It all began at Sweitzer Street and Miller Avenue in 1900. That’s where Harvey S. Firestone began the world famous Firestone Tire & Rubber Co. Less than 50 years later the company would grow to include 48 factories spread out over 19 states and 10 countries.
Built in 1902, the old jail was located between High Street and S. Broadway Street in downtown Akron. Inside were living quarters for the county sheriff and cells for up to 100 prisoners. The stunning sandstone building was destroyed in 1965 and replaced by the new City-County Safety Building.
Born in Ripley, New York in 1841, Benjamin Franklin Goodrich pursued an education in medicine and served as an assistant surgeon in the Union Army during the U.S. Civil War. After the war, Goodrich pursued a career in business and entered into a real estate partnership with John P. Morris of New York City. In 1869…
“Sheraton Hotel, 259 So. Main Street, Akron Ohio – Akron’s finest hotel. In the heart of the main shopping and business district. Within walking distance to all transportation centers. Headquarters for the famous “Soap Box Derby.” Free Sheraton Direct Line Teletype Reservation Service.”
The German Music Hall was dedicated 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. Following construction, it was commonly known as the German-American Music Hall. Growing anti-German sentiments…
A US Navy Corsair Fighter, built by Goodyear Aircraft flies over the Rubber Bowl Stadium. Goodyear Aircraft produced more than 4,000 Corsair fighter planes. During the height of production, it was common for Akronites to see these “warbirds” flying above the city.
The Portage Hotel was located at 10 North Main Street in Akron. The eight-story, 170-room hotel opened on June 12, 1912. In 1935, the Portage Hotel was host to the founding of the United Rubber Workers Union. The Portage closed in 1969 and was repurposed for a short time as a nursing home. The building…
The brick building opened in 1899 as Akron’s main post office. Pairs of carved eagle medallions and bronze lanterns decorate its Market Street façade and a mosaic depicting a Pony Express rider is embedded in its lobby floor. The Akron Art Museum moved into the building in 1981 after a major renovation.
Built in 1923, the Akron Savings & Loan building is 158-foot-tall 12-story high-rise. 1888 the Akron Savings & Loan began as the Akron Building and Loan Association (196 South High Street). The first officers were Hugo Schumacher, W.B. Gamble, A.H. Noah, William Buchtel, and P.M. Atterholt. 1891 The company moved to larger offices inside the…
The First Second National Bank Building was built in 1911by Carmichael Construction. The building’s design came from George B. Post & Sons.This image shows the building before the four additional floors were added in 1919.
Beginning in 1874, Silver Lake and the land surrounding it was a popular Akron area amusement park. The lake was acquired in 1876 by Ralph H. Lodge and he subsequently also purchased the land surrounding the body of water. It was originally a picnicking and swimming area, but before it closed Silver Lake Amusement Park featured animal…
The Greyhound Bus Terminal in Akron was built at a cost of $600,000. It afforded patrons all the expected modern conveniences including a cafeteria. Up to fourteen busses could be docked simultaneously at the terminal. The building was connected to the Union Railroad Depot via an enclosed skywalk. It was also just one block from the…
In 1888, Ralph Lodge was presented with a female black bear cub, Topsy, captured on the north shore of Lake Superior. In September of the same year, he purchased an eight-month-old male cub, Patrick, which had been caught in Central Michigan. Patrick went on to father 78 cubs at Silver Lake.
Goodyear built its first blimp in 1912. In 1928 the company was awarded a contract to build the Navy’s rigid airships Akron and Macon.
“High on a hill overlooking the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company’s plants is the company’s new $2 million research laboratory, one of the world’s largest and most complete laboratories for rubber and plastics research. In this three story, sound-proof, air-conditioned brick building scientists have the privacy and seclusion they need for research that will make possible new…
In 1874, the newly-formed Akron Public Library Board met for the first time, with John R. Buchtel serving as the first President. Later that same year, the Akron Public Library opened its doors at the corner of Mill Street and South Howard Street. The building shown here was constructed in 1904. Although the building no longer…
The Portage Hotel was located downtown at Main Street and Market Street. The hotel replaced the former Empire House Hotel in 1912 and served as Akron’s leading hotel until being eclipsed by the modern art deco style Mayflower Hotel in 1931.
Michael O’Neil and his partner Isaac Dyas began serving Akron shoppers in 1877. Their first store was a dry goods store located at 114 East Market Street. Before being sold in 1912, O’neils had several locations in the Akron Canton Area.
After construction in 1915, the hospital struggled financially. In those early years, the hospital relied heavily upon donations of money, supplies and volunteer hours in order to remain in operation.
By 1930 Goodyear had pioneered what would later become known as “tundra tires” for smaller aircraft — the “airwheel” aviation wheel-rim/tire sets were initially available in sizes up to 46 inches in diameter.
The Gorge formed about 12,000 years ago as the Cuyahoga River carried water to Lake Erie. Most of the 100 mile river is shallow and slow-moving — but in the gorge, water descends 200 feet within a short two-mile section of the gorge.
USS Akron flys proudly over the Goodyear plant. She was the world’s first purpose-built flying aircraft carrier, carrying F9C Sparrowhawk fighter planes which could be launched and recovered while she was in flight. The Goodyear company is named after American Charles Goodyear, inventor of vulcanized rubber. The first Goodyear factory opened in Akron, Ohio, in…
“Goodyear-Zeppelin Corporation’s Factory and Dock located on the grounds of Akron’s Municipal Airport (Akron Fulton International). This building is 1,196 feet in length, 325 feet in width and 211 feet high, equal to a 22 story building. There are 3,600,000 pounds of steel used in the doors and 5,350 tons of structural steel in the…