Akron City Center Hotel

Last updated
The hotel building City Centre Hotel.jpg
The hotel building

The Akron City Center Hotel is an 18-story hotel building in downtown Akron, Ohio. The 306-room hotel structure is the fifth-tallest in the city. It was constructed beginning in June 1970 as part of Cascade Plaza, an urban renewal project, and opened in 1971 as the Cascade Holiday Inn. [1]

Two lower floors of the building are part of the five-level underground Cascade Parking Garage, which opened in 1968. The hotel cost $6.6 million, constructed by the Ruhlin Construction Co. for a Columbus-based developer. During its construction, the nearby Mayflower Hotel closed, in May 1971, knowing the older hotel could not compete with the new structure. In 1991, the building lost its Holiday Inn franchise and became the Cascade Plaza Hotel. In 1993, a partnership purchased the building, and in 1996 it opened as the Ramada Plaza Hotel, after a total renovation. In 1998, it became the Radisson Hotel Akron City Centre. After another decade, it became the Akron City Center Hotel. The hotel closed in the winter of 2016–2017, and its contents were liquidated. A developer proposed converting the building to become residential around 2018, but the COVID-19 pandemic affected the plans. The building currently sits vacant. [1]

The hotel building was designed by William Bond Jr. and Associates, a Memphis company that designed all Holiday Inns. The work was likened to a "baby United Nations building". [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bramalea City Centre</span> Shopping mall in Ontario, Canada

The Bramalea City Centre is a large shopping mall located in the city of Brampton, Ontario, Canada. With over a 1.5 million square feet of retail space and more than 300 outlets, it is one of Canada's largest shopping malls. Regarded as a super regional mall, the Bramalea City Centre has a market of more than 500,000 residents and attracts 16 million visitors annually. The Bramalea City Centre is located near the intersection of Queen Street and Dixie Road, just east of Highway 410.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holiday Inn</span> American brand of hotels, and a subsidiary of the InterContinental Hotels Group

Holiday Inn is an American chain of hotels based in Atlanta, Georgia and a brand of IHG Hotels & Resorts. The chain was founded in 1952 by Kemmons Wilson, who opened the first location in Memphis, Tennessee. The chain was a division of Bass Brewery from 1988-2000, Six Continents from 2000-03, and IHG Hotels & Resorts since 2003. It operates hotels under the names Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Holiday Inn Club Vacations, and Holiday Inn Resorts. As of 2018, Holiday Inn operates more than 1,100 locations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ottawa Marriott Hotel</span>

The Ottawa Marriott Hotel is a hotel located in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, on the northwest corner of the intersection of Queen Street and Kent Street in downtown Ottawa. It is the 8th tallest building in Ottawa and 10th tallest building in the National Capital Region. The hotel is well known for the revolving room on its roof.

Summit Metro Parks is a Metroparks system serving the citizens of Summit County, Ohio by managing 14,000 acres (5,700 ha) in 16 developed parks, six conservation areas and more than 150 miles (240 km) of trails, with 22.4 miles (36.0 km) of the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Erieview Tower</span> Skyscraper located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio

The Erieview Tower is a skyscraper featuring elements of the International style located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States. The building has 40 stories, rises to a height of 529 ft, and has 703,000 square feet (65,300 m2) of office space. It was built at a cost of $24,000,000. It is slated to become the Cleveland W Hotel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Constitution Plaza</span>

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rolling Acres Mall</span> Demolished mall in Akron, Ohio, United States

Rolling Acres Mall was a shopping mall located in the Rolling Acres area of Akron, Ohio, United States. Built in 1975, it originally included approximately 21 stores, with Sears as the main anchor store. Later expansions added several more stores including anchor stores JCPenney, Montgomery Ward, and O'Neil's, along with a movie theater and food court. Montgomery Ward was converted to Higbee's in 1986, and then to Dillard's in 1992, while O'Neil's became May Company Ohio, Kaufmann's, and then finally Macy's. The fifth anchor store was Target, added in 1995. At its peak, the mall had over 150 stores. It underwent a sharp decline in tenancy throughout the 1990s and into the first decade of the 21st century, resulting in the relocation of Target and closure of Dillard's. Macy's and the mall itself both shuttered in 2008, although Sears remained operational until 2011, and JCPenney as an outlet store until 2013. Rolling Acres Mall was publicized after its closure as an example of a dead mall, and non-retail ventures operated out of the former locations of Target, Sears, and Dillard's. The mall was finally demolished in stages between 2017 and 2019, with Amazon building a distribution facility on the former site soon after.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quaker Square</span> Student Residence in Ohio, United States

Quaker Square was a shopping and dining complex located in downtown Akron, Ohio which is now used by the University of Akron. Quaker Square was the original Quaker Oats factory; the complex consists of the former mill, factory, and silos. The buildings were bought in the early 1970s by developers who sought to create a unique, useful home for shops and restaurants. The buildings were bought by the University of Akron in 2007. The hotel has been converted to a residence hall. The retail space consisted of dozens of small shops and restaurants, and there were large areas of historic exhibits on such areas as the local Quaker industry and history of radio in Akron, while offices were on the floors above. Quaker Square was open to the general public until September 18, 2015. The hotel no longer accepts reservations as the former hotel rooms and the entire complex is operated exclusively for student and university use. However, ballrooms are still available for catered events and conferences.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hotels in Toronto</span>

Hotels in Toronto have been some of the most prominent buildings in the city and the hotel industry is one of the city's most important. The Greater Toronto Area has 183 hotels with a total of almost 36,000 rooms. In 2010, there were 8.9 million room nights sold. Toronto is a popular tourist destination, with it having the 6th highest room occupancy rate in North America, but about two thirds of rooms are taken by commercial, government, or convention travellers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phoenix City Square</span> Mixed-use high-rise in Arizona

