Perry Square is the central park of downtown Erie, occupying two wooded city blocks bisected by State Street — the main commercial artery dividing the city into east and west. Planned by the surveyor Andrew Ellicott in the early 19th century, the square is named for Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, who won the decisive Battle of Lake Erie nearby in 1813 and sent back the famous message: "We have met the enemy and they are ours."
The park is a pleasant green space with mature trees and benches, flanked by Erie's older commercial buildings and anchored by a monument to Perry. On warm days it fills with office workers at lunch and families in the afternoon. The surrounding streets contain several of the city's most interesting historic buildings, including the Old Customshouse and the Warner Theatre.