FirstMerit Tower
Encyclopedia
FirstMerit Tower, also known as the First National Bank Building or the First Central Trust Building, is a skyscraper in Akron, Ohio
that has remained the tallest building in that city since its completion in 1931. The building is art deco
in style and is covered in glazed architectural terra-cotta
. It sits at the corner of South Main Street and East Mill Street. It rises 27 stories to a height of 330 feet (100.6 m). It is the centerpiece of downtown Akron. The building headquarters the eponymous FirstMerit Corp.
and others. The lobby is built with Tennessee marble, white brick, and terra cotta, and features a large banking hall with arched windows. The tower was built on the former site of the Hamilton Building, completed in 1900 in the neo-gothic style. Near the turn of the millennium the tower was given a $2.5 million facelift, including a $1.8 million restoration of the tower's terra-cotta, brick and limestone. The painstaking process involved the removal of some 450 blocks weighing up to 75 pounds each for cleaning and reassembly. Over 1,100 other pieces of the masonry and tilework were repaired on site. In 2007, the tower was again undergoing a restoration. Completed by Cleveland-based VIP Restorations, it includes repointing of all masonry and terra-cotta joints, repairs to the windows, structural restoration, and a restoration of the 13th floor parapet. VIP Restorations also helped to get the building placed within the Nation Register of Historic Places upon the completion of the project.
The top of the building has a television broadcast tower, formerly used by WAKR-TV (now WVPX-TV) and WAKR-AM. The antenna reaches 134.7 metres (441.9 ft).
Akron, Ohio
Akron , is the fifth largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Summit County. It is located in the Great Lakes region approximately south of Lake Erie along the Little Cuyahoga River. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 199,110. The Akron Metropolitan...
that has remained the tallest building in that city since its completion in 1931. The building is art deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
in style and is covered in glazed architectural terra-cotta
Glazed architectural terra-cotta
Glazed architectural terra-cotta is a ceramic masonry building material popular in the United States from the late 19th century until the 1930s, and still one of the most common building materials found in U.S. urban environments...
. It sits at the corner of South Main Street and East Mill Street. It rises 27 stories to a height of 330 feet (100.6 m). It is the centerpiece of downtown Akron. The building headquarters the eponymous FirstMerit Corp.
FirstMerit Corp.
FirstMerit Corporation is a diversified financial services company headquartered in Akron, Ohio, with assets of $14.3 billion USD as of June 30, 2011 and 207 banking offices and 213 ATMs in Ohio, Western Pennsylvania and the Chicago area. FirstMerit Corporation provides a complete range of banking...
and others. The lobby is built with Tennessee marble, white brick, and terra cotta, and features a large banking hall with arched windows. The tower was built on the former site of the Hamilton Building, completed in 1900 in the neo-gothic style. Near the turn of the millennium the tower was given a $2.5 million facelift, including a $1.8 million restoration of the tower's terra-cotta, brick and limestone. The painstaking process involved the removal of some 450 blocks weighing up to 75 pounds each for cleaning and reassembly. Over 1,100 other pieces of the masonry and tilework were repaired on site. In 2007, the tower was again undergoing a restoration. Completed by Cleveland-based VIP Restorations, it includes repointing of all masonry and terra-cotta joints, repairs to the windows, structural restoration, and a restoration of the 13th floor parapet. VIP Restorations also helped to get the building placed within the Nation Register of Historic Places upon the completion of the project.
The top of the building has a television broadcast tower, formerly used by WAKR-TV (now WVPX-TV) and WAKR-AM. The antenna reaches 134.7 metres (441.9 ft).