INSIDE AKRON: Akron Documenters are fanning out across the city’s 24 neighborhoods to elevate places, faces, voices and vibes — as shared by the people who live there. Expect a new profile every day through October.
Let’s get the low-hanging crabapple out of the way: There’s nobody named Stan Hywet around here — not that we can find. But there’s a 70-acre historical estate by that name.
Drive around the Northwest Akron neighborhood and you’ll find runners, hikers, walkers and dog walkers. They are taking advantage of the proximity not only to miles of trails and other green spaces — including Sand Run Metro Park — but shopping spaces along West Market Street. Bring your sweet tooth to West Side Bakery and your nine-iron (if you’re a member) to Portage Country Club.
You’ll also find one of its public schools on West Market — it’s named in honor of Judith A. Resnik. The engineer, NASA astronaut and Akron native died in 1986 when the Space Shuttle Challenger was destroyed just after its launch. She was the second American woman to go into space.
Akron Documenter Rick Bohan is the primary contributor for this story. He is a Northwest Akron resident and has been a Documenter since November of 2023. Learn more about Documenters, including how to join.
The original school building, known as Fairlawn School, was named for the village of Fairlawn and was constructed in 1929. Part of Portage Township until 1931, it was annexed by the City of Akron. The city wanted to extend its western boundary. Fairlawn can trace its “school” to the 1820s. The 1929 building contains, in its cornerstone, the names of the children and teachers of the school and a history of Portage Township.
BTW: Does anybody know where we can find locally produced crabapple jelly?
Voice of the People: Tina Neese and Deborah (Debbie) Neese
Sisters Tina and Debbie have lived in the neighborhood for more than 30 years.
What is the most interesting thing about the Northwest Akron neighborhood?
Tina mentioned Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens on North Portage Path. She’s a member of the historic estate that offers tours and other programming.
Debbie: “Right away, I think of the diversity [that] we have,” she said. “We chose to live on this street that’s diverse, and chose to have our kids grow up here so that they would understand diversity.”
What is missing from your neighborhood?
Tina: “I would say what’s missing is safe, affordable housing, which is, I think, all over Akron, probably all over the nation.”
Debbie: Responding as clergy, she said the neighborhood could benefit people. She talked about services provided by the Akron Metropolitan Housing Authority and food support programs like the federal WIC program for women and infants.
How has Northwest Akron changed over the time you’ve lived here?
Tina and Debbie both talked about a nearby convenience store that is an important part of the neighborhood and has changed hands a number of times over the years but still functions well.
Debbie: “I don’t know that the personality of the neighborhood has changed.” Tina agreed.
Where is the Northwest Akron neighborhood?
Northwest Akron is located directly west of Merriman Hills. Parks and historic landmarks, including Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens are well known in this neighborood.
What’s the biggest challenge facing your neighborhood, and how do you think it can be solved?
Debbie: “I think the Akron Police Department is not seen as friendly, not trustworthy, and I think there are numerous ways it can be addressed,” she said, noting this may not be specific to her neighborhood.
Tina suggested having a police substation in the neighborhood where people could interact with police officers. She likened it to “Andy Griffith sitting outside in the rocking chair, and people would talk, and then they would get to know each other. I don’t know if that’s too old-fashioned to think about.”
What else do you want people to know about Northwest Akron?
Debbie: “On our street, we have the best neighbors in the world. They’re not nosy, but they’re helpful. And it’s, it’s just the right amount for me, of neighborliness.”
Tell me about your church.
Debbie is the pastor of Christ Woodland United Methodist Church in Northwest Akron. She said her congregation is devoted to serving the neighborhood and staying relevant. It has focused on food insecurity with its food bank. The congregation also has a partnership with Case Community Learning Center on the border with the Wallhaven neighborhood, providing school supplies for the students.
Nonprofit perspective
Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens, 714 N. Portage Path
Jennifer Highfield, president and executive director; Jacob Masters, external relations director
Tell me about the purpose of your nonprofit.
“Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens is a fantastic historical estate that is known as an arts, cultural and environmental organization telling the story of the co-founder of Goodyear Tire & Rubber and his family,” Jennifer said.
She said it is the sixth-largest historic estate open to the public and is nationally known. She said it hosts visitors from all over the world. They tend to like historic estates, gardens or the Gilded Age, among other things.
“The family was instrumental in building so many of the neighborhoods and the community around us, because it was in the best interest of Goodyear,” she said. She said it was also important for Goodyear workers to have health care, arts and culture and greenspaces like the Summit County Metro Parks.
How does your organization fit into or support the Northwest Akron neighborhood?
Stan Hywet is unsusual, Jennifer said because museums typically are not integrated into a neighborhood. “So our integration into the neighborhood is truly the only way that we can be the best partner for this community. So being a good neighbor, knowing that we have 150,000 people coming through the gate and being respectful of our neighbors is really important.”
“We do drive a lot of economic business for the community, and that is really important, again, locally for this community,” she said. “And I think our neighbors, I hope our neighbors, understand that.”
She said she works with the City Council and Akron Police Department to make sure that visitors to the grounds are being respectful to the neighborhood.
What’s the most important or interesting thing about your neighborhood?
“We have the most special neighborhood here, because I truly think that this neighborhood represents all parts of what you see in Akron,” Jennifer said.
“You go to [other neighborhoods] and it looks like everything is the same. It’s all the same type of people and all the same type of businesses, and it’s not the case for this neighborhood. And that’s, I think that’s what makes it so exciting and charming and fun and unique.”
What’s missing from Northwest Akron or what’s the biggest need in the neighborhood?
“I think this neighborhood has changed, and yet hasn’t,” Jennifer said. She talked about the challenges that different people have with transportation.
“You have some people who have no problem getting around in this neighborhood, and I think you have others who rely on bicycles or who rely on walking or public transportation, which is not as prevalent in this neighborhood as it is in others.”
What else do you want to say about your organization and or the neighborhood?
She said most people in the “neighborhood know us for those big events because that’s when they see a lot of the activity. So everything from Ohio Mart to Deck the Hall to Murder in the Mansion and the car show.”
What “we’re most proud of, though, is the everyday work that we do. The work that we do around education and in horticulture and agriculture, education, in STEM science, education, you know, in the arts and culture,” she said.
“Many [people] walk through the front gates, walk around and walk back out the gates just for their morning walks or jogs,” she said. “We enjoy that they get a little bit of respite here and enjoy the, you know, flowers or the trees and shrubberies and things that we have.”
Is there anything else you’d like to add?
“So there is no Stan Hywet,” Jennifer said about one of the first questions she gets from visitors. According to the group’s website, the name is Old English for “stone quarry.” This is one of the property’s most prominent natural features. In 1910, F.A. Seiberling, the co-founder of Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., and his wife, Gertrude, gave their new home and “center for entertainment and events for the greater Akron community,” this name.
Public space shoutout
Sand Run Metro Park
At nearly 1,000 acres, Sand Run Metro Park is a favorite destination for residents of the neighborhood and the region. Officials divided the park into seven areas. It features multiple hiking trails, a lodge for rent, sports fields and places to picnic among the wildflowers and trees.
Editor’s note: A Signal Akron shout out to Ward 8 Council Member Bruce Bolden, who helped Documenter Rick Bohan learn more about the Northwest Akron neighborhood.