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.
This may come as a surprise to some Akronites, but Fairlawn Heights isn’t part of Fairlawn. It’s actually one of Akron’s 24 neighborhoods.
The community was established in the 1910s, with large homes intended for executives of the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.
Many of those residences are still standing, and they’re attracting younger residents who appreciate the neighborhood’s architectural aesthetics, convenient location and green spaces.
Signal Akron contributor Abby Cymerman spoke with longtime residents and a small business owner about Fairlawn Heights.
VOICE OF THE PEOPLE: Monica and Steve Moyer
Monica and Steve Moyer have called Fairlawn Heights home since 2011. They have two children: William, a junior at the University of Mount Union, and Eleanor, a senior at Firestone Community Learning Center.
What’s the story of your home?
In 2008, when the Great Recession hit, the Moyers were living in Northwest Akron. Monica’s mother, a real estate agent, discovered a colonial-style home in Fairlawn Heights that was in foreclosure.
“Steve liked it, but I loved it,” Monica said, of the house, which was built in 1968.
Monica, who grew up in Alabama and attended public schools there, said she wanted her children to attend Akron Public Schools, so it was important for the family to live within the district.
“I want them to be around people that are different than them,” she said. “Not everybody grows up like this, and they need to know that.”
What is the most interesting thing about Fairlawn Heights?
“It’s the different styles of houses, the different eras,” Monica said. “You can go out from Ridgewood and down, and you can see how the houses get newer and more modern.”
What’s one benefit of living in your neighborhood?
Steve works from home, but he used to work in Cleveland. Living a two-minute drive from I-77 was a bonus for him. When the family wanted to go to downtown Akron, he said, on some nights “we’d hit all the green lights and were there in 10 minutes.”
Where is the Fairlawn Heights neighborhood in Akron?
Fairlawn Heights is located west of the Wallhaven neighborhood. This hillside neighborhood, which was annexed by Akron in 1932, is filled with tree-lined streets and historic homes.
How has Fairlawn Heights changed over the time you’ve lived here?
When the Moyers first moved here, they were their street’s “young family with little kids” — their older neighbors had lived there for decades. Now, Monica and Steve often hear their neighbors’ children playing outside.
“I think a neighborhood needs to grow, and part of that is you have to have turnover,” Monica said. “A lot of these houses were bought as people’s forever homes, and they were. I don’t think people do that as much anymore, but we’re in this for the long haul. I’m not going anywhere else.”
What’s the biggest challenge facing the neighborhood?
“To me, the biggest challenge of living in this neighborhood is getting our street plowed when it snows. Every other street gets plowed, but ours doesn’t,” Steve said with a laugh. “Of all the things to complain about, we have nothing.”
What would you tell people about living here?
If people are looking for well-built homes in a quiet, family-oriented neighborhood, Monica said they should consider Fairlawn Heights.
Steve agreed.
“You don’t have to live in Copley or any of the new allotments; you can live right here in Akron,” Steve said.
SMALL BUSINESS PERSPECTIVE
Akron Cookie Company, 2184 Ridgewood Road.
Owner Melissa Casebere
Tell me about the purpose of your business
Melissa, her husband, Adam, and their two children — Mae and John — moved into their Fairlawn Heights Tudor-style home in 2014. About five years later, Casebere started Akron Cookie Company after her treats gained local attention at a holiday cookie exchange.
The company specializes in vanilla sugar cookies with vanilla royal icing. Melissa said she makes about 250 cookies a week.
“My company’s purpose is to bring people joy with tasty treats and help them with their celebrations,” she said.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit Akron in 2020, she “had all the time in the world.” That led to orders of individually packaged cookies dropped off at residences. The drop-off model was a hit.
Today, customers drive to her home to pick up orders, but Melissa will also ship cookies throughout Ohio.
How does your business fit into the Fairlawn Heights neighborhood?
Melissa follows Ohio’s cottage food laws and bakes her company’s treats in a dedicated space on the lower floor of her nearly 100-year-old home. She calls it the Cookie Room.
The home was built by Krumroy Construction — the Caseberes are the home’s fifth owners. She said a man once stopped by and told her he grew up in the home
“He said to me, ‘Go upstairs and look in your closet on the moulding. My initials are carved in there,’” she said. He was right. She found his initials carved in the door, which had been painted over.
Baking out of her home in Fairlawn Heights has given Melissa an opportunity to meet neighbors, many of whom are repeat customers.
“I’ve done a wedding shower, then a baby shower, a baby baptism, a first birthday and a second birthday — for the same family,” she said.
What is the most interesting thing about this neighborhood?
“The homes, absolutely the homes,” Melissa said. She loves the neighborhood’s historic residences, but the new ones that are being built “fit in pretty seamlessly.”
How has the neighborhood changed since you’ve lived here?
“Not much,” she said. “It just feels like, what do they call it, a sleeper community. It’s stable, and people stay in their houses a really long time. My neighbors just moved, but they were in their house for 40 years. There’s not much changeover.”
What’s missing from Fairlawn Heights?
Melissa, a dog owner, said not having sidewalks on Ridgewood Road is a challenge for residents who walk their four-legged companions.
“But,” she added, “once you get back into the depths of the neighborhood a little bit, there’s no traffic.”
Other than that, she said she’s never really thought anything was missing from the neighborhood.
“We’re kind of close to everything,” she said, mentioning the shops at Pilgrim Square and South Point Tavern in the nearby Northwest Akron neighborhood.
PUBLIC SPACE SHOUTOUT
The Green on Fairlawn Boulevard
Fairlawn Boulevard on its southern end, near Stockbridge Road, is divided by a wide green space the neighborhood has used for Fourth of July parades, a fall festival and an Easter egg hunt.
On the south end of the boulevard, the Fairlawn Heights Neighborhood Association and neighbors built a garden in 2023 with flowering plants to attract butterflies.
The space includes a butterfly-shaped bench designed by Akron artist Don Drumm. It was donated by Chris Misanko in memory of his wife, who died in 2020. A plaque near the bench reads, “In loving memory of Linda K. Misanko, who has brightened the lives of so many.”
