Quaker Oats Mill, Akron, OH
Posted by: 
kbarhow
N 41° 04.833 W 081° 30.961
17T E 456654 N 4547827
Former Quaker Oats factory and storage facility converted to a hotel building in 1980. Now owned by Akron University for future use as student housing. A great example of reuse of an existing building rather than razing it.
Waymark Code: WM3MX0
Location: Ohio, United States
Date Posted: 04/22/2008
Views: 114
Ferdinand Schumacher, a local German immigrant, began selling ground oats as cerial from his local store in the 1850's. He was so successful that he started milling his own oats using water power from the nearby Ohio-Erie Canal. The canal still runs through town. His company was known as German Mills American Oatmeal Company. He sold oatmeal to the Union Army during the Civil War and was known as "The Oatmeal King." He later merged his operations with other millers and formed a company that would later be known as Quaker Oats. This location was built in 1932 and operated until 1970. A shopping mall was built in the old plant in 1975. The silos were converted into a hotel in 1980. Akron University purchased the hotel in 2007 for future student housing. The hotel remains open for the time being. Be sure to look at the Google Sat image for the location, as it is quite interesting to see how it is arranged. See the attached web pages for additional information regarding the facility.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quaker_Square
http://www.quakersquare.com/
http://www.quakeroats.com/qfb_AboutUs/history.cfm
http://www.quakersquare.com/quakerhistory.html
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