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.
With one of the larger footprints among Akron’s 24 neighborhoods, West Akron has a little bit of everything: multiple parks, schools, a commercial strip on Copley Road and many tree-lined residential streets.
More than 15,000 people live in West Akron. Residents Warren and Kim Meredith called the neighborhood “resilient” and “very spiritual,” noting the abundance of churches and a robust faith community in the neighborhood.
There’s history here as well. The John Brown House, former home of the renowned abolitionist, and the Perkins Stone Mansion, built in 1837 by Colonel Simon Perkins, the son of Akron’s founder, General Simon Perkins, is also located in the neighborhood.
Akron Documenter Pat Reese is the primary contributor for this story. She is a West Akron resident and has been a Documenter since November of 2023. Learn more about Documenters, including how to join.
Totaling 4.74 square miles, West Akron’s neighbor to the north is Wallhaven; it’s bordered on the south by Kenmore. Akron Documenter and West Akron resident Pat Reese spoke with people in the neighborhood about what makes the community strong as well as what it needs.
Voice of the People: Warren and Kim Meredith
Warren and Kim have been married for 37 years and lived in the West Akron neighborhood since 1992 — they raised their two children there. They moved into their Habitat for Humanity-built house in 2008.
What is the most interesting thing about the West Akron neighborhood?
“This community is very spiritual,” Warren said. “There are a lot of churches and people who have strong faith in this neighborhood.” He attends The House of Lord, a large, non-denominational church in West Akron, but he’s also been to other churches. He gave a shout out to the Maple Valley Branch Library and to the Lawton Street Community Center.
“I do like my neighbors,” Kim said. “I’ve met some interesting people along the way, and especially my immediate neighbors I find to be supportive, friendly, encouraging, and just fun to hang out with.”
What is missing from your neighborhood?
“We don’t have any pharmacies in this neighborhood within walking distance,” Warren said, noting the recent closures of Walgreens and CVS stores. He said there is a Walgreens in nearby Highland Square. He also said there are no ice cream shops, pointing out that Handel’s Ice Cream came and quickly left.
“So what used to be a bustling corner of options (at South Hawkins Avenue and Copley Road) and activity is now two vacant buildings, CVS and Walgreens, right across the street from each other,” he added. “Yes, it’s sad.”
Kim said the closure of Rankin Elementary School left a hole in the community. The school closed in 2012 and demolition on the building began this year. She also noted the area doesn’t have a coffee shop.
How has West Akron changed over the time you’ve lived here?
“We’ve seen children grow up and move away,” Warren said. “We’ve seen leadership change. Our councilman, I think we’re on the third councilman.”
He also talked about how the neighborhood has become safer over time. “There was a period of time when it seemed like we were having a lot of robberies and shootings,” Warren said. “The city seems to have worked real hard. I don’t know if they stepped up the patrols in that neighborhood, but you don’t hear about [crime as much].”
Where is the West Akron neighborhood in Akron?
West Akron is home to one of the largest residential areas in the city and features a diverse mix of residents, distinctive housing and commercial areas. It is home to multiple parks and the J. E. Good Park Golf Course, which is owned by the City of Akron.
What’s the biggest challenge facing West Akron, and how do you think it can be solved?
“Keeping our young people engaged,” Warren said. There are lots of programs for kids, but he wondered if it was enough. “I see groups of teens just walking up and down the street, just kind of aimlessly,” he said. He wants them to discover their “God-given purpose” through engaging activities in the community.
He and Kim both talked about the challenges for parents but also about the need for parental involvement. They have two children who are adults now and tried to stay active with them when they were in school. “We tried to stay involved in whatever they were in so we could stay supporting,” Kim said.
She and her husband recently took free paddleboard lessons offered by Summit Metro Parks at Summit Lake. Kim said that area residents, especially children, aren’t plugged into these opportunities. “There were kids that live there by Summit Lake and they were walking down to the lake and they were asking us, ‘What is that thing [referring to the paddleboard] that you have, and why are you here?’”
