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.