Description: Kolbe Hall at the University of Akron currently houses the College of Fine and Applied Arts, WZIP FM radio station, and the Daum Theater. The University of Akron was originally founded as Buchtel College in 1870. The school was named after industrialist John Buchtel, who was a prominent figure in the community of Akron and was associated with the Universalist Church. By the early twentieth century, Buchtel College was not as closely linked to the interests of the Universalist Church. The school chose to become non-denominational in 1907. Financial problems caused its trustees to turn the school over to the city of Akron in 1913. At this point, Buchtel College was renamed the University of Akron. In more recent years, the University of Akron has become known for its scientific research in a variety of areas, including polymers and nanotechnology. In addition, it has a number of other strong programs of study, including in the business and legal fields. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B05F02_053_1
Subjects: Education; Architecture--Ohio--Pictorial works.; Universities and colleges; University of Akron; College campuses; Ohio--History--Pictorial works; Federal Writers' Project
Places: Summit County (Ohio); Akron (Ohio)
 

Description: Originally founded in 1870, the University of Akron was known as Buchtel College. The college was established by the Universalist Church with financial help from Akron industrialist, and Universalist Church member, John Buchtel. The college was housed entirely in one building named Old Buchtel Hall. Old Buchtel Hall was destroyed by fire in 1899 and replaced by a new Buchtel Hall, which is still in use by the University of Akron. In 1909, Buchtel College became a private, non-denominational school, before becoming a municipal university of the city of Akron in 1913. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B01F02_017
Subjects: Education; Architecture--Ohio--Pictorial works; Buchtel College of Liberal Arts; Universities and colleges; University of Akron; College campuses; Ohio--History--Pictorial works; Federal Writers' Project
Places: Akron (Ohio); Summit County (Ohio)
 

Description: The city of Akron was first a small canal town in 1825, but grew rapidly into a large city. The name came from a Greek word meaning "an elevation" or "point." Originally, the community was located slightly south of its present location, in modern-day South Akron. By the second half of the 1800s, railroads connected the community to other important cities in Ohio, and other industries emerged. There were a number of stoneware and cereal manufacturers, as well as a well-known sewer pipe industry. The Barber Match Company, later a branch of the Diamond Match Company, produced one-fifth of all the matches in the United States. The Buckeye Mower and Reaper Company, originally located in Canton, moved to Akron in 1863. Probably among the most famous companies established in Akron were the B.F. Goodrich Company and the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, both rubber and tire manufacturers that began to prosper after the advent of the automobile age. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B01F02_004_001
Subjects: Architecture--Ohio--Pictorial works.; Architecture, Domestic--Ohio--Pictorial works.; Neighborhoods--Ohio--Akron; Akron (Ohio)--Buildings, structures, etc.--Pictorial works; Ohio--History--Pictorial works; Federal Writers' Project
Places: Akron (Ohio); Summit County (Ohio)
 

Description: Akron was originally laid out in 1825 and in 1841, became the seat of Summit County. Many of the town's earliest residents were Irish immigrants employed to build the Ohio and Erie Canal. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B01F02_013_001
Subjects: Architecture--Ohio--Pictorial works.; Architecture, Domestic--Ohio--Pictorial works.; Neighborhoods--Ohio--Akron; Akron (Ohio)--Buildings, structures, etc.--Pictorial works; Ohio--History--Pictorial works; Federal Writers' Project
Places: Akron (Ohio); Summit County (Ohio)
 

Description: Caption reads; "Student elections take on the color of municipal elections at the University of Akron, 'sandwich men' being a regular feature". View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B01F02_029_001
Subjects: Education; Universities and colleges; Politics; University of Akron; College campuses; Ohio--History--Pictorial works; Federal Writers' Project
Places: Akron (Ohio); Summit County (Ohio)
 

Description: The Akron area YMCA was founded in 1896. The Akron YMCA Building was constructed in the 1920s to house the organization. As a Christian organization, the goal of the YMCA was to give those in need a place to stay, eat, and worship. The indoor pool at the Akron YMCA Building is pictured in the photograph. The building, including the pool, is still in use by the Akron YMCA, as one of their branch locations. The location now houses exercise and sports facilities, while the remodeled living quarters are now private apartments. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B01F02_024
Subjects: YMCA; Akron (Ohio)--Buildings, structures, etc.--Pictorial works; Swimming; Sports and recreation facilities; Diving for men; Ohio--History--Pictorial works; Federal Writers' Project
Places: Akron (Ohio); Summit County (Ohio)
 

Description: Dated ca. 1930-1943, this photograph shows seven young ladies from the University of Akron posing with a judge after winning a beauty pageant, with a caption that reads "Akron University claims the most beautiful co-eds in the world, a claim sustained in inter-collegiate competition. Shown above is one team of beauties surrounding the judge who declared them victors in a 'beauty battle'." This photograph is one of the many visual materials collected for use in the Ohio Guide. In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the Works Progress Administration by executive order to create jobs for the large numbers of unemployed laborers, as well as artists, musicians, actors, and writers. The Federal Arts Program, a sector of the Works Progress Administration, included the Federal Writers’ Project, one of the primary goals of which was to complete the America Guide series, a series of guidebooks for each state which included state history, art, architecture, music, literature, and points of interest to the major cities and tours throughout the state. Work on the Ohio Guide began in 1935 with the publication of several pamphlets and brochures. The Reorganization Act of 1939 consolidated the Works Progress Administration and other agencies into the Federal Works Administration, and the Federal Writers’ Project became the Federal Writers’ Project in Ohio. The final product was published in 1940 and went through several editions. The Ohio Guide Collection consists of 4,769 photographs collected for use in Ohio Guide and other publications of the Federal Writers’ Project in Ohio from 1935-1939. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B01F02_030
Subjects: University of Akron; Beauty pageants; Beauty contestants--United States; Akron (Ohio)--History--Pictorial works; Works Progress Administration; Ohio Federal Writers' Project
Places: Akron (Ohio); Summit County (Ohio)
 

