Two men with a dream . in 1922 and 1924, but they were both unhappy with their jobs and the pay at the Pennsylvania Indemnity Exchange (PIE). By fall 1924, the wheels were in motion to start their own company. When they resigned from the PIE, the company had to hire six salesmen to replace them!.
The two founders – H. O. Hirt and O. G. Crawford—had a plan, which they wrote on a 10-cent tablet, which is like a business plan today—but they needed money to make it happen. It took them three months and twenty days, or about the length of an Erie winter, to get the $31,000 they needed. Their handwritten business plan, determination, and strong belief in what they were about to do won over ninety stockholders.
The Erie Insurance Exchange opened on April 20, 1925. One of the first policies the exchange wrote was on H O. ’s own Dodge touring car. “The ERIE is Above all in SERVICES” became the company’s motto, with the “erie” raised in the word “services.” That still serves as the company’s tagline today.
Evidence of this service was that customers were encouraged to call collect. And if a policyholder had a problem with a claim, they could call H directly. O. Hirt. After only three years, ERIE was already expanding. A second office was opened in Pittsburgh in 1928. In 1953, the company opened its first branch outside of Pennsylvania in Silver Spring, Maryland.
At the same time ERIE was expanding its territories, it also expanded its product offerings. In 1934, ERIE introduced the “Super Standard Auto Policy. ” It included many features that have since become industry standards. Fire insurance was added in 1940, and inland marine in 1954.
Erie Insurance recently completed construction on their impressive new corporate headquarters in downtown Erie, PA. The $135 million office building provides nearly 350,000 square feet of modern and innovative workspace for over 1,200 employees. Let’s take a photo tour of the striking architecture, upscale amenities and hi-tech features that make this one of the premier corporate facilities in the region.
Overview of the New Building
In 2018, Erie Insurance broke ground on the flagship headquarters after outgrowing their existing office space. The stunning 7-story facility was designed by the architecture firm Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, which has crafted corporate spaces for Apple, Disney and Blue Cross.
The new building allows Erie Insurance to continue growing in their hometown of Erie by providing capacity for 600 additional workers. It sits on a full city block adjacent to the company’s existing Perry Square headquarters and connects seamlessly through a shared courtyard.
Ground was broken in April 2018 and construction finished by the end of 2020. The total cost was around $135 million, making it one of largest economic development projects in Erie’s history.
Striking Exterior Design
The exterior design utilizes glass, steel and stone to create an airy, modern aesthetic. The windows provide plentiful natural light as well as panoramic views of downtown Erie, Presque Isle Bay and Lake Erie.
Angled limestone panels on the east and west-facing façades are a nod to the limestone bluffs of Presque Isle. And the glass corners of the building are etched with images of waves dunes, and other references to Erie’s natural landmarks.
At night, an LED lighting system illuminates the structure with an ever-changing display visible from blocks away. The building itself becomes a piece of interactive art.
Features of the Interior Spaces
Inside the atmosphere is just as sleek. The first floor lobby welcomes employees and guests with marble walls floating staircases and a massive skylight that bathes the space in natural light. Just beyond the lobby is a water feature visible from the mezzanine level conference rooms perched above.
Much of the interior has an open, loft-like feel with exposed ceilings, polished concrete floors and industrial-chic styling. Collaborative work areas with glass garage doors foster connectivity and creativity.
A four-story glass atrium serves as the centerpiece of the headquarters with vines intertwined on wire ropes and light wood encasing the elevator shaft.
The seventh floor is home to a large employee cafeteria boasting floor-to-ceiling windows, a living wall of plants, and views of Presque Isle State Park. Additional employee amenities include a fitness center, walking trails, and an open-air plaza.
Sustainable and High-Tech
Erie Insurance’s new headquarters achieved LEED Gold certification for its extensive sustainable design components. Solar panels, electric vehicle charging stations, and a passive geo-exchange system for heating and cooling are some of the green features.
Advanced technologies are found throughout the building. App-based digital directories help with wayfinding. Adjustable sit/stand desks let workers customize their workspace. And a state-of-the-art digital media wall provides immersive on-demand video.
Of course, the facility also offers high speed WiFi, robust tech infrastructure, and various on-site amenities to make for a modern, collaborative work environment.
Construction Process
The headquarters was constructed from the ground up in about two and a half years. It took the effort of hundreds of skilled tradespeople to bring the architect’s vision to life. More than 27,000 cubic yards of concrete, 5.3 million pounds of steel, and 265,000 bricks were utilized.
