Monthly Archives: March 2014

O’Neil’s Department Store

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By Christopher Sector

This site on the corner of South Main and State Streets has been the home of the O’Neil’s department store building since 1927. Prior to this current structure, this corner was the home to Merrill Pottery Works. East Akron used to be a hotbed for clay deposits, and in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Summit County was considered the sewer pipe capital of America. The Merrill family was one of the first throughout the country to master vitrification. In 1927, the Merrill Pottery Works building was bulldozed and the current building was built by the O’Neil family. The department store is known for holiday seasons in which O’Neil’s and its rival store, Polsky’s – across the street, would light up downtown with Christmas festivities and window advertisements. The building was originally an 800,000 square foot structure. It has undergone reconstruction, as it has been greatly downsized. Currently, the building has approximately 185,000 square feet. Improvements included demolition of the old parking deck and construction of a new 550 car parking deck, an atrium extending from the roof to the lowest level, and a Main Street public lobby. O’Neil’s department store saw its end in the late 1980s. Roetzel & Andress, Akron’s oldest law firm, now occupies 60,000 square feet on floors four, five, and six of the building. Ernst & Young occupies the third floor and McDonald’s Investments occupies the second floor. The first floor was sold to The George Group in 2001. They operate the Barley House, a restaurant and bar.

Cascade Plaza

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By Christopher Sector

Beautiful Cascade Plaza is situated along South Main Street. Dedicated on June 26, 1970, it was one of three parts of a 43-acre downtown urban renewal project known as “Cascade Urban Renewal Project”. The plaza itself is roughly 6.5 acres. It sits atop the city’s $10 million – 2,150 car parking garage. According to then Mayor John S. Ballard, the plaza’s purpose was to be an “inviting open space” and “civic focal point”. The block in which the plaza now resides was once the home to the Quaker Oats building (torn down in 1959) and the Flatiron building, which was situated on the corner of South Main street and South Howard street (which cut diagonally from West Mill street and came to a point intersecting with S. Main and West Bowery Street). The flatiron building burned down, bringing much needed restoration to the block. Cascade Plaza, in the heart of downtown Akron, consists of beautiful landscaping, picnic tables, an ice rink in the winter, and the Cascade Plaza Sculpture, which consists of a fountain as well. Recently, in October 2013, the city of Akron approved a $3.2 million project to improve the plaza. This was at the request of First Merit, whose large office headquarters flank the northeast side of the plaza. First Merit will finance much of the project, with the city offering tax incentives to First Merit, in an effort to spice up the surrounding property as they look to expand. First Merit projects the new improvements will create 150 new jobs.