Bordered to the northeast by West Market Street, Interstate 77 to the southwest, Miller Road to the northwest, and Frank Boulevard to the southeast, the community of Fairlawn Heights, while not as old as the City of Akron, it has a rich history of its own.
The now-public Stan Hywet Mansion – less than ten minutes from Fairlawn Heights – was built by The Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company founder, Frank A. Seiberling, as a homestead retreat away from the tire factories of Akron, with the hope that other Goodyear executives would follow.
To support his efforts, Seiberling formed a home-building firm – Fairlawn Heights Company – and in 1917, and with it, Seiberling’s dream began to become reality. Plans for Fairlawn Heights, along with a 150-acre country club, were started into motion by Boston-based Harold S. Wagner, who spear-headed $1.5 million in improvements to the area. A thousand acres of previously undeveloped land south of West Market Street, between Lowndale Avenue and Miller Road was Wagner’s project territory, who worked with Warren Manning, Seiberling’s landscape designer.
The annexation to the City of Akron happened in 1932 when the Heights sought support from the City for water services. It was during that same decade that the Fairlawn Heights Company was brought out of bankruptcy by C. Blake McDowell Sr., and smaller, less expensive homes joined the elegant, expansive dwellings in the area.
The homes of Fairlawn Heights houses range from approximately 3,000 square feet to 10,000 square feet, with most having been built in the 1920s-1930s and again in the late ‘40s and mid-‘60s. The variety of the community’s graceful, attractive architecture set it apart from any other neighborhood in the area. A drive through the streets of Fairlawn Heights reveals Tudor and Georgian revivals, French Norman and Chateaux styles, mixed carefully and thoughtfully with Bauhaus, and large country ranches.
Many of the neighborhood’s most historic-rich and beautiful homes were built by Roy Firestone, one of Akron’s best-known architects and native son.
Known for its beautiful homes and wooded lots, Fairlawn Heights is a hillside community with a country feel, yet only minutes from downtown Akron and a multitude of shopping and service conveniences.
Fairlawn Heights is honored by its history, and its residents are proud of their homes and neighborhood.
