Huntington Tower

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.[4] The 330 ft (100 m) tower[1] has been the city's tallest building since its completion in 1931.[2]

Huntington Tower
Huntington Tower is located in Ohio
Huntington Tower
Location within Ohio
General information
Location106 King James Way, Akron, Ohio, U.S.
Coordinates41.0823°N 81.5184°W / 41.0823; -81.5184
Completed1931
Height
Antenna spire137 metres (449 ft)[1]
Roof101 m (331 ft)
Technical details
Floor count27
Design and construction
Architect(s)Walker & Weeks[2]
First National Bank Building
ArchitectWalker & Weeks
Architectural styleArt Deco
NRHP reference No.07000633[3]
Added to NRHPJune 27, 2007[3]
References
[2][1]

The 27-story building is art deco in style and is covered in glazed architectural terra-cotta.[5] Its lobby is built of Tennessee marble, white brick, and terra cotta, and features a large banking hall with arched windows.[2]

The tower is also noted for its role in local broadcasting. Studios for WAKR radio were originally housed in the ground level from 1940 until 1953.[6] The top of the building also held a television mast originally used by WAKR's TV adjacent, WAKR-TV (now WVPX-TV) and WAKR-FM.[6] Erected in 1953 for WAKR-TV's sign-on[7][8] and later donated to PBS member station WEAO, the antenna reached a height of 134.7 metres (442 ft) but was removed in 2019.[1][9]

History

The tower replaced the neo-gothic Hamilton Building, completed on the site in 1900.[2]

Around 2000, the tower was given a $2.5 million facelift, including a $1.8 million restoration of the tower's terra-cotta, brick, and limestone facade. The painstaking process involved the removal of some 450 blocks weighing up to 75 pounds (34 kg) for cleaning and reassembly. Over 1,100 other pieces of the masonry and tilework were repaired on site.[5] In 2007, the tower underwent another restoration. Completed by Cleveland-based VIP Restorations, it included repointing of all masonry and terra-cotta joints, repairs to the windows, structural restoration, and a restoration of the 13th floor parapet.[10] VIP Restorations also helped to get the building placed on the National Register of Historic Places.[3][10]

The building's name changed after Huntington acquired FirstMerit in 2016.[11]

In 2019, Huntington announced the building was for sale.[12]

References
  1. "Huntington Tower". SkyscraperPage.
  2. "Emporis building ID 125771". Emporis. Archived from the original on March 2, 2016.
  3. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  4. Warsmith, Stephanie (October 7, 2013). "Akron moving ahead with plans to improve Cascade Plaza". Akron Beacon Journal. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
  5. "FirstMerit Restoration". Western Construction Group. Archived from the original on March 11, 2006.
  6. Price, Mark J. (March 14, 1999). "Scraping the Sky". Sunday Beacon Magazine. p. 13. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
  7. "Bird? Plane? Nope, TV Show 487 Feet in Air". Akron Beacon Journal. Akron, Ohio. June 7, 1953. p. 2. Archived from the original on January 21, 2022. Retrieved December 27, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. Mackinnon, Jim (July 11, 2019). "Something's missing on downtown skyline". Akron Beacon Journal. Akron, Ohio. pp. B1, B10. Archived from the original on January 21, 2022. Retrieved February 19, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. FirstMerit, VIP Restoration Archived 2007-09-30 at the Wayback Machine
  11. Warsinskey, Tim (January 11, 2009). "Huntington Bank buys FirstMerit: 12 things to know (photos)". The Plain Dealer. Cleveland.
  12. Lin-Fisher, Betty. "Huntington Tower, Akron's tallest building, for sale". Akron Beacon Journal. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
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