zipsrifle

I haven't lived in the city for a while, but a decade ago, you had to be aware of what was going on around you. We had drugs, break-in etc. but nothing too bad on a regular basis. In the mid 90's I went downtown and that was probably my worst experience in the city. Since then, things have been getting better as far as I can tell.

I spend quite a bit of time in the UP. Great people, tough as nails. I'll try to grab some pictures this year during my travels. Anyway, a few years ago part of the pictured rocks (Miner's Castle) collapsed and apparently there were some fisherman in the water nearby. I remember reading about it, apparently Miner's Castle was a navigational landmark. Found this and learned some more about the Pictured Rocks. http://www.lakesuperiorphoto.com/miners_castle_collapse.html

As I was walking out of work today I was reflecting on how rare it is for Midwestern cities to retain their large employers. Seems that everyone is moving South, or to the major Northern cities. Just recently I learned that Navistar-International was closing their Engineering facility in Ft. Wayne, Indiana and moving 1200+ well paying jobs to Chicago. The last few times I was in Akron (to watch the Zips lose!), I drove by the Bridgestone NAHQ currently under construction, was detoured around construction near the Goodyear HQ and drove by the construction site of yet another private Student apartment complex. I'll have to get some pictures next time I'm in town.

AK looking good! Got to make it to downtown before the weather goes away to stroll around a bit. I really want to see the park and canal under the Civic theater. There was an article in the ABJ a few weeks back about how the students living in downtown has really livened up the place and that people are actually having to pay attention at cross walks because of the number of people using them. Akron has a lot going for it. Don't forget about the new BSFS tech center down Main Street or the new Goodyear World HQ. A lot has changed since I first arrived in the early 90's!

mmmmm Halo burger. Flint is OK but I still think it has a way to go. From what I've seen Genesee county has been hit pretty hard by this recession, at least in the Fenton area. Personally, I would like to see some focus around the Kettering University area, that place has some huge expansion potential.

I think attendance will be higher than if we were in the Rubber Bowl, but I don't think it will be huge. I hope we will have a good season, but with a new coach and new schemes on both sides of the ball, we'll likely get off to a slow start. Even if we turn it around at the end of the year, the final two games are on weeknights so that will hurt attendance. Regardless of how we play, it is a top notch college stadium anyway you look at it.

Common sense is my source. If you look at the current campus map, there isn't much land to develop. The buildings I would tear down to replace are in the heart of campus (Zook, Leigh, Ayer, Crouse) and with the push for more green space, I doubt they would be replaced in the same footprint. So, that indicates to me additional land is needed. I'm sure UofA has talked with every land owner near campus and stated that if they want to sell, UA is willing to purchase. I for one think that a new arena is a luxury and not a necessity right now. ICS was a necessity. As Dr. P put it, UA was at a point where if they were going to participate in FB, they were going to need to put at least $50 Million in a stadium. It could be a new on-campus stadium or the Rubber Bowl. For the Soccer team, you had a National Power playing in a stadium that some High School players in the area would laugh at. I wonder which direction UA will expand? Rt-8 seems to be a barrier, I don't see them expanding past Rt 8. Expanding into Downtown is an option, but DT has lots of people opposing this. A downtown arena would compliment the Baseball stadium nicely and the recent development (22 exchange) has been a private endeavor. Personally I think expanding into downtown more would really bring it to life. The easy way to expand at this point, however, appears to be expansion towards market and across Exchange.

Walked by the new soccer stadium today and it looks AWESOME! It isn't complete yet, but it has got to be one of the nicest facilities for college soccer in the country!

I think UA is going to buy anything near campus they can get their hands on considering how landlocked they are and the eminent domain battle for the new stadium. There is so much speculation for the arena out there that I wouldn't worry about each land purchase. I've had pretty good luck when looking for details on the new football stadium when going to www3.uakron.edu As UA is publicly funded, they have to post some information and if you keep your eyes open, you can get a jump on things.

