Akron Airdock Opening 1986

Akron Goodyear Air Dock Public Opening 1986 for United Way. First Public opening of the Air Dock in years.

[@scottgamble7767]

Thanks for posting this. I was there that day as a "roady" for the Stokes Sound and Lighting company (Hudson, OH). The owner A.J. Stokes was a former student in High School of my fathers (a music teacher at Hudson High) and I worked for A.J. during my College days. We set up the sound systems for the event (no lighting needed obviously) and played the music. I got to see this opening from the inside. Pretty spectacular looking out on the "sea" of people there that day. Somewhere I had a VHS tape I shot on-the-day with my Dad's CamCorder from that inside vantage point and later looking down from the above inside rafters (a spooky height!). I also found the doorway that lead up to the rooftop platform on the north side of the structure and took footage looking out over the surrounding land. You could see all the way to downtown Akron from there... and beyond. Unfortunately, my tape disappeared over the years (more's the pity) so I am extra grateful to you for posting this! I now know the date, as I had forgotten when this was.

[@danstehler9062]

I was 2 when this event took place. I strongly believe this to be one of my earliest memories as a kid. My grandparents lived a couple miles away and you could always see the rotating beacon on the roof from their house at night. I believe that airship operations trailer is sitting just outside of Hartville on middlebranch Ave. the blue paint is long gone but you can see a faint outline of the blimp on the side of it.

[@mistychenoweth9716]

Wow.

[@paulbfields8284]

I was there too. The airship America looked so tiny in there. I think I once read that 16 of these could fit in there. Imagine the awesome view of the Akron or Macon in there. One took up the whole structure.

[@JoeyRamonAllones]

In the 1960's (about 1965?) as an elementary school student I attended a circus performance set up inside the opened end of this unique structure. They had to lift my wheelchair over the railroad tracks to get through the doorway.

[@Paul8820]

It's still there to this day. But I don't think it's been opened to the public sense.

[@judpowell1756]

the Akron area Boy Scout Jamboree was held in the Air Dock in 1965

[@mjccarpenter]

I was there!

[@ignatiusdemonseed]

I have photos of the air dock on fire circa 2005. edit: May 18, 2006, 1030 am, to be exact.

[@RJ-wk8pi]

Is this still open to the public?

[@mistychenoweth9716]

No. I just tried and couldn’t get in.

[@amcoyt9269]

They had cloud in 1986

[@scottgamble7767]

Cloud? Well, speaking of clouds, I understand the building sometimes has (or had) its own weather inside, due to it's great size. When the condition was right (or more accurately...wrong!), it could actually fog up in the rafters or rain down humidity induced droplets from the ceiling. Some of the archival footage of the building (look up the U.S.S. Akron here on YT) shows large puddles inside at one point after the Airship had left the building. (I would have posted the link to the video copy, but YT doesn't permit that now for some dumb reason)