The City Hospital of Akron had its inception in a fund left by an early resident, Boniface DeRoo. The fund which represented the lifetime savings of a frugal hard working man, amounted to $10,000. The first building used for the hospital was an old frame house at the corner of Broadway Street and Center Street.…
“South Main Street is the main thoroughfare in Akron. Most of the leading stores, theaters, and hotels are located on this street. It is the dividing line for cross streets, all numbered running east and west start from here. State Routes Nos. 8, 18 and 36 pass through South Main Street.”
The high school was located on Forge Street, between College and Union Streets, facing Union Park. The school was established in 1857, but the pictured building was erected in 1885 at a cost of $135,000.
Founded in 1892, Akron’s City hospital was the first accredited radiology department in the United States. The hospital was also a pioneer in open heart surgery. Akron City Hospital is also the birthplace of basketball legends LeBron James and Stephen Curry. Today, the hospital is part of the large Summa Health hospital system.
During the rapid growth of the rubber industry in Akron, Springfield Lake became a resort area. Summer cottages were built around the lake. Springfield Lake Park was built in the early 1900s and included a merry-go-round, dodge-em cars, and various other amusement facilities. One of the main attractions was a roller coaster that extended out…
The Mayflower hotel was located at the corner of State and Main. In this view, it was a DeWitt operated hotel.
By 1926 Goodyear was the largest rubber company in the world. Only four years earlier it was forced to temporarily halt production of racing tires due to heavy competition. Nevertheless, the popularity of the Goodyear tire on the racing circuit led to a popular demand for the return of the brand.
Interurban cars are lined up outside the Hamilton Building on South Main Street. It’s another busy day in Akron.
In 1904, the Central Savings Bank merged with the Akron Trust Company to form the Central Savings & Trust Company. Before moving to the Hamilton Building (renamed the Central Savings & Trust Building in 1918) this was the banks home. A beautiful multistory office building on Akron’s Main Street. In 1931 the bank, under a new name, moved…
Weekend Getaway During the rapid growth of Akron’s rubber industry, Springfield Lake became a popular getaway resort. Summer cottages popped up at Sawyerwood and Lakemore. In the early 1900’s, the Springfield Lake Park was constructed. It was briefly the largest amusement park in all of Ohio. Attractions included a merry-go-round, dodge-em cars, a roller coaster, a…
More than a century ago, on July 4th, 1917, Summit Beach Park opened its door for the first time. Akronites were drawn by rides like the park’s roller coaster, carousel and ferris wheel. But the park offered more than thrill rides, it also had a dance hall, penny arcade, boat launch and steamboat rides.
“It takes energy, foresight and ability to pull against the current.” – Harvey Firestone Harvey Firestone was convinced that there was a large market to be tapped in automobile tires. His vision would become the Firestone Tire & Rubber Company. By 1926, Firestone’s company was producing more than 10 million tires a year, about 25…
Amelia flats was a five-story apartment building, which stood on Park Street across from picturesque Grace Park, it was one of the city’s earliest apartment houses when opened in 1901.
Opened in 1891 by John B. Groetz (1866-1951), this late 19th-century hotel was a popular meeting place for famous politicians, businessmen, and athletes. Mark Hanna, the right-hand man of President McKinley, often dined here. Thomas Edison, a good friend of Harvey Firestone, was also a frequent visitors. Location: – Demolished – Portage Lakes Drive in Portage Lakes, Ohio.
Was Goodyear big in Akron? Oh yeah. By the early 1900’s this plant had one million square feet of rubber making floor space and covered 41 acres!
The Portage Country Club has long been an athletic and social center for Akron’s most prominent families. The second clubhouse (pictured here) was destroyed by fire in 1921. The new clubhouse opened in May 1923. Location: corner of Twin Oaks and Portage Path.
First Flying Aircraft Carrier Between September 1931 and April 1933 the Navy’s USS Akron (ZRS-4) sailed the skies. She was the world’s first purpose-built flying aircraft carrier. Tucked neatly inside her massive body were F9C Sparrowhawk fighter planes which could be launched and recovered while the airship was in flight. Largest Flying Object With an overall length of 785 ft (239 m), the Akron and her…
Created by Ralph H. Lodge, Silver Lake Park and Chautauqua Park were a popular regional resort accessible by streetcar and rail. Silver Lake featured boating, swimming, and a large pavilion with a 15,000 square-foot dance floor, a freshwater aquarium, an airfield, and the Chautauqua Auditorium (pictured here) that featured prominent speakers of the day.
Building Airship ZRS-4 Construction of Airship ZRS-4 began on October 31, 1929 at the Goodyear-Zeppelin Airdock. wish was a purpose-built hanger for the construction of these massive airships. On November 7 that year, Rear Admiral William A. Moffett, the Chief of the U.S. Navy’s Bureau of Aeronautics, drove the “golden rivet” in the ship’s first main ring. Erection of the hull sections began…
Built in 1884, Akron High School sat on the block created by Union, College, Buchtel and Forge Streets. The school was renamed Central High School after the 1911 construction of South High School. Akron’s Central High was demolished in 1973 and replaced by Central-Hower High School.
July 4, 1917 began an exciting era in Akron History, that of Summit Beach Park. The amusement park opened its gates with great fanfare and provided entertainment to Akronites for 40 years before abruptly closing its doors forever.
The area around Springfield Lake became a popular resort spot as Akron’s rubber industries boomed. The rapid success in Akron led to the construction of summer getaway cottages at the lake – some of which still exist today as full-time residences. One of the first entrepreneurs to see the potential of Springfield Lake was Carl Weiland. He established a…
The rubber boom brought with it thousands of jobs to the Akron area, but in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, many of the workers faced low wages and dangerous conditions. Organizers of the United Rubber Workers sought to improve the lives of workers. The URW formed in 1935 and organized their first major strike on Akron’s rubber…
The Goodyear-Zeppelin Airdock was a purpose-built facility for the construction of large airships. The $2.2 million building is over 200 feet tall and more than 1,000 feet long. Most remarkable, the entire length of the building is free of interior supports like pillars or struts. At the time of its construction in 1929, the air dock was the…
The Music Hall was dedicated on opened in 1904 with a concert by the Victor Herbert Orchestra. Paul E. Werner, a German-American immigrant and philanthropist who made his fortunes in the publishing industry (Werner Printing and Lithograph Company) financed the $65,000 building. It was commonly known as the German-American Music Hall until anti-German sentiments arose…