The Hippodrome Arcade was built at the right place, but it just wasn't the right time.
A portion of the downtown Akron landmark still exists, a mere shell of what its developers intended.
Untold legions have walked through the grand entrance without knowing its origin.
L. Oscar Beck (1886-1975), owner of two of Akron's greatest dance halls, East Market Gardens and South Main Gardens, was the driving force behind the ambitious project.
For five years, he worked tirelessly on a plan to build an elegant concourse with 30 stores, offices and restaurants, and a luxurious movie palace with seating for more than 3,000.
In 1917, Beck incorporated the Hippodrome Arcade Co. with $700,000 in capital. Serving as president and general manager, he enlisted Akron attorney Dow Harter (1885-1971), the future U.S. congressman, as secretary and treasurer.
''I want to tell you that I have had this plan in mind for several years,'' Beck said in a pitch for potential investors. ''I know the tremendous success other arcade business blocks are having, and I have long wanted an opportunity to create one.
''I also know the theater and amusement business thoroughly, and I have been anxious to give Akron a real live theater.''
The company began selling stock for the rather hefty price of $10 a share — nearly $200 in today's money. Beck conceded that the cost was ''slightly higher'' than usual, but said that every dollar would go toward construction and improvements.
''Show me the doubters!'' he said. ''I'd like to tell them how I made my money — and how easy big propositions are to handle. This thing's going through — with the help of hundreds of Akron people.''
The Hippodrome owed its name to horse-racing stadiums in ancient Greece. ''Hippos'' is Greek for ''horse'' and ''dromos'' means ''road.'' Several U.S. cities, including New York, Baltimore and Cleveland, built popular Hippodrome theaters.
Beck and Harter acquired property at South Main, West Bowery and Water streets near the Ohio & Erie Canal, and selected 182 S. Main St. as the ideal site for a front entrance.
They recruited famous Detroit architect C. Howard Crane (1885-1952) to design the Hippodrome Theatre, which would be called ''The Hipp'' for short.
Big expectations
In 1919, Beck advertised: ''Tonight! At the Hippodrome. Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford, Mack Sennett Comedies. These are the kind of pictures that will be shown at the Hippodrome, Akron's finest and most luxurious movie palace, when it is completed.
''These attractions will play to standing room only. They will furnish entertainment for thousands of Akron movie fans who demand the best there is and who are willing to pay for it.''
Beck conservatively estimated that 10,000 people a day would enter the 48,000-square-foot arcade. They would pass through a ''tastefully decorated and elegant lobby, rather Italian in its treatment,'' and find themselves in a rotunda under ''The Dome,'' which Beck described as ''a preface to the arcade proper,'' where an orchestra would perform several times a day.
''Meet Me Under the Dome'' was destined to be a popular saying in Akron, Beck said.
Patrons would stroll along ''a shopping avenue'' of 30 stores, offices and restaurants. Beck expected the boutiques to become ''the fashion center of Akron,'' with ''exclusive Parisian creations.''
Shoppers were invited to dine at the soda grill, where they could enjoy ''the best light foods and soft drinks'' and prompt, courteous service.
One of the arcade's progressive designs was a child-care center where parents could leave their youngsters while shopping or going to a show.
''We cannot exactly call this a 'Day Nursery,' for it is going to be open also during the evenings,'' Beck advertised. ''There will be attendants — perhaps they should be called nurses — to look after the youngsters from early morning till after the night performance in the theatre.''
The company built a two-story arcade entrance in the Italian Renaissance Revival architectural style with a grand stone facade, protruding cornices and a tile roof. A large, vertical, electric sign reading ''Hippodrome'' hung above a marquee.
A sales office opened just inside the arcade entrance while the walls of the long tunnel were still under construction.
''We invite you — everybody — to come in and inspect the properties,'' Beck advertised. ''See the buildings.''
Plans don't pan out
Beck championed the cause for years, but he couldn't attract enough investors to complete the project. The arcade suffered additional setbacks.
A shortage of materials during World War I delayed initial construction. The Spanish influenza epidemic kept away prospective shareholders.
A sharp economic downturn in 1921 was the final straw. The Hippodrome company collapsed, leaving behind a beautiful facade and a partially constructed arcade.
According to local tradition, the unfinished building stood vacant for several years until U.S. theater magnate Marcus Loew (1870-1927) happened to notice the property while scouting for a place to build a movie palace in downtown Akron.
The theater chain bought the Hippodrome Arcade for $143,000 at a sheriff's sale in late 1926, a year before Loew died.
Construction began in 1928 on an opulent, 3,400-seat Moorish theater with a grand lobby that connected to the Hippodrome's original entrance. With a new marquee, Loew's Theater opened to much fanfare in 1929 just before the Wall Street crash triggered the Great Depression.
Today, we know the place as the Akron Civic Theatre, the ''Jewel on Main Street.''
Clearly, L. Oscar Beck was ahead of his time.
He laid the groundwork for a local landmark — a jewel in the rough — but he received little recognition for his efforts.
''We have looked for the most promising location and we have found it,'' Beck reported in 1917. ''We do not need to exaggerate its possibilities.''
Mark J. Price is a Beacon Journal copy editor. He can be reached at 330-996-3850 or send e-mail to mjprice@thebeaconjournal.com.
