By Tara Racher

Hall’s Corners is the name given to the intersection of Howard St. and Market St. Named for Philander Hall who opened a general store (P.D. Hall & Co.) at the intersection in 1835, it was the main business district in Akron for most of the 1800’s. Several fires in the 1840’s and 1850’s destroyed many of the businesses and buildings around Hall’s Corners. As a result, the business center shifted south with the building of the Masonic Temple in 1870 and the O’Neil & Dyas Co. site in the 1890’s. In 1880, Hall’s Corners was the location of Akron’s first electric “mast”, a 208 foot high post with four arc lights at the top. It was believed that it would light up the entire city.  It was not nearly as effective as anticipated.