{"nrhp_refnum":"73001536","name":"Hower Mansion","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"60 Fir Hill","address_restricted":false,"city":"Akron","county":"Summit County","state":"OH","lat":41.079875550000054,"lon":-81.50756139899994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1973-04-11","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A red brick Victorian mansion in the French Second Empire style at 60 Fir Hill, Akron, Summit County, Ohio, on a landscaped 2.5 acre plot. It was completed in 1871 for John H. Hower, who also designed it.","why_significant":"The nomination calls it the finest of the few remaining large Victorian houses in Akron and the best preserved and one of the most elaborate Victorian houses in northeast Ohio. It is a superb example of an era when wealthy men built pretentious homes to display their wealth. It is also tied to John H. Hower, a leading Akron industrialist.","narrative":"Set on a high, landscaped 2.5 acre plot at 60 Fir Hill in Akron, this red brick mansion was completed in 1871 in the French Second Empire style. Projecting pavilions each carry their own roof, verandas link the bays, and high mansard roofs of fishtail slate rise above bracketed eaves and detailed dormers. A four-story tower at the northeast corner is topped by a wrought iron railing and a weathervane showing the completion year. Inside are 42 rooms, many with black walnut trim, marble fireplaces and parquet floors, plus etched door panels and a main stair rising four stories to the observation tower. John H. Hower, a leading Akron industrialist, designed and first owned the house. He helped organize the Excelsior Mower & Reaper Company and later formed Hower & Company, a milling firm that preceded Quaker Oats. The house was listed as the best preserved and one of the most elaborate Victorian houses in northeast Ohio.","period_of_significance":"19th Century (specific date 1871)","architect_builder":"John H. Hower (designer and first owner)","architectural_style":"French Second Empire Victorian","criteria":[],"status_note":"Listed in good condition and unaltered on its original site. It was deeded to the University of Akron in 1971, and a life tenant still occupied it at the time of nomination.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:53:09.794945-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/73001536.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73001536/5d76a5c9c2-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73001536/5d76a5c9c2-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hower_Mansion_from_northeast.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hower_Mansion_from_northeast.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71991555","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138689904"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/summit-county/hower-mansion-73001536/"}