Here is a look at some key milestones over the course of construction:
- April 2018 – Official groundbreaking ceremony held
- April 2018 – Final steel beam, signed by employees, hoisted into place during “topping off” event
- July 2018 – Steel structure takes shape, allowing interior work to begin
- November 2018 – Building enclosure completed and crews move indoors
- December 2019 – Exterior glass facade and nighttime LED lighting installed
- Mid 2020 – Interior finish work wraps up including lobby completion
- Fall 2020 – Furnishings and technology installed; final inspections conducted
- December 2020 – Certificate of occupancy received
The exposed steel framing offers a glimpse into the engineering intricacies involved in bringing the eye-catching design to reality. The topping off ceremony held special meaning, with hundreds of Erie Insurance employees signing the final beam before it was lifted into place.
First Look Inside the Completed Facility
By late 2020, construction was fully finished and the interior spaces were ready for employees. Here are some photos that provide the first inside look at the completed corporate headquarters:
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The lobby welcomes visitors with marble walls, glass railings, and warm wood accents surrounding the information desk.
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Terrazzo floors lead to a grand staircase made of glass and stainless steel. Employees can be seen collaborating on the steps.
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The seventh floor cafeteria features an inviting mix of seating options and video screens. Floor-to-ceiling windows provide views of Lake Erie in the distance.
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Glass walls and garage doors foster an open, loft-like environment. The exposed ceilings add to the modern industrial aesthetic.
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Lounge spaces, huddle rooms, and open cafes allow for both collaboration and quiet focus. Adjustable desks let workers choose sit or stand.
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Interior glass walkways lined with living plant walls connect different wings of the building. Soft lighting illuminates the space.
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The top floor “creative catalyst” space has adaptable furniture and technology for workshops, training and innovation sessions.
Historic Lincoln Continental on Display
An iconic piece of Erie history is now on display in the new headquarters – the 1964 Lincoln Continental used by Erie Insurance founder H.O. Hirt. The classic car is parked in the lobby behind a velvet rope, permanently preserved.
Hirt famously had the vehicle customized with advanced safety features unheard of at the time. This included a radio dispatch system, exterior spotlights, heavy duty cooling and braking systems, and a push button transmission.
The car is a symbolic reminder of Erie’s long commitment to auto insurance, safety and innovation since its founding in 1925. Its placement in the lobby lets employees connect to the company’s rich history as they work in the technologically advanced new facility.
Erie Insurance’s stunning new corporate headquarters provides a comfortable, collaborative and modern workplace for their employees. The impeccable architecture seamlessly blends style, function and advanced technology.
The investment in their hometown of Erie ensures the company can continue growing and providing excellent service to policyholders. The completion of their state-of-the-art headquarters is an exciting milestone as Erie Insurance enters its next chapter.
As ERIE expanded outside of Pennsylvania, the product offerings continued to grow.
It became a multi-line insurance company when it issued its first homeowner’s insurance policy, the Pioneer Home Protector policy, in 1961. The Pioneer Business Protector policy was created two years later. And Erie Family Life Insurance Company was born in 1967. CEO at the time, F. William Hirt, H. O. Hirt’s son, referred to it as his “million-dollar baby. ” The company tracked its success by what H. O. Hirt called “The Pyramids of Progress,” which showed the year, net premiums, policyholder surplus and assets. For instance, net premiums were only $29,790 in 1925, but they were over $3 billion in the 2000s. More offices opened across the Mid-Atlantic, Midwest and South. ERIE opened its 20th field office in Kentucky in 2014, making it a company that now has operations in 12 states and the District of Columbia. Learn more about the company’s history through our timeline.
The company was going strong and growing. Within the first two decades, Erie Insurance went from a two-man show to a nationally recognized company.
- H. O. Hirts Dodge auto policy A copy of H. O. Hirts’ cover for his 1920 Dodge was one of the first written with the new Erie Insurance Exchange. His annual premium was $34.
- H. O. Hirt awarded The Brotherhood of Children Award H. O. On June 16, 1954, Hirt and The ERIE were given The Brotherhood of Children Award in recognition of their lifelong care for less fortunate people. He is pictured with Erie Mayor Thomas Flatley.
- Inside the C. F. Adams Building: The second office for ERIE in the C F. Adams Building .
- H. O. Hirt building construction The H. O. The Hirt Building was modeled after Independence Hall in Philadelphia. It took six years to complete, from the first idea to the cupola being put on top.
