Erie continues to attract development to its bay front with these two attractive buildings by local architectural firms. Erie's Intermodal Transportation Center houses offices for the bus companies, water taxis, and ferry service, and offers access to vehicle rentals and the Erie Bayfront Promenade Bicycle Path. The building's circular shape symbolizes both a wheel and a compass. The larger dome in the northwestern portion of the building covers a central atrium lobby with a compass rose design in the floor; a barrel-vaulted corridor connects to the smaller-domed portion. Curved windows and bay views accentuate the openness of the building.

To the east is the Cruise Boat Visitors' Terminal. Here a traditional factory shape, the sawtooth roof, is used in a modern and sitespecific way: each peak of the roof is curved to mimic the waves in the bay and evoke images of unfurled sails. Primary tenants of this building are the U.S. Customs and the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service, both of which require a long interior waiting room to funnel arrivals through a controlled space. At the same time, the space should be welcoming and open because it is often the visitor's first glimpse of the United States. The firm of Weborg Rectenwald Buehler, Architects won the 2003 Award of Excellence from the American Institute of Steel Construction for the modular frame system designed for this building.