What else do you want people to know about West Akron?
“It’s not a perfect neighborhood because people live here and anywhere people are, it’s not going to be perfect,” Warren said. “There are a lot of wonderful, loving, supportive families, churches, programs in this neighborhood, and we’ve had ups and downs. We’ve had challenges, but then where in America [haven’t there been problems]?”
“Yeah, I think we’re resilient as well,” Kim said. “We do have challenges. Our people come together, and we work those challenges out.” She also said city leadership has been responsive over the years, listening and working toward solutions.
“I like that we are hard working, middle-class people who care about one another, or, you know, our neighbors look out for us as well as we look out for them, and I appreciate that. I love my neighbors.”
Kim said there are “lots of wonderful, supportive families, churches and programs in the neighborhood. We’re resilient. When challenges occur, people come together to work them out,” including school board members, their ward’s City Council member and other city officials.
What’s the story about your home?
Warren and Kim built their house with Habitat for Humanity. The majority of the work on the house was done by women volunteers, they said.
“[Habitat] became like a family to us. Not only did they provide the financing, but there’s education. They teach Habitat family members how to be homeowners,” Warren said.
The homeowners themselves put in 1,000 hours of sweat equity and community service, working on houses for other people as well.
The Merediths picked West Akron to be near their church and because of their familiarity with the neighborhood.
Nonprofit perspective
The House of the Lord, 1650 Diagonal Road
Lead Pastor Daren Brake
Tell me about the purpose of your organization?
House of the Lord has been in West Akron for 51 years. “We are a church that is seeking to be a place that is loving, inspiring and hospitable,” Daren said. “We do that by being a teaching church, a partnering church and providing holistic ministry.”
“We’re seeking to benefit the common good in every way, not just spiritually, but holistically,” Daren said.
The church has healthcare programs that offer community baby showers as well as screening for diabetes and other health problems. They also work with justice-impacted people who are working to re-enter the community. Partners have included Summa Health Equity Center, New Season Treatment Center, and the City of Akron.
How does your organization fit into or support the West Akron neighborhood?
Our organization meets the pressing needs of our West Akron neighborhood through additional initiatives such as “Drive through Prayer.” This is when area residents drive through our parking lot and stop to pray with our “Prayer Warriors” and receive a free gift card at the end of the encounter.
What’s the most important or interesting thing about your neighborhood?
Noting that West Akron is predominantly Black, Daren said, “Our resilience would be the most important aspect, because our resilience is reflected in our ingenuity. Is reflected in our excellence. It’s reflected in everything that we bring to this culture flows out of our ability as a people to be resilient.”
What’s missing from West Akron, or what’s the biggest need in the neighborhood?
Daren said the answer is “layered” and dependent on each person’s perspective.
What he means by “layered,” he said, is that, “You can’t talk about youth violence without talking about poverty, [and] you can’t talk about poverty without talking about violence, but then at the same time, you have to talk about economics. Because maybe the reason why Mom or Dad [aren’t] around is because of the number of jobs they have to work to try and make ends meet.”
“What’s most needed is for us to foster more unity and togetherness within our community,” he said, noting that the church is at the center of the Black community. “I think it’s a prime opportunity for us to not interact with each other from a place of skepticism, but more from a place of open handedness.”
What else do you want to say about your organization and or the neighborhood?
“I say this every Sunday — we’re not a perfect church, but we just might be a perfect church for anyone,” Daren said, adding that no church is perfect. “The church is a family, and there’s no such thing as a perfect family. But family is often where you find a place where you fit.”
Daren reiterated that The House of the Lord is a holistic church centered on teaching and partnering. This means not just teaching the Bible but also teaching about life topics such as financial literacy and grief recovery.
Public space shoutout:
Maple Valley Branch Library is one of 18 Akron-Summit County Public Library locations across Summit County. It’s located almost in the center of West Akron at 1187 Copley Road.
Documenter Pat Reese takes readers on a tour.