Sweet, I'll be sure to swing by there next summer!

The RR tracks in Downtown Akron and Cleveland were once an important part of the city but now, it seems they act to divide the city. It seems the only way to effectively couple Downtown and the University if for UofA to move into downtown more, which isn't always welcomed with open arms. Seems that this is the way things are going though.

There was an article in the ABJ today about how EJ Thomas was running a deficit. Seems like there are a lot of concert venues in the area, so are you thinking this would be used for Small concerts? One thing that was done where we used to live is that they would have concerts every Tuesday during the summer with small bands. On selected Fridays they would have a Movie. It was a nice community gathering.

We live close to Oberlin and have been to the Slow Train several times. Man was it packed when Germany played Spain in the world cup. Anyway, this development was very nicely done. I especially like the greenspace in the back, well done.

They need to do something to utilize this area more. I spent 5 years in Akron and spend at least a week every year in the city for the past 10 and I didn't even know this area was there until a few years ago. It's almost like it's hidden back there. I'm sure part of the issue was there were always busses blocking the area off but that is fixed now. I think the improvments to the canal just across Bowrey might help bring more traffic into this area.

I'm going to have to get to the Syracuse game REALLY early so I can walk around the city and see all the new construction! I was on Campus last week and I noticed that just South of Summa, between Market and Buchtel somebody has purchased a bunch of houses on Spruce Street and Franklin street. Anybody know what is going on there? both blocks are almost vacant. I didn't even think about looking at the new Bridgestone construction. I did drive through the Goodyear HQ on Market and I don't see a whole lot going on down there though the exit from 76 to Martha is closed. I haven't walked around the city in about a year but it seems like so much has changed. Lock 3, new polymer building, 22 exchange, Bridgestone, new soccer stadium. There is just construction all over the place!

Man, just when you think they can't possibly build more, they go even bigger! My guess is they will need to partner with a private developer as they are stretched pretty far in terms of being able to borrow money. If they do pull this off, and it is as big as I imagne, that will be amazing. I hope they do something to link the South side of Exchange with the main part of campus. A bridge or something. I know it was crazy walking across Exchange street when I lived over there, I can't imagine what it would be like with another 2000 students trying to cross the street! I also hope they put some green space in there too and it isn't solid buildings. It is a city campus, and it has come a long way, but that area of campus with the new parking deck is VERY urban. Lots and lots of concrete!

Found this video relating to the redevelopment of the Kaiser building in downtown Akron. This is near the South end of Main Street, by the new student housing that was completed late last year. There is a lot of new commercial space at this end of town, no doubt drawn there by the students. http://vimeo.com/groups/15456/videos/13280460

Sandusky, what a gem. Grew up near there and go back several times a year. Went to the Cedar Point beach last weekend in fact. Best kept secret in the area, huge white sand beach and hardly anybody there. My guess is the $10 parking fee keeps all but season ticket holders from frequenting the beach. A month or so ago my wife and I went were driving into downtown Sandusky for a dinner at Zinc. Anyway, we took Milan ave all the way into downtown and we came to an intersection. As we sat at the intersection, we were looking down a street lined with maybe 80 year old trees. On our right was a beautiful old home. Down the street was Lake Erie with several sail boats out on Sandusky Bay. Killer view. There are so many interesting buildings in Sandusky, it has the unique street layout, the lake, Cedar Point, the islands near by. I just love all the limestone buildings! It has so much potential, I just hope that it can be revitalized at somepoint in the future!

