Akron YMCA Building

Last updated
Akron Y.M.C.A. Building
Akron YMCA Building.jpg
View from north
USA Ohio location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location Akron, Ohio
Coordinates 41°4′51.30″N81°31′26.35″W / 41.0809167°N 81.5239861°W / 41.0809167; -81.5239861
Built1930-31
Built byClemmer-Noah Construction Company
Architect Good & Wagner
Architectural style Art Deco [1]
NRHP reference No. 80003237 [1]
Added to NRHP1980-10-31 [1]

Akron YMCA Building is a registered historic building in Akron, Ohio, listed in the National Register on October 31, 1980. Although the YMCA is still in the building for which it is named, they no longer own the building, and now lease their space (consisting of exercise and sports facilities, as well as meeting rooms, which cover parts of the first 5 floors) from the owner.

Contents

In the late 1980s to early 1990s, the main portion of the center of the building underwent extensive remodeling, and now consists of 55 apartment units (some consisting of two-story "townhouse" units, including a secured two-level penthouse unit). It also has office space on the first floor and basement level, and has a secured garage in the basement of the building. Tenants of the building are not given access to the YMCA just because they are tenants; a membership must be purchased. Likewise, members of the YMCA do not have access to the apartments or offices, unless they are also leasing space.

In 2008, the building was highlighted by the City of Akron, Ohio as one of seven historic landmark buildings in the City of Akron, during a year-long celebration of the history of the city.

History

The Akron Area YMCA was founded in 1870. After renting space for almost 25 years, in 1904 they moved into their first building, built downtown by architects Bunts & Bliss. [2] In the 1920s, planning for the new building was begun. The new building was designed by John R. Luxmore of Good & Wagner, a local firm also responsible for the Akron Municipal Building. Construction of the Art Deco building began in 1930 and was completed in 1931. [3] It was intended to be used as most YMCA branches were used in that era: a Christian organization that was meant to give people a place to eat, stay for short or long terms, and worship. The exercise facilities in place today were used for a variety of different reasons then, but it was originally constructed with an indoor pool which is still in use. The main part of the building was used as living space for many of its members (of both sexes), and was the only place some could turn when they had not much else.

In the 1970s and 1980s, the living spaces fell further and further into disrepair, and was one of the reasons the building was sold for renovation.

Notes

The small semicircle in front of the building was dedicated at some point during remodelling, and is known as "Canal Square Plaza". Being the only building on the semicircle, the building's address is therefore "1 Canal Square Plaza". However, because AT&T, the local phone company, has a computer system that does not recognize that address, they cite the building's address as "80 West Center Street" (the old address). Every other service, including the US Post Office, recognizes the Canal Square Plaza address. However, the issue with AT&T has caused many problems and much confusion with incorrect listings, including phone books and internet sites.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Queen Victoria Building</span> Building in the central business district of Sydney, Australia

The Queen Victoria Building is a heritage-listed late-nineteenth-century building located at 429–481 George Street in the Sydney central business district, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Designed by the architect George McRae, the Romanesque Revival building was constructed between 1893 and 1898 and is 30 metres (98 ft) wide by 190 metres (620 ft) long. The domes were built by Ritchie Brothers, a steel and metal company that also built trains, trams and farm equipment. The building fills a city block bounded by George, Market, York, and Druitt Streets. Designed as a marketplace, it was used for a variety of other purposes, underwent remodelling, and suffered decay until its restoration and return to its original use in the late twentieth century. The property is co-owned by the City of Sydney and Link REIT, and was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 5 March 2010.

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

The Goodyear Airdock is a construction and storage airship hangar in Akron, Ohio. At its completion in 1929, it was the largest building in the world without interior supports.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Summit Mall</span> Shopping mall in Ohio, United States

Summit Mall is a one-story, 850,000-square-foot (79,000 m2) enclosed shopping mall located at 3265 W. Market Street in the Akron suburb of Fairlawn., and with the closing of both Chapel Hill Mall and Rolling Acres Mall, is the only remaining mall in Summit County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">May Company Ohio</span> United States historic place

The May Company Ohio was a chain of department stores that was based in Cleveland, Ohio, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">One SeaGate</span> Building in Toledo, Ohio, United States

Fifth Third Center at One SeaGate is the 2nd tallest building in Toledo, behind the Cleveland Cliffs Furnace Tower. Until 2006, the building served as the world headquarters for Owens-Illinois. In 2007, Fifth Third Bank moved their Northwest Ohio headquarters to the building. The building's name comes from the plaza in which it is located, which includes three other small buildings. The tallest is only nine floors high. The plaza also includes the entrance to a near-abandoned mall which leads to Imagination Station. The fact that there is no beach on the Maumee River allows buildings to be built on the river's edge - a characteristic used in the design of One Seagate. Other Toledo landmarks built on the river's edge include Promedica's downtown offices, Promenade Park, the Toledo Port Authority, Renaissance Toledo Downtown Hotel, Owens Corning, and Imagination Station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">21 West Street</span> Residential skyscraper in Manhattan, New York

21 West Street, also known as Le Rivage Apartments, is a 33-story building located in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City, on Morris Street between West Street and Washington Street. It was built in 1929–1931 as a speculative office tower development in anticipation of an increased demand for office space in Lower Manhattan. The building was converted into apartments in 1997 and was renamed Le Rivage.

