How a Hotel and Mall was Built in a former Quaker Oats Factory

Quaker Square was a shopping complex and hotel built in a former Quaker Oats factory complex in Akron, Ohio. It had 40 plus specialty shops in the mall and a 200-room hotel built in former grain silos. Quaker Square was sold to the University of Akron in 2007 and the mall area shutdown in 2015. I had the opportunity to sit down with one of the developers of Quaker Square and take a deep dive into its history.
Chapters:
0:00 What was Quaker Square?
0:40 Quaker Oats Company's beginning in Akron
1:20 Quaker Square's Conception
4:18 The Project's Setback
7:32 Renovating and opening the Mall
13:15 Grain Silos Become a Hotel
20:00 Quaker Square's Downfall
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Sources used:
Quaker Square Associates, Inc. articles of incorporation, 1974
Quaker Square Properties, articles of incorporation, 1979
Akron Beacon Journal Articles, 1957-2015.
National Register of Historic Places, Inventory Nomination Form (Quaker Oats Cereal Factory), 1978.
From Abandoned Silos to Luxury Hotels, 1981 The Aberdeen Group.
Ambiment - The Ambient by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. creativecommons.org/licenses/...
Source: incompetech.com/music/royalty-...
Artist: incompetech.com/
#quakersquare #quakeroats

[@RailroadStreet]

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[@mylesspear]

Speechless. You did a great job! I grew up in Akron for most of my childhood and I have vivid memories going to Quaker square all the time. I constantly asked my parents if we could go to Quaker Square just to see the trains outside and inside. It never got old! We’d sometimes tie it in with going to the library. Other times we would just go there to watch trains. On occasion, we’d go inside to grab hot chocolate or just a bite for lunch. Ted and his team did a great job designing the complex. It felt very home grown and small business friendly. Kinda a shame the state it’s in now but perhaps one day it’ll be revived again. Thanks for the trip down memory lane!

[@RailroadStreet]

Thanks Myles! That is a great memory I'm sure you'll remember for the rest of your life. My parents took me to Quaker Square once when I was little to see all the trains. Of course I don't remember that because I was so young.

[@mylesspear]

@@RailroadStreet cool! No problem.

[@dcviper985]

I also have fond memories of Quaker Square. There was a restaurant in the basement that had a prime rib buffet. The old timey picture studio. Bulk candy... Good times. I definitely remember the place being on the rocks when we moved down to Columbus in '98.

[@RENTnerd87]

I miss Quaker Square so much

[@MichaelYoutube85]

Or house in Akron one night had a bad gas leak. We were told we were lucky to survive. The Quaker square let us stay for free. I had so many memories going there. Loved all of the train cars you were able to explore. Even though it’s gone, it served its purpose. True Akron history

[@user-uf5zy8ig1v]

Quaker Square in the 80s was a novelty. I grew up in Akron. Visited Quaker Square on a couple rare occasions. I remember the shops ND how enchanting the place was

[@IanZainea1990]

First off. Idk when he took over at UA, but I was a student there from 2008-2012, and all the new buildings were amazing. I actually lived in Quaker for 1 year, 2009-2010. You could see how it was once amazing, but it was let go. Such a shame. I'd been in that comic shop briefly. And I think I remember the staircase. Was a long time ago. And I ate in the restaurant basically every day. The rooms were nice once upon a time. I'm sure staying a night or two, the round rooms were cool. Living in them, it eats at you. You don't have flat walls to work with! Your bed doesn't sit flush. Things are laid out weird. It just is a challenge. Lol.

[@evian9999]

I was a student when they first had dorms there in 2008. I remember touring the rooms and while it looked like a cool place to live, it was too far away from the main campus. So I never ended up living there. I'm glad I didn't because I didn't even think about how there were no flat walls to work with haha.

[@thespaceace5637]

First of all I just want to say I love your channel and that you're doing these stories about industry in NE Ohio. I hope you keep this up and keep reaching out to key figures in these stories like Mr. Curtis, because they won't be around to tell their stories forever. I grew up in Akron and Quaker Square was one of my favorite places to go. I would beg my mom to take me there. I loved trains and Thomas the Tank Engine, so all the historic rail items were awesome. Like another commenter said, we used to go there after Day Out with Thomas at the CVSR every year (though we went more often). There was the bigger steam locomotive (I believe it came from a private train collection/museum, I forget what it was called or where it was), and they had that little tank engine painted to look like Thomas. There was also the signal box, the small-scale GM Aerotrain (which came from an amusement park, I forget which one), the passenger cars inside, and there was also a small steam traction engine. There also used to be a small disused Amtrak kiosk building out back. I guess Amtrak used to service the area but I'm pretty sure they stopped before I was born. Not sure how much of that stuff is still there. There used to be a great toy store in there called My Little Red Wagon, which was my favorite. It was one of the few places at the time that sold Ertl, Playmobil, Rokenbok, Bendos, Thomas the Tank Engine, Theodore Tugboat and other "high quality" or educational toys. Some of the big box stores started carrying that stuff later on, but they didn't initially. There was also an awesome candy store in there that sold lots of old-fashioned candy, which again, was before the big chains started selling that stuff again. But of course, the main thing to get when you were there were the amazing oatmeal cookies. I really hope Quaker Square can find some life again. I know the city is finally attempting to revitalize downtown, so maybe Quaker Square will follow suit. The antique industrial architecture is just so awesome and such a great example of what Akron looked like a century ago.

