Cascade Plaza, Akron

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Cascade Plaza
Cascade Plaza Skyline.jpg
Left to right, Huntington Tower, Akron City Center Hotel, Three Cascade Plaza (low rise), and the PNC Building.
Cascade Plaza Plaque.jpg
Cascade Plaza Plaque
Don Drumm Sculpture, Cascade Plaza.jpg
Don Drumm Sculpture
Wide Angle of Cascade Plaza.jpg
View of the plaza from Main Street
Cascade Plaza Parking Deck.jpg
Parking deck beneath the plaza
Location Akron, Ohio, United States
Coordinates 41°04′56″N81°31′09″W / 41.082222°N 81.519168°W / 41.082222; -81.519168
BuiltLate 1960s
USA Ohio location map.svg
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Location within Ohio

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. Starting in 2013, a major overhaul to the plaza took place, completed in 2015. [1]

Contents

Location

The plaza was built on the site of a five-story flour mill built by Dr. Eliakim Crosby in 1831. A diversion dam was built on the Little Cuyahoga River in Middlebury, from which a canal brought water south down the present Main Street, turning right at Mill Street to deliver power to the mill at Lock Five, where the plaza's hotel is now. The canal also powered other factories. The hamlet of Cascade grew up in the area, with a population of 128 by July 1833, compared to 329 for Akron. [2] The Flatiron Building, a seven-story low rise built in 1907 and demolished in 1967 also stood on the site. [3]

Plaza

The plaza lies on the west side of South Main Street, and forms the roof of a five-level underground parking lot. [4] Lawrence Halprin planned the Cascade Plaza. It was a major urban renewal project covering 2 acres (0.81 ha), which used to feature a central skating rink. [5] The plaza has a fountain sculpture designed by Don Drumm and erected in 1968, overleaf, stainless steel rods with anodized, cast aluminum panels. [6]

Buildings

There are four buildings on the site, linked at the ground level by the plaza: Akron City Center Hotel, Cascade I, Cascade III, and Huntington Tower. [4] The hotel (formerly the Radisson Hotel Akron City Centre) is a 19-story modernist high rise complete in 1969. [7] [8] Cascade I, at One Cascade Plaza and 140 South Main Street, is also called the PNC Center. It is a 23-story steel high-rise completed in 1969. [9] Three Cascade Plaza is a seven-story concrete low-rise, [10] also completed in 1969. [11] Huntington Tower, at 106 King James Way, is a 27-story steel tower with an art deco brick facade completed in 1931. [12]

Plans

In October 2013 the Akron City Council voted to approve a complete overhaul of the plaza, partly funded by the city and partly by FirstMerit Corporation, a bank. The plan was to demolish the concrete plaza, then reseal the deck and convert it to green space, open to the street. The new space would have plants, benches and tables. [4] The overhaul was completed in 2015, but a project to repair the Cascade Plaza Parking Deck was approved in 2024. [13]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Huntington Tower</span> Office building in Akron, Ohio, United States

Huntington Tower, earlier known as FirstMerit Tower,First National Bank Building, the First Central Tower and the First Central Trust Building, is a skyscraper in Akron, Ohio. The centerpiece of downtown Akron, it sits in the Cascade Plaza at the corner of King James Way and East Mill Street. The 330 ft (100 m) tower has been the city's tallest building since its completion in 1931.

References

Citations

  1. "Downtown Akron's Cascade Plaza: Then and Now". downtownakron.com. Retrieved 2024-07-30.
  2. Gieck 1988, p. 247.
  3. Flatiron Building: Emporis.
  4. 1 2 3 Warsmith 2013.
  5. Lawrence Halprin & Associates 1970.
  6. Campen 1980, p. 86.
  7. Radisson Hotel Akron City Centre: Emporis.
  8. The Akron city Center Hotel.
  9. PNC Center: Downtown Akron Partnership.
  10. Three Cascade Plaza: Emporis.
  11. "Summit County Fiscal Office property card for 3 Cascade Plaza". fiscalweb.summitoh.net. Archived from the original on 2021-04-07. Retrieved 2021-04-07.
  12. Huntington Tower: Emporis.
  13. "Ohio Senate Approves $2.5M for Cascade Plaza". akronohio.gov. Retrieved 2024-07-30.

Sources