<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. After that, the hotel no longer accepted reservations as the former hotel rooms and the entire complex began to be operated exclusively for student and university use. The University fully vacated the facility by 2022.

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

YMCA Boston was founded in 1851 in Boston, Massachusetts, as the first American chapter of YMCA.

Paul Amos Batholomew (1883–1973) was an architect in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. From the beginning of his practice, he received a variety of high-profile commissions for both residential and non-residential structures, mainly in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. His buildings typically had historicist facades, with neoclassical or Italianate ornamentation covering a modern framework. Only in the 1950s, toward the end of his career, he created buildings that were purely modern in design. During the Great Depression, a particularly trying time for architects, he received the commission to design Norvelt, which was a new town created as part of President Roosevelt's New Deal policies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lower Woodward Avenue Historic District</span> Historic district in Michigan, United States

The Lower Woodward Avenue Historic District, also known as Merchant's Row, is a mixed-use retail, commercial, and residential district in downtown Detroit, Michigan, located between Campus Martius Park and Grand Circus Park Historic District at 1201 through 1449 Woodward Avenue and 1400 through 1456 Woodward Avenue. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999.

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

The Olympic Tower, originally known as the United Shopping Tower, then the Northwestern Mutual Insurance Building, and later, the Olympic Savings Tower, is a historic 12-story office tower located in Seattle, Washington and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was originally built in 1929 at the Southwest corner of Third Avenue and Pine Street for the United Pacific Corporation under the control of Seattle investment firm Drumheller, Ehrlichman and White. It was designed by Henry Bittman who also designed additions to the building in 1939.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grace and Thomaston Buildings</span> Historic commercial buildings in New York, United States

Grace and Thomaston Buildings are two historic commercial buildings located at Great Neck Plaza in Nassau County, New York. The Grace Building was built in 1914 and the Thomaston Building in 1926. They were both built by the W. R. Grace and Company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Poughkeepsie City Hall</span> United States historic place

Poughkeepsie City Hall is a historic city hall located in Poughkeepsie, Dutchess County, New York at 228 Main Street. It was built in 1831 and is a two-story, red brick building with a basement and attic, in the Greek Revival style. It has a gable roof with a rooftop belfry with square columns, spindle balustrade, and slate covered hipped roof. It is currently used as the Commissioner of Jurors Office.

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

The National Building is a historic warehouse building in downtown Seattle, Washington, located on the east side of Western Avenue between Spring and Madison Streets in what was historically Seattle's commission district. It is now home to the Seattle Weekly. It is a six-story plus basement brick building that covers the entire half-block. The dark red brick facade is simply decorated with piers capped with small Ionic capitals and a small cornice, which is a reproduction of the original cornice. Kingsley & Anderson of Seattle were the architects.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keokuk Young Women's Christian Association Building</span> United States historic place

The Keokuk Young Women's Christian Association Building is a historic building located in Keokuk, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Goodyear Hall-Ohio Savings and Trust Company</span> United States historic place

Goodyear Hall-Ohio Savings and Trust Company is a historic building located in Akron, Ohio, US. The building is situated at 1201 E. Market Street, at the corner of Goodyear Boulevard and East Market Street. The structure is seven stories in height, built of brick and tile.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dearborn City Hall Complex</span> United States historic place

The Dearborn City Hall Complex is a complex of three government buildings located at 13615 Michigan Avenue in Dearborn, Michigan. The complex includes the 1921 Dearborn City Hall, the 1929 Police and Municipal Courts Building, and an office/auditorium concourse addition constructed in 1981. The complex was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2014.

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

The Halle Building, formerly known as the Pope Building and after 2014 as The Residences at Halle, is an 11-story Chicago School mixed-use structure located in the Downtown Cleveland central business district in Cleveland, Ohio, in the United States. Designed by architect Henry Bacon, the building was the flagship department store of the Halle Brothers Co. from 1910 to 1982.

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

The Amhoist Tower is an office tower on the west side of downtown St. Paul, Minnesota, overlooking Rice Park. The tower was built in 1983-1984 and is adjacent to the St. Paul Hotel. The building was originally built for residential condominiums on the nineteenth through twenty-third floors, with office space on the levels below that. The office tower, now known as Landmark Towers, has the address of 345 Saint Peter Street. The condominiums are now known as Park Towers and have the address of 59 Fourth Street West. The tower was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2022 for its association with the American Hoist and Derrick Company.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. June 30, 2007.
  2. Brickbuilder 12, no. 3 (March 1903)
  3. NRHP Registration Form at National Register of Historic Places – Summit County, Akron-Summit County Public Library.

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Akron YMCA building at Wikimedia Commons