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Albert Hall was home to city's elite in late 19th century
By Mark J. Price
Beacon Journal staff writer
Published on Monday, Jan 05, 2009
The white glow of electric lamps illuminated Albert Hall, ''the finest hall in Ohio,'' during its dedication ceremony Jan. 14, 1891. Akron's upper crust welcomed high-society guests from neighboring cities as more than 400 mingled at the Victorian gala in the four-story building.
Local observers hailed it as ''the most elegant party ever held in Akron.''
''Aglow with hundreds of electric lights, magnificent with sheen of silk, satin and diamonds, Albert Hall shone through the crisp wintry air of last night,'' the Akron Beacon & Republican reported. ''From 8 to 9 o'clock, a constant stream of carriages was driven in front of the Albert Block and their carefully cloaked occupants were escorted over carpet laid over the pavement to the elevator and deposited in the lobby of Albert Hall. A curious crowd, kept in check by a few policemen, stood near the entry, gazing on the splendors to which they might not approach.''
Akron merchant Albert T. Paige (1848-1918) built the downtown hall on the west side of South Main Street between Market and Mill streets. It was
nestled between the Paige Block, where Albert and his sibling David R. Paige (1844-1901) operated Paige Brothers hardware, and O'Neil & Dyas, a dry-goods store that evolved a year later into the M. O'Neil Co.
Local architects Frank O. Weary and George W. Kramer designed the brick-and-sandstone landmark, a gray building with a wrought-iron balcony, copper accents and the words ''ALBERT HALL'' chiseled near the top. The structure took eight months to build and cost $60,000 (about $1.8 million in today's money).
Paige, a widower, named the building for his only son, Albert A. Paige, who was 14 when the hall opened. It also served as a tip of the top hat to Royal Albert Hall, which debuted 20 years earlier in London.
On the ground level, a tiled front entrance opened to the dual storefronts of the Weeks & Kingsbury china shop and the Akron Shoe Co. The hallway continued to a carved, oak staircase leading to the second floor, which housed the Central Union Telephone Co., the Manufacturers' Mutual Fire Insurance Association and Professor Wilbur F. Stickle's School for Dancing.
A work of art
Visitors who continued to the next floor