[@SumSouuthernSugar]

Great video.

[@whosonfirst1309]

The part about the silos being designed for water instead of grain was fascinating, unbelievable.

[@reddrw1]

Growing up in Akron. When you woke up in the morning you smelled two things. 1. Tires being made by Goodyear, Firestone, General Tire, and any others 2. The second thing you smelled was Oatmeal, Or Oats from Quaker Oats Factory. Just thinking about it brings back great memories growing up in Akron...

[@thejoeshow5]

Fantastic video. Thank you for your effort and preserving this beautiful history

[@jasons8479]

We had a very similar place here in Tampa, FL called *Ybor Square* from the mid 1970s through the 1990s, constructed within a former cigar factory (1886) in the Ybor City neighborhood. It bore a striking resemblance to Quaker Square, down to the exterior glass elevator, signage and stores. It featured many local restaurants and retail shops. My favorite store was the Red Horse, which carried tens of thousands of old postcards as well as books and other antique items.

[@TechX1320]

You deserve far more subs. These videos are amazingly well made! I grew up in Cleveland, still live in a suburb of Cleveland and didn't know most of this stuff

[@onefastneonrt]

Many found memories with my grandparents going to eat spaghetti and watch the trains. Sad to see it fade away.

[@judpowell1756]

the adjacent parking along Mill St was originally a four track yard used by the PRR as team tracks and holding for the REA facility

[@scottsynol4556]

wow incredible content. I'm glad I stumbled on to your channel. I look forward to future content. like the guy below me speechless. thank you very professionally done informative

[@scott9752]

Wonderful video! I have such wonderful memories of visiting Quaker Square as a child. The train collection at the Depot kept me entertained for hours!

[@ThomasC-Crazy4NiagaraFalls]

Very interesting video. I grew up in the Cleveland area but my parents and grandmothers loved Quaker Square and we would visit several times a year. Later as an adult, I would visit Quaker Square sometimes when I was in Akron for business. It was always a neat place to visit. Nice to now know how it came to be. It's a shame it is no more. When I visited Quaker Square with my parents growing up, we would usually stop for dinner at Ernest Angley's Cathedral Buffet on the way home 🙂

[@sdmbassist]

My grandma and mom would take me to Quaker Square when I was a kid. It was really interesting. I always like to go there for the Fererger's Fudge. Oh the wonderful smells.

[@YourGirlMorgan56]

One of the best videos! I miss Quaker Square so much. I grew up in the Falls and my parents took us at least 4 times a year. My now husband and I had our NYE parties here, we went to the Christmas Tree festival here, we even spent our wedding night in the silos right before the hotel went to Akron U.

[@judpowell1756]

grew up in Akron....been there many times....UofA sold off Max Lowery's O gauge model collection and were soooooo stupid they separated the steam engines and tenders as individual items for the auction

[@RailroadStreet]

I remember reading about them auctioning off his collection a few years ago. I believe some of his O Gauge stuff was purchased by the Corner Field Model Railroad Museum.

[@jasonmiles1151]

If there was a channel like this for the Hocking Hills area and all the mining towns

[@calvinthedestroyer]

I never got to go in there to see everything. It looks awesome. Man, Akron doesn't know how good they have it.

[@ericheld4382]

Live near here was a pretty cool place to hang out, first time I can recall going to QS I was 4 years old my dad and uncle took to to see the train display then later we rode the CVSR probably the 1st or 2 year it operated.

[@brooklynbummer]

We stayed there and it was nice.

[@davidellis4084]

Very sad what happened there. I wish it had been able to continue as the mall and hotel it was.

[@thejoeshow5]

Just walked through. The building is gorgeous. This man is a mastermind by every standard. Truly an amazing structure and great character. Sad to see that it is mostly shut down now thanks to the university being awful.

[@rodsworldtv67]

I stayed in that hotel!

[@brooklynbummer]

I visited the mall and spent a weekend in the hotel.

[@mechmotion]

I stayed in the hotel as a kid in the early 90s. I had no idea the entire complex had closed.

[@kimberlykendall]

Used to take my son there so sad it closer. It felt like a secret everytime bc we were always the only ones there

[@AshLilburne]

Have I seen that Ted Curtis guy interviewed on another channel, maybe Bright Sun Films perhaps? Im sure I have.

[@fdfpi47]

I don't know if they are still doing it, but last year they were using the Quaker Square rooms for quarantining students who lived in the dorms when they tested positive.

[@RailroadStreet]

Yes, I saw that. I believe they still are still doing that along with rapid testing.

[@bolyard7532]

I remember going here as a kid after day out with Thomas at the CVSR. My parents would let me pick out 1 Thomas toy for the day Great memories.

[@kents.2866]

It was great taking the Cuyahoga railroad to Quaker Square to eat and see the old steam engines.

[@rvk8991]

remember this place well. unfortunately i doubt you could have a place like this today. the stores would be robbed blind, and it wouldn't be safe enough to go to.

[@rogallen9535]

That sucks most of it is shut down

[@Pianotendo]

I thought it was going to be repurposed in the same way that Chapel Hill Mall is going to be. A place for upstarts.