Description: The Akron area YMCA was founded in 1896. The Akron YMCA Building was built in the 1920s to house the organization. As a Christian organization, the YMCA building was used to provide a place to stay, eat, and worship for those in need. Depicted in the photograph is the gym of the YMCA building. A caption on the back of the photograph reads, "Stow High." Most likely, this photograph is of a Stow High School event, such as a dance. Stow, Ohio is a city northeast of Akron. The Akron YMCA building is still in use by the organization and includes exercise and sports facilities. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B01F02_032
Subjects: YMCA; Akron (Ohio)--Buildings, structures, etc.--Pictorial works; Gymnasiums; Teenagers; Proms; Ohio--History--Pictorial works; Federal Writers' Project
Places: Akron (Ohio); Summit County (Ohio)
 

Description: The caption reads: "Student handling raw rubber. University of Akron." View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B13F08_004_001
Subjects: Ohio--History--Pictorial works; Federal Writers' Project; Rubber; University of Akron
Places: Akron (Ohio); Summit County (Ohio)
 

Description: Taken by U.S. Film Service photographer Edwin Locke, ca. 1937, this photograph shows a rubber yard in Akron, Ohio. Numerous rubber companies operated in or near Akron, Ohio, making this city the "Rubber Capital of the World." Among the large-scale rubber producers in the area were the B.F. Goodrich Company, the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, and the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company. The advent of the bicycle and the automobile sparked an economic boom which drew workers not only from surrounding counties, but from neighboring states as well. This photograph is one of the many visual materials collected for use in the Ohio Guide. In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the Works Progress Administration by executive order to create jobs for the large numbers of unemployed laborers, as well as artists, musicians, actors, and writers. The Federal Arts Program, a sector of the Works Progress Administration, included the Federal Writers’ Project, one of the primary goals of which was to complete the America Guide series, a series of guidebooks for each state which included state history, art, architecture, music, literature, and points of interest to the major cities and tours throughout the state. Work on the Ohio Guide began in 1935 with the publication of several pamphlets and brochures. The Reorganization Act of 1939 consolidated the Works Progress Administration and other agencies into the Federal Works Administration, and the Federal Writers’ Project became the Federal Writers’ Project in Ohio. The final product was published in 1940 and went through several editions. The Ohio Guide Collection consists of 4,769 photographs collected for use in Ohio Guide and other publications of the Federal Writers’ Project in Ohio from 1935-1939. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B13F10_003_001
Subjects: Akron (Ohio); Ohio--History--Pictorial works; Rubber industry and trade; Works Progress Administration; Ohio Federal Writers' Project
Places: Akron (Ohio); Summit County (Ohio)
 

Description: Reverse reads, "Quaker Oats Company, located at the SW corner of Howard and Mill Sts. This is the site of Crosby's five-stone mill. The Ohio canal is in the rear of these buildings which today are essentially the same." The American Cereal Company was founded in 1891. While its corporate offices were eventually located in Chicago, Illinois, the primary manufacturing center for its cereals was in Akron, Ohio. The company's main product was oats used in cereal. American Cereal Company sold the oats with a picture of a Quaker on the packaging. In 1901, as the American Cereal Company began producing additional products, a parent company was formed, known as Quaker Oats. By the early 1900s, Quaker Oats had become the largest cereal manufacturer in the world. During the twentieth century, Quaker Oats has diversified its products beyond its original oats. In 2001, Quaker Oats became a subsidiary of PepsiCo, Inc., the manufacturer of Pepsi soft drinks. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B07F10_010_1
Subjects: Business and Labor; Factories; Industries--Ohio--Akron; Quaker Oats Company; Industries--Ohio--History--Pictorial works; United States. Work Projects Administration (Ohio)
Places: Akron (Ohio); Summit County (Ohio)
 

Description: This photograph shows Louis R. Grebeuch working on a mural for the Akron Board of Education in Akron, Ohio. This photograph is one of the many visual materials collected for use in the Ohio Guide. In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the Works Progress Administration by executive order to create jobs for the large numbers of unemployed laborers, as well as artists, musicians, actors, and writers. The Federal Arts Program, a sector of the Works Progress Administration, included the Federal Writers’ Project, one of the primary goals of which was to complete the America Guide series, a series of guidebooks for each state which included state history, art, architecture, music, literature, and points of interest to the major cities and tours throughout the state. Work on the Ohio Guide began in 1935 with the publication of several pamphlets and brochures. The Reorganization Act of 1939 consolidated the Works Progress Administration and other agencies into the Federal Works Administration, and the Federal Writers’ Project became the Federal Writers’ Project in Ohio. The final product was published in 1940 and went through several editions. The Ohio Guide Collection consists of 4,769 photographs collected for use in Ohio Guide and other publications of the Federal Writers’ Project in Ohio from 1935-1939. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B12F09_002_001
Subjects: Akron (Ohio); Board of Education; Murals--1930-1950; Ohio--History--Pictorial works; Works Progress Administration; Ohio Federal Writers' Project
Places: Akron (Ohio); Summit County (Ohio)