- F. W. Hirt Perry Square building groundbreaking Bill Hirt at the Silver Spring, MD Branch groundbreaking in 1982
- H. O. Hirts’s 100th birthday party The 13th annual meeting of the Columbus Branch took place at Wittenberg University. Left to right: F. W. Hirt, Susan Hirt Hagen, Sarah Elizabeth Hagen (H. O. ’s granddaughter), Tom Hagen and a Wittenberg rep.
The founders had very high principles in mind when they started the company on April 20, 1925. And ERIE’s founding purpose has never been lost sight of since.
Some things are very important to Erie Insurance, like the four lone pillars that stand at the company’s main office and the old-fashioned service pin. Here are just a few:
- H. O. The 144 people who work at ERIE outgrew their home in the C F. Adams Building in 1956, so a brand-new building was built on Sixth Street across the street. This building was inspired by Independence Hall, and H. O. The architects agreed with Hirt that a building in this Georgian style would not look old.
- Columns: The cast iron columns in the Corinthian style were originally part of the P A. Becker Building. They were fixed up and put back in place at the same time that the F W. Hirt Perry Square Building on April 20, 1983. As a reminder of the company’s work to improve the city’s downtown, the pillars stand in front of the main entrance.
- Service Pin In 1930, H. O. Hirt introduced the “Above all in Service” pin. In 2008, ERIE employees were given a copy of the service pins to remind them of the company’s commitment to service.
Chairman of the Board Tom Hagen, a student of history like his father-in-law, H. O. Hirt has done a lot to help bring life back to Erie’s historic neighborhoods and fix up some of the city’s most important homes and public buildings.
Many awards have been given to him for his work, including the Otto Haas Award from the Pennsylvania Historic Preservation Society for outstanding individual achievement. The top award honors individuals and organizations for preserving historically and architecturally significant properties in Pennsylvania.
Learn More About Our Historic Buildings
The Charles M. The Greek Revival style was used to build Tibbals House in 1842. It is one of only three houses in the Erie area that still stands. It was home to the Tibbals family for more than six decades. Charles Tibbals, Sr. was a highly respected and successful entrepreneur, merchant, public servant and manufacturer.
The Tibbals House, which is on East Fifth Street across from ERIE’s Home Office, and the four historic Federal Period houses next to it were bought by ERIE in 1984 in bad shape and fixed up. The Tibbals House and the other four homes are on the National Register of Historic Places as “Federal Row.”
In 2010, the Tibbals House was fixed up so that ERIE could use the first floor as a conference center. The rear addition and second floor have three guest suites.
For the book The Historic Tibbals House – 1842, Tom Hagen and Erie Insurance won an Award of Merit from the American Association for State and Local History Leadership in History Awards. It’s the most prestigious recognition for achievement in the preservation and interpretation of state and local history.
1842 The Charles M. Tibbals House
The Gideon Ball House on East Sixth Street is across the street from the H. O. Hirt Building at ERIE’s Home Office and was acquired and restored by ERIE in 1992. It’s an Italianate-style mansion built in 1862 for the Honorable Gideon J. Ball, who was active in Whig politics. In addition to several local public offices, Ball served as state treasurer of Pennsylvania.
1862 The Gideon Ball House
The Pennsylvania National Guard 112th Infantry Regiment lived in the Erie Armory before it was fixed up and turned into an office space. The men and women of the regiment came to the Armory for 90 years to train, go on duty, and see friends and family when they got back home.
There was a historical marker for the Pennsylvania National Guard 112th Infantry Regiment at the dedication of the 95-year-old building on East Sixth Street, which is about three blocks east of the Home Office.
It is part of the famous 28th Division, which is the oldest infantry division in the U.S. that has been in service continuously since 1861. S. Army. There are ties between the 112th and the American Civil War. It was first called the Pennsylvania 16th. Some of the wars the 112th was in were the Spanish-American War, World War I, and Iraq. In World War II and Korea, they were given Presidential Unit Citations.
The 112th used the Armory until July 2007, when they moved to the Pennsylvania National Guard Readiness Center, which had just been built near Cambridge Springs, Pennsylvania.
The Armory was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1989. The 24,000-square-foot building was fixed up according to the rules set by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission for Historical Landmarks.
In 1986, ERIE bought and fixed up the Boston Store Livery and Garage on French Street, which is across the street from one of its parking ramps. From 1916 to 1961, it was the livery and then the garage for the delivery vehicles of Erie’s famous Boston Store. It was built in 1906. It’s the only livery building left from that once important trade on lower French Street. It was donated by ERIE to the Experience Children’s Museum, which is adjacent to the Erie Art Museum.
