{"nrhp_refnum":"80004611","name":"Portage Hotel","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"10 N. Main St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Akron","county":"Summit County","state":"OH","lat":41.08524481200004,"lon":-81.51557977099998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1988-10-17","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Social History"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"An eight-story Georgian Revival hotel at 10 North Main Street in downtown Akron, Summit County, Ohio, designed in 1911 by Esenwein and Johnson of Buffalo, New York, with a 1926 addition.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is the only Georgian Revival building in downtown Akron and a fine example of that style in a large commercial structure. Reviewers also found it significant under criterion A as Akron's oldest standing hotel, built by civic leaders during the rubber-industry boom. It was also an early \"fire-proof\" reinforced concrete building.","narrative":"Rising eight stories at 10 North Main Street in downtown Akron, the Portage Hotel was designed in 1911 by the Buffalo firm of Esenwein and Johnson, with an addition in 1926. Its steel and reinforced concrete frame is clad in dark red brick with limestone and terra-cotta trim. The facade follows a three-part arrangement: a round-arched limestone base, a brick middle section, and a top of Ionic pilasters under a heavy metal cornice. Inside, rows of Ionic columns define the lobby. The hotel cost $700,000 to build and offered 250 rooms. It was built on the site of the older Empire Hotel when Akron's rubber-driven growth left existing hotels seen as shabby and inadequate. Reviewers considered it the city's oldest standing hotel and its only Georgian Revival building downtown, an unusual style for a commercial structure. It was also one of the few early Akron buildings classed as fireproof. The hotel is now vacant, and its interior is deteriorated.","period_of_significance":"1900-","architect_builder":"Esenwein and Johnson, Architects (Buffalo, NY); Noah and Frank, associated architects for the addition; George Baker Long, contractor; Ferro Concrete Construction Co.; Osborn Engineering Co., consulting engineers","architectural_style":"Georgian Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"The later form lists current function as vacant/not in use, and describes the interior as deteriorated but retaining significant features.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:53:14.859979-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/80004611.pdf"},"photo":null,"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"03000719","name":"Main-Market Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/ohio/main-market-historic-district-03000719/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71991643","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":null},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/summit-county/portage-hotel-80004611/"}