FirstMerit Tower
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| FirstMerit Tower | |
 |
|
| Information | |
|---|---|
| Location | Akron, Ohio USA |
| Status | Complete |
| Constructed | 1931 |
| Height | |
| Antenna/Spire | 137 m (442 ft) [1] |
| Roof | 101 m (330 ft) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 27 Floors |
| Companies | |
| Architect | Walker & Weeks [2] |
FirstMerit Tower 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.[1] The building is art deco in style and is covered in glazed architectural terra-cotta.[2] It sits at the corner of South Main Street and West Mill Street. It rises 27 stories to a height of 330 feet or 101 meters.[3] 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.[1] The tower was built on the former site of the Hamilton Building, completed in 1900 in the neo-gothic style.[1] 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.[2] 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.[2] As of 2007, the tower is again undergoing a restoration. The restoration is being completed by VIP Restorations, a Cleveland based firm. It includes repointing of all masonry and terra-cotta joints, repairs to the windows, structural restoration, and a restoration of the 13th floor parapet.[4] VIP Restorations will also attempt to get the building placed within the Nation Register of Historic Places upon the completion of the project.[4]
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b c Emporis.com http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=125771
- ^ a b c FirstMerit Restoration, http://www.westerngroup.com/servicesAndProjects/structures/officeCommercial.jspx?fileName=1120493926173-106-04-01.jpg&id=245
- ^ FirstMerit Tower - SkyscraperPage.com
- ^ a b VIP Restoration, http://www.viprestoration.com/firstMerit.html
