{"nrhp_refnum":"07000633","name":"First National Bank Tower","other_names":["FirstMerit Tower"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"106 S. Main St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Akron","county":"Summit County","state":"OH","lat":41.082258025000044,"lon":-81.51871140699996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2007-06-27","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Engineering","Commerce"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 28-story Art Deco bank and office tower with an eight-story west annex at 106 South Main Street in downtown Akron, Ohio, designed by Walker and Weeks of Cleveland and built 1929-1931.","why_significant":"The nomination presents it as Akron's first skyscraper and still its tallest building, and as a cutting-edge Art Deco design by a significant regional architectural firm. It also records early use of open web steel joists and a precisely erected steel frame. The tower is described as a symbol of Akron's confidence and ambition during the Great Depression.","narrative":"Rising 28 stories and 309 feet above South Main Street in downtown Akron, this Art Deco bank tower was designed by Walker and Weeks of Cleveland and built by Carmichael Construction Company. Construction began in 1929, an eight-story west annex came first, and the tower was dedicated on 23 July 1931. Setbacks give the building a tapering profile, and white-glazed brick piers, terra cotta panels with floral motifs and a limestone base give it a strong vertical emphasis. A terra cotta figure called Security marks the entrance. Inside are marble and aluminum finishes, a banking hall with 29-foot ceilings and a shopping arcade below. The steel frame was erected in about three months and uses early open web steel joists. The building is described as Akron's first skyscraper and still its tallest. Local newspapers saw it as a sign of faith in the city's future despite the Great Depression. It remains a bank and office building today.","period_of_significance":"1931-1956","architect_builder":"Walker and Weeks, Cleveland, Ohio; Carmichael Construction Co., contractor","architectural_style":"Art Deco","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Still in commercial use as a bank and office building; the exterior has been altered by a 1940 entrance reconfiguration, a 1967 plaza and parking deck, and rooftop antennas.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:52:07.487214-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/07000633.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/07000633/12f4389810-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/07000633/12f4389810-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Gbaddorf at English Wikipedia","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:FirstMeritTower.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Gbaddorf at English Wikipedia</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:FirstMeritTower.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71991579","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huntington_Tower","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5452229"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/summit-county/first-national-bank-tower-07000633/"}