Phoenix City Square, formerly Kent Plaza and the Rosenzweig Center, is a mixed use high rise complex covering 15 acres at 3800-4000 N. Central Ave. in Phoenix, Arizona. The project was developed by the Del Webb Corporation in 1962. The complex features 3 office towers, a hotel, an open-air retail plaza, and a 1200-car parking garage. City Square was designed by the architectural firm of Flatow, Moore, Bryan, and Fairburn. The towers were constructed in 1962, 1964, and 1971. 3800 Tower is 194,482 square feet (18,068.0 m2); 3838 Tower is 236,094 square feet (21,933.9 m2); and 4000 Tower is 295,797 square feet. There is also a large 35,000-square-foot (3,300 m2) Fitness Center, known as Sports Club at City Square, that is part of the complex.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crowne Plaza Times Square Manhattan</span> Hotel in Manhattan, New York

The Crowne Plaza Times Square Manhattan is a hotel at 1601 Broadway, between 48th and 49th Streets, in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. The hotel is operated by third-party franchisee Highgate and is part of the Intercontinental Hotels Group's Crowne Plaza chain. It has 795 guestrooms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dallas Hilton</span> United States historic place

The Dallas Hilton, constructed as the Hilton Hotel and today operating as the Hotel Indigo Dallas Downtown, is a historic hotel opened in 1925, located at the corner of Main Street and S. Harwood Street in downtown Dallas, Texas (USA). The hotel is a contributing property in the Harwood Street Historic District and Main Street District. It is also located across the street from Main Street Garden Park.

Vlastimil Koubek was a Czech American architect who designed more than 100 buildings, most of them in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. When he died, he had designed buildings worth more than $2 billion. Most of his work is Modernist in style, although he developed a few structures in other vernaculars. He created the site plan for the redevelopment of Rosslyn, Virginia, and his Ames Center anchored the area's economic recovery. He also designed the World Building in Silver Spring, Maryland, which sparked redevelopment of that town's downtown and the L'Enfant Plaza Hotel in Washington, D.C., amongst many other buildings. In 1985, Washingtonian magazine considered him to be one of 20 people "who in the past 20 years had the greatest impact on the way we live and who forever altered the look of Washington." In 1988, The Washington Post newspaper said his Willard Hotel renovation was one of 28 projects in the area which made a signal contribution to the "feel" and look of Washington, D.C.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plaza of the Americas (Dallas)</span> Commercial complex in downtown Dallas

Plaza of the Americas is a major commercial complex in the City Center District of downtown Dallas, Texas (USA). It is adjacent to DART's Pearl Station and connected to the Dallas Pedestrian Network. The complex features several amenities connected by an enclosed 120,000 sq ft (11,000 m2). skylighted atrium which rises 13 stories above the lowest level:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sherman House Hotel</span> Historic site in Northwest corner of Randolph Street and Clark Street in Chicago Illinois

The Sherman House was a hotel in Chicago, Illinois that operated from 1837 until 1973, with four iterations standing at the same site at the northwest corner of Randolph Street and Clark Street. Long one of the city's major hotels, the hotel’s fortunes declined in the 1950s amid changes to its surrounding area, and it closed in 1973. The fourth and final building it had occupied was demolished in 1980 to make room for the James R. Thompson Center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cascade Plaza, Akron</span> Historic site in Ohio, United States

Cascade Plaza is an open space with plantings and pedestrian walkways in Akron, Ohio. It was developed in the late 1960s as part of an urban renewal project that also included construction of two high rises. As of 2013 plans were going forward for a major overhaul.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Desert Fashion Plaza</span> Former shopping mall in Palm Springs, California

Desert Fashion Plaza, formerly known as Desert Inn Fashion Plaza, was an enclosed shopping mall located in Palm Springs, California. The mall was originally developed by Home Savings and Loan Association, which sold the shopping center to Desert Plaza Partnership. In the early 1980s, Desert Plaza Partnership sold the property to DeBartolo Corporation which expanded and revamped the mall to accommodate more shops. Subsequently, sales declined prompting major retailers to close down business at the Desert Fashion Plaza. In 2002, John Wessman of Wessman Development bought the property and proposed a significant redevelopment on the whole site. Demolition began to take place in 2013, and shops, restaurants, and a six-story hotel have opened on part of the site with more planned.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crowne Plaza Cleveland at Playhouse Square</span> Hotel in Ohio, U.S.

The Crowne Plaza Cleveland at Playhouse Square is a mid-sized, 14-story Crowne Plaza hotel in downtown Cleveland's Playhouse Square district, located at the intersection of Huron Road and Euclid Avenue. Originally known as the Wyndham Cleveland at Playhouse Square, the structure helped to complete the revitalization of Playhouse Square. It changed brand names in August 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holiday Inn Beirut</span>

The Holiday Inn Beirut is a ruined hotel in Beirut, Lebanon on Omar Daouk Street in the central Minet el Hosn neighborhood. The Holiday Inn was in operation for less than a year before the Lebanese Civil War broke out in 1975.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Akron Union Station</span>

Akron Union Station was a series of three union stations serving several passenger railroads in Akron, Ohio from 1852 to 1971. The station's tenants included the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, Pennsylvania Railroad and Erie Railroad. It was a hub, serving train companies serving destinations in different directions, west, north, south and east.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Price, Mark J. (November 1, 2021). "Local history: Cascade Holiday Inn checked in 50 years ago". Akron Beacon Journal.

41°4′58″N81°31′11″W / 41.08278°N 81.51972°W / 41.08278; -81.51972