Huntington Tower
Huntington Tower, earlier known as First Merit Tower, First National Bank Building, 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 | |
|---|---|
 | |
  Location within Ohio | |
| General information | |
| Location | 106 King James Way, Akron, Ohio, United States |
| Coordinates | 41.0823°N 81.5184°W |
| Completed | 1931 |
| Height | |
| Antenna spire | 137 metres (449 ft)[1] |
| Roof | 101 m (331 ft) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 27 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Walker & Weeks[2] |
First National Bank Building | |
| Architect | Walker & Weeks |
| Architectural style | Art Deco |
| NRHP reference No. | 07000633[3] |
| Added to NRHP | June 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 top of the building had a television broadcast tower, formerly used by WAKR-TV (now WVPX-TV) and WAKR-AM.[6] The antenna reached a height of 134.7 metres (442 ft).[1] The antenna was taken down in 2019.
History
It replaced the neo-gothic Hamilton Building, completed 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.[5] The painstaking process involved the removal of some 450 blocks weighing up to 75 pounds 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 includes repointing of all masonry and terra-cotta joints, repairs to the windows, structural restoration, and a restoration of the 13th floor parapet.[7] VIP Restorations also helped to get the building placed on the National Register of Historic Places.[3][7]
The building's name was changed after First Merit was acquired by Huntington.[8]
In 2019 Huntington announced the building was for sale.[9]
References
- "Huntington Tower". SkyscraperPage.
- Huntington Tower at Emporis
- "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- Warsmith, Stephanie (7 October 2013). "Akron moving ahead with plans to improve Cascade Plaza". Akron Beacon. Retrieved 2013-11-18.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- FirstMerit Restoration Archived March 11, 2006, at the Wayback Machine, westerngroup.com
- "Beacon Magazine: Scraping the Sky". Beacon Journal. Knight-Ridder. 1999-03-14. p. 13.
- FirstMerit, VIP Restoration
- Warsinskey, Tim. "Huntington Bank buys FirstMerit: 12 things to know (photos)". Cleveland.com. The Plain Dealer.
- Lin-Fisher, Betty. "Huntington Tower, Akron's tallest building, for sale". Akron Beacon Journal. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
External links
Media related to Huntington Tower at Wikimedia Commons