Author: tconte

Temple Israel, Akron, Ohio

Temple Israel

Built in 1911, the synagogue on Merriman Road replaced temporary space at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church on High Street. The facility underwent renovations and expansions in 1952 and 1987. It was replaced by a new synagogue in 2014 which is located at 91 Springside Drive, in Bath Township.

City Hospital, Akron, Ohio

City Hospital

One of City Hospitals greatest supporters was industrialist Ohio Columbus Barber. By 1904, O.C. Barber had donated more than a quarter of a million dollars to the institution.

Central Engine House (Fire Station), Akron, Ohio

Fire Station – Central Engine House

Akron Fire Department has a long and proud history dating all the way back to 1839 when the North Akron Fire Company was formed. Akron’s volunteer fire-fighting forces were consolidated to form the “Akron Fire Department” in 1866.  The members of the department were placed on a full pay basis in 1903. The department was…

German Church, Akron, Ohio

St. Bernard – German Church

St. Bernard Catholic Church in Akron, Ohio, was declared a historical monument in 1989 when it was placed on the National Register of Historical Places. Distinctively German-Romanesque with a Baroque influence, its architectural style is patterned after many of the great cathedrals in the Rhineland region of Europe.

Grace Park, Akron, Ohio

Grace Park

Before the mass exodus of manufacturing destroyed Akron’s reputation as a city of opportunity, places like Grace Park were often full of residents listening to speeches, celebrating victories and relaxing on a day off.

Greetings from Akron, Ohio

Greetings from Akron

Its name came from a Greek word meaning “an elevation” or “point.” Many of the town’s earliest residents were Irish migrants employed to build the nearby Ohio and Erie Canal. Its location along the canal meant that many farmers brought their crops to Akron to be milled and then transported to other markets.

Akron Depot

Union Station

Although grand in appearance, Akron’s Union Station was not a centerpiece of pride for Akronites. Many visitors complained that the railroad station was too cold in the winter, too hot in the summer, dirty, and small. Despite the complaints, the station lasted nearly 60 years before being replaced by the more modern Union Depot.

High School, Akron, Ohio

Akron High School

Central (Akron) 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. The building stood until 1973 when it was demolished to make way for the new Central-Hower High School.

Greetings from Akron, Ohio

Greetings from Akron

The American Soap Box Derby has a home in Akron but it didn’t start here. Dayton newspaperman Myron Scott came up with the idea in 1933. The first race was in 1934. The event quickly grew, gained sponsorships, and – thanks in part to tire companies – moved to Akron in 1935.

Firestone Research Center, Akron, Ohio

Firestone Research Center

Constructed at a cost of $2 million, Firestone’s research laboratory sat on a hill overlooking the vast factory complex of the Firestone empire. At the time, this three-story brick structure was one of the world’s largest and most complete laboratories for rubber and plastics research.

Akron Union Depot

Union Station

Akron’s rapid population growth of the early 1900s put a strain on the city’s Union Station – built in 1891. Additions were made to enlarge the station, but they weren’t enough. In 1950 the building was replaced by a much larger and considerably more modern Union Depot.