Sun Feb 12 2012
The demise of the Olin House, the Franklin Township landmark razed this week by its owner, the city of Akron, is another reminder that history and heritage can vanish within a matter of hours.
The two-story brick structure, constructed by one of the township's pioneer families, had stood on Ravenna Road near the Diagonal Road intersection for 175 years. Although it had been vacant for several years and was in deteriorating condition, it was a tangible reminder of Portage County's pioneer days when homes were few and far between on the major highways of what was then a largely rural area.
The city of Akron had acquired the structure in 1990 and used it, for a time, as housing for employees of Akron's nearby water treatment plant at Lake Rockwell. Efforts to preserve it failed, and the crumbling structure, infested by animals, arguably was a safety hazard. Its size and solid-brick construction made it cost-prohibitive to attempt to relocate it.
The structure was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995. Such a designation provides recognition, but no safeguard against alteration or, as in this case, demolition. Other Portage County landmarks listed on the Register, such as John Brown's tannery in Kent, also have fallen to demolition crews.
Regardless, the razing of the Olin House remains a sad loss, not only for those accustomed to seeing as they drove on Ravenna Road but for those who mourn the loss of 175 years of history.
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