Quaker Square facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Quaker Square
General information
Type	Student Residence
Location	135 S Broadway St, University of Akron, Akron, Ohio, United States
Completed	1932
Opening	1975
Quaker Oats Cereal Factory
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location in Ohio Show map of Ohio Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Location	120 E. Mill St., Akron, Ohio
Area	4 acres (2 ha)
Built	1886
NRHP reference No.	78002195
Added to NRHP	December 8, 1978

Quaker Square was once a popular shopping and dining area in downtown Akron, Ohio. Today, it is part of the University of Akron. This unique complex used to be the main factory for the Quaker Oats Company. It includes the old mill, factory buildings, and tall grain silos.

In the early 1970s, people bought the buildings. They wanted to turn them into a special place for shops and restaurants. The University of Akron bought the complex in 2007. The hotel part of Quaker Square is now a home for students. The shops and restaurants were open to the public until September 18, 2015. Now, the whole complex is used only by students and the university. However, some large rooms are still used for events and meetings.

The Story of Quaker Square

How Quaker Oats Started

The Quaker Oats company was formed when several businesses joined together. One of these was the German Mills American Oatmeal Company. This company was based in Akron and started by Ferdinand Schumacher. His first factory was built in 1872.

In 1886, a fire destroyed Schumacher's factory. It was rebuilt in the same spot. These new buildings became the Quaker Oats Cereal Factory. The complex had places to make cereal, store goods, and load trains. In 1932, Quaker Oats built 36 huge grain silos there.

Giant Grain Silos

Each silo was 120 feet tall. They were also 24 feet wide. Together, they could hold 1.5 million bushels of grain. This was a lot of grain! The complex is now the only thing left that reminds us of Quaker Oats. It was once Akron's biggest employer. Quaker Oats stopped making cereal in Akron in 1970. The entire complex was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. This means it is a very important historical site.

From Factory to Fun Place

Opening as a Mall

The old factory buildings were given a new purpose in March 1973. They reopened on April 1, 1975. At first, there were four shops and an ice cream parlor. It was a new kind of shopping center.

The Silo Hotel

The tall grain silos were turned into a Hilton Hotel. This hotel opened in 1980. Later, it became a Crowne Plaza hotel. The hotel was famous for its 196 completely round rooms. These rooms were built right inside the silos!

There was also a restaurant called the Trackside Grille & Ice Cream Parlor. It had a train theme because train tracks ran next to the building. This restaurant also shared stories about Akron's history. The dining room used beams from the original factory. The Quaker Square General Store sold oatmeal cookies. It also offered pie-baking classes for kids. You could find old-fashioned candy there too.

University of Akron Takes Over

New Life for the Buildings

In June 2007, the University of Akron bought the complex. They paid over $22 million for it. The university planned to turn it into student housing. They also wanted to use some parts for offices.

The university planned to house more than 400 students. Students started moving into the converted hotel in January 2008. For two years, 95 hotel rooms on the bottom floors stayed open to the public. This gave the city time to find other hotels.

Changes for Students

On June 30, 2013, the hotel closed completely. It was then fully changed into student housing. The shops at Quaker Square, including Trackside, closed in 2016. The only store left was a Zee's store. This was a convenience store for students. In August 2018, Zee's moved to another building. Now, the retail part of Quaker Square is empty. The second, third, and fourth floors still have offices.

Images for kids

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  Quaker Square as it appeared in 1979

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  Quaker Hall at The University of Akron (formerly known as The Crowne Plaza Quaker Square hotel and Quaker Square Inn)

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  National Historic Place seal

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Former Train Station

Akron, OH
Former Amtrak station
Location	96 East Bowery Street, Akron, Ohio
Coordinates	41°04′48″N 81°30′56″W / 41.08000°N 81.51556°W / 41.08000; -81.51556
Owned by	Amtrak
Platforms	1 (former)
Tracks	2
Other information
Station code	AKO
History
Opened	November 10, 1990 August 10, 1998
Closed	September 10, 1995 March 7, 2005
Former services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station Fostoria toward Chicago Three Rivers 1998–2005 Youngstown toward New York Broadway Limited 1990–1995

The Akron station was located at Quaker Square. It was used by Amtrak passenger trains. This happened during the 1990s and early 2000s.

Ramp to former platform

The old Akron Union Station closed in 1971. Amtrak did not include a train from Washington to Chicago at that time. On November 10, 1990, the Broadway Limited train changed its route. It started using the tracks near Quaker Square. Union Station was already being used by the University of Akron. So, Amtrak used part of the old train platform. They built a simple station building at Quaker Square.

The Broadway Limited train was replaced in 1995. A new train called the Three Rivers took its place. This train did not stop in Akron. But on November 10, 1996, the Three Rivers train was extended. It started going to Chicago through Akron. However, Amtrak and the city disagreed about who would pay for station repairs. Akron station reopened on August 10, 1998. The Three Rivers train stopped going to Chicago on March 7, 2005. This ended train service to Akron again.