While you might not guess it at first glance, Goodyear Heights is Akron’s most recognized historic neighborhood, in terms of its designers and architects, national significance and recognition in books and periodicals about housing and urban design.
Already noted as eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places, Goodyear Heights has been widely recognized as a state-of-the-art example of community planning and worker housing in architectural, building and industry publications like
The Architectural Forum, Industry Week, The Architectural Review, The American City, Buildings & Building Management and others. It has been noted as a prime example of an Anglo-American Suburb by one of America’s most recognized residential architects, Robert A.M Stern, and discussed in detail in his book
Paradise Planned: The Garden Suburb and the Modern City. Goodyear Heights has been highlighted in books such as
Building the Worker’s Paradise by Margaret Crawford;
From Tenements to the Taylor Homes: In Search of an Urban Housing Policy in Twentieth-Century America, by John F. Bauman, Roger Biles and Kristin M. Szylvian;
A Genius for Place: American Landscapes of the Country Place Era, by Robin S. Karson; and
The Suburb Reader, by Becky Nicolaides and Andrew Wiese.
Of course, Goodyear Heights serves as a local landmark and historical reminder of Akron’s great period of growth between 1910 and 1920, when the city was among the fastest-growing in the world. During this period, the city’s population grew from just over 69,000 to over 200,000. As a project of Goodyear founder Frank Seiberling to improve living conditions for his workers, the neighborhood will always be associated with the company, and stands as a testament to Goodyear’s great growth and success during this period of the early 20th Century. Like its South Akron neighbor, Firestone Park, it is symbolic of Akron’s “boom years” when the city became The Rubber Capital of The World.
Today the neighborhood retains most of its original, small-town atmosphere, with mature trees, small parks and winding streets combining to provide a restful green oasis within the city. With well-built and distinctive housing, historic character and many amenities, Goodyear Heights is a great and affordable neighborhood for families of all types.
To read more about the history and significance of Goodyear Heights, download a brochure HERE.
