the photographs and asking about the locations of the buildings.

They were also interested in the front-page photo illustration by Times-News graphic artist Chris Sigmund, which combined an early-20th century photo of State Street, on the left, with a modern photo of the same street, on the right. Coincidentally, one of the buildings in the modern half of the picture is the old Palace Hardware Building, an early 20th-century building which was preserved and renovated in the early 1980s.

The kids seemed thunderstruck by the sight of women in ankle-length skirts and wide-brimmed hats, walking alongside horse-drawn wagons. Young people always think the world began with their generation.

Incidentally, the selection of this photo illustration for page 1 was finalized after a spirited discussion of editors and page designers at a Tuesday afternoon planning meeting. One group felt the illustration seemed a bit gimmicky -- that the original black and white photograph was more in keeping with the theme of the story.

But the contrast of the old and new proved irresistible to the majority in the meeting, and it was decided to go with the photo illustration.

Preserving old buildings, while important to maintaining a city's architectural heritage, remains controversial in Erie, as in other older cities. For one thing, it's expensive, and developers are not easily found. In the case of the Dickson Tavern, for instance, an historic wooden structure in north Erie that dates to at least 1815, the city tried for years to find a develper who would be willing to restore it to its original appearance and role.

But when such a rainmaker could not be found, Erie businessman Pat Black stepped forward and offered to invest $500,000 in the tavern, remaking it as a vintage-looking office building. That solution did not sit well with some preservationists, but the alternative was to tear the building down.

Roosevelt School, built during the Great Depression, functioned as a school until this year, but it's in deplorable condition and might not be a candidate for renovation as a school. This case is still brewing and will likely have many twists and turns in the coming months before a solution is found.

The "Lost Erie" exhibit focuses on buildings of note which no longer exist. John Claridge, the driving force behind the exhibit, published a fascinating book in 1991, featuring photos of many old Erie buildings of architectural note. Sadly, most were long gone.

Today's "Lost & Found" story and photo package seemed to attract the interest of newspaper readers of all ages, judging from those who called or sent e-mail messages. Several older readers recalled seeing and walking through the buildings, while younger readers seemed hungry for more information.

This was an important story that reminded many people of Erie's architectural heritage -- one that in many cases is disappearing before our eyes.

-- Kevin Cuneo