Tag: trolley

Spicer Street, Akron, Ohio

Spicer Street

Spicer street bears the name of a true Akron pioneer. Miner Spicer, born in 1776, came to Portage Township (Akron) with his family in 1811. Along with his wife, Cynthia, and their children Avery, 11, Lucinda, 10, Cynthia, 8, Phoebe, 6, Temperance, 3, Emily, 2, and Lydia, 4 months,the Spicers became the Portage Township’s first white settlers.…

trolley crossing the gorge

Bridge at the Gorge

The Northern Ohio Power and Light Company built a power plant at the southeast corner of the High Street car bridge over the Cuyahoga River in 1912.  This project included the construction of a dam that would cover the famed Big Falls and forever change the natural beauty of the Gorge.

Hamilton Building, Akron, Ohio

Hamilton Building

This rather plain looking structure once stood on the site of today’s First National Bank Tower. The Hamilton Building was home to the Central Savings and Trust which moved into the building in 1918 and renamed it the Central Savings and Trust Building. The bank remained there until the building was demolished and replaced by…

New Portage Hotel, Akron, Ohio

New Portage Hotel

Located at 10 North Main Street, this eight-story, 170-room hotel was completed in 1912. After its closing in 1969, the Portage was converted into a nursing home. After 80 years in Akron, the building was demolished in 1992.

Portage Hotel, Akron, Ohio

Portage Hotel

The Portage Hotel at Main Street and Market Street replaced the Empire House Hotel in 1912. The Portage was Akron’s leading hotel until construction of the Mayflower Hotel. In 1935, in the Portage Hotel’s ballroom, Akron’s rubber workers created the United Rubber Workers (URW) union.