By Tara Racher

Hotel Matthews, located at 77 N. Howard St., opened in 1925. Owned by George Washington Mathews (1887-1982), it was the first African-American owned hotel in Akron. For reasons unknown, the name of the hotel was spelled Matthews, though the owner spelled his name with only one “t.” When big name African-American musicians came to Akron, they played in the “white-only” jazz clubs, often in the “whites-only” hotels where they were not allowed to stay. Instead, they stayed at the Matthews at a cost of $1 per night or $2.50 per week and played the local African-American jazz clubs after hours. Famous guests included Cab Calloway, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Count Basie, and Dizzy Gillespie. Hotel Matthews was torn down as part of urban renewal plans in 1982 but the site received an historical marker from the Ohio Bicentennial Commission in 2001. A memorial to the hotel, created by local artist Miller Horns and completed in 2012, replicates the front of the hotel and is near the original location.