Huntington Tower, earlier known as FirstMerit 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. The tower
has been the city's tallest building since its completion in 1931.
The 27-story building is
art deco in style and is covered in
glazed architectural terra-cotta.
Its lobby is built of
Tennessee marble, white brick, and terra cotta, and features a large banking hall with arched windows.
The top of the building had a television broadcast tower, formerly used by WAKR-TV (now
WVPX-TV) and
WAKR-AM
WAKR (1590 AM) is a commercial radio station licensed to serve Akron, Ohio, and known as "Soft Hits 93.5 FM". Locally owned and operated by Rubber City Radio Group, Inc., the station primarily services the Akron metropolitan area, includ ...
.
The
antenna
Antenna ( antennas or antennae) may refer to:
Science and engineering
* Antenna (radio), also known as an aerial, a transducer designed to transmit or receive electromagnetic (e.g., TV or radio) waves
* Antennae Galaxies, the name of two collid ...
reached a height of but was removed in 2019.
History
The tower replaced the
neo-gothic Hamilton Building, completed on the site in 1900.
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 for cleaning and reassembly. Over 1,100 other pieces of the masonry and tilework were repaired on site.
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.
[FirstMerit](_blank)
VIP Restoration VIP Restorations also helped to get the building placed on the
National Register of Historic Places.
The building's name changed after
Huntington acquired
FirstMerit
FirstMerit Corporation was a diversified financial services company headquartered in Akron, Ohio, with assets of approximately $26.2 billion as of June 30, 2016, and 359 banking offices and 400 ATM locations in Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinoi ...
in 2016.
In 2019, Huntington announced the building was for sale.
References
External links
National Register of Historic Places nomination form for First National Bank Tower*{{commons category-inline
Skyscrapers in Akron, Ohio
Office buildings completed in 1931
Terracotta
Art Deco architecture in Ohio
1931 establishments in Ohio
Skyscraper office buildings in Ohio
Office buildings in Akron, Ohio