Personally I think a university is a huge benefit to a city as it brings young, energetic, educated people to the city and brings the city alive. Even if just a few of those students develop a strong connection with that Univeristy, it will cumulatively have an impact. They also inject a lot of money into the cities and can have a strong impact on the surrounding neighborhoods. I think Akron and Toledo have some interesting similarities and differences. First, UofA is really a strong driving force in the city, especially in Downtown. I estimate that UofA has expanded in footprint about 60% in the past 15 years. It has expanded away from downtown, taking some of that horrible off campus housing with it. It has also expanded into downtown where it now has a strong influence. I have personally seen downtown Akron go from a place nobody ventured to in the early 90's to a place where there is now student housing on Main Street. Sure, the city and UofA have to work together, but WOW, what a difference! UofA also initiated the Univeristy Park Alliance, a group aimed at improving the neighborhoods immediately around campus. The progress is slow, but you can see it happening. I also see Akron students like UT students. Most have to work to pay their way through school, very much blue collar. I wear this "blue collar" badge proudly as often at work, when it comes to getting your hands dirty, the "Blue Collar" students are the ones to jump in and "get 'er done". As one of my coworkers put it, some schools put out "Thinkers" and some put out "Doers" and a successful company needs both. Akron and UT may not be the most prestigious, but I know a lot of companies going after Akron Graduates. On the flip side, Akron, unlike Toledo, has done a slightly better job of retaining it's large manufacturing headquarters. Both Goodyear and Bridgestone are building new corporate headquarters in Akron and I know quite a few Akron grads who work in Akron. Now don't get me wrong, Akron has had to do it's fair share of downsizing, but I wonder what state the city would be in now if it did not have a strong, growing University? Personally, I think Cleveland is at a disadvantage by not having a "dominant" university associated with it. I know it has Cleveland State and Case, but do they add up to an OSU, UC, UA, or UT? I don't know that I can answer that. What I do know is that I hope CSU keeps it's status as a "Minor" school because as an Akron fan, if we ever become good in one of the major sports, that "local" Cleveland market could really bring in some fans!

This is right off I-75 I believe. If it is where I am thinking, I always used to think about how simply putting a highway in completely destroyed an area. It appears at one time this was quite an active area of town and then the highway split the neighborhood in two, literally. I think the street dead ends at the highway on both sides. Looked to have a good commercial area and now, it's difficult to get to so nobody goes there. Besides, who wants to live next to a highway?

Keep up the good work! Hope to add to this thread at some point this summer, whenever I can get to Akron. Anything going on with the new Goodyear World Headquarters?

WOW, LaGrange made the list! Neat building, but that's about all there is to see.

UofA is very much landlocked. Old pictures of the University show how small it used to be, sandwiched between Buchtel and Carroll. You could walk the length in probably about 5 minutes, the width in about 2. The surrounding area was all residential. So, to grow, UofA has had to gobble up the surrounding land and take nearby buildings that were donated such as Polsky's. Expansion in an urban area is messy business as acquiring the land for the new stadium shows. Most of the housing around campus now is student housing owned by "Slum lords", so I don't get to upset when these houses get bulldozed. I do feel bad for business owners who have served the University for years and get booted out....... UofA will continue to grow, though this most recent expansion has racked up a lot of debt. They will bring more green space into the city as students want a picturesque campus. I believe that UofA is the city's greatest asset. It cannot simply move if somewhere else if it gets a better deal. It brings thousands of young people into the city, is a source of innovation for the area and attracts businesses.

I'm very impressed, with the exception of the parking deck, with the buildings they have been building lately at UofA. I believe the dorms pictured are the first of many which will eventually wrap around 1/2 the stadium. I'm actually looking forward to the day when they finish all of these dorms. Infocision stadium is partially below ground with the Stile Fieldhouse behind the North Endzone. When the dorms are finished, they will enclose the South Endzone and that place will be LOUD! I'm planning on making the spring game here next week and hopefully, take a few pictures. Nice work.

The students were demanding more parking near campus at an easily accessable location, and this spot meets that criteria. I have to agree, however, that it is an eyesore. Personally, I think they should have worked to build the parking garages near the railroad tracks. It would have required quite a bit of road work (and money) to pull off connecting both Exchange and Wolfs Ledges, but I think that would have been a better location.