1906 The Boston Store Livery and Garage
Colt and Von Buseck Houses
The historic houses of Judah Colt and Von Buseck were moved to the corner of East 5th and German Streets in Erie in 2018. They were taken apart and moved there.
The 1820-built Judah Colt House used to be at the southwest corner of 4th and French Streets. Judah Colt lived in the federal-style house. He was one of the first people to live in Erie County and the first Burgess of Erie. During his “Farewell Tour” of the 24 states that were then in the U.S. in 1825, Revolutionary War hero Major General Marquis de Lafayette stopped by the house. S. Thomas Colt, Judah Colt’s nephew, later lived in the house. He was the last burgess of Erie and the city’s first mayor in 1851. The house was split in half and moved to East Front Street in 1882 so that the Erie Steam Bakery could be built. The building is now called Lafayette Place and is owned by Erie Insurance.
The 1815 Von Buseck House was on the south side of West 38th Street in Erie, between Asbury and Millfair Roads. The saltbox farmhouse resided on land owned by one of Erie County’s earliest immigrant settlers John Nicholson. It was remarkably the home for generations of the Von Buseck family for 150 years. Both historic houses were purchased, restored and converted by ERIE into upscale apartment buildings. Each house has two apartments. Residing behind the historic homes are two carriage houses with two additional apartments and garages.
1820 and 1815 The Colt and Von Buseck Houses
Erie Insurance purchased the Firehouse, located at 414 French Street, in Erie, Pennsylvania, in November 2015. After being completely fixed up, the two-story building reopened in July 2017 as a place for employees to hold meetings and conferences.
The Constable Brothers Construction Company built the 13,500-square-foot building in 1907-1908 at the cost of $14,889. Firehouse No. 1 had a long history of fire protection for its ward. After the Erie Fire Department stopped using the station in 1979, it was bought by new owners and turned into a restaurant.
The Pufferbelly Restaurant opened in July 1984. Tom Hagen, Chairman of Erie Insurance, likes to tell the story of how he was the first person to eat there. The restaurant was an important part of downtown Erie for more than 30 years, but it closed on September 30, 2015.
The Firehouse has meeting space on both floors to accommodate about 120 people. Artwork by regional artists is on display inside the modernized facility. One piece of art owned by Erie Insurance is a more than 100-year-old mural by artist William de Leftwich Dodge that has been fixed up.
1908 The Event Center at the Firehouse
This is a special place where ERIE’s rich history is captured and displayed. Staff and agents can learn about how a company that began in Erie in 1925 grew to become a FORTUNE® 500 company and a leader in the insurance industry.
The center is located in the historic C. F. Adams Building, which was Erie Insurance’s second office from 1938 to 1956. The Heritage Center chronicles the story of Erie Insurance and its humble beginnings. It has nine galleries with different kinds of items from ERIE’s huge collection, like the restored Grueby Tile fireplace in the building and founder H. O. Hirt’s recreated pine-paneled office, along with his 1964 “Silver Sand” Lincoln Continental.
Go back in time and take the Heritage Center virtual tour below.
1938 The Erie Insurance Heritage Center
Erie Insurance Great Place to Work
FAQ
What is the Erie Insurance scandal?
Is Erie Insurance financially stable?
Where is the headquarter of Erie Insurance located?
How many employees does Erie Insurance have?
Where is Erie Insurance’s new office building located?
The Erie Insurance grounds, including the new $135 million office building just east of Perry Square is shown Dec. 16, 2020. Tim NeCastro, CEO of Erie Insurance, is shown on the roof of the company’s Perry Square headquarters in downtown Erie on Jan. 16, 2019.
Who is Erie Insurance Group?
Erie Insurance Group, based in Erie, Pennsylvania, is a property and casualty insurance company offering auto, home, business and life insurance through a network of independent insurance agents.
Where is Erie Insurance located?
For Erie Insurance, our “home office” (corporate headquarters) sits in Erie, Pennsylvania. Over the years we’ve grown to nearly seven million policies in force and more than 6,500 employees across 12 states and the District of Columbia, but Erie will always be home and close to our hearts. Our roots are here, and they run deep.
How many people occupy the new Erie Insurance office building?
The steel frame of the Erie Insurance office building takes shape in downtown Erie on July 11, 2018. As many as 1,200 people will occupy the 346,000-square-foot, seven-story, $135 million office building. Ironworkers with Industrial First Inc. connect structural steel beams on March 7, 2018, at the new Erie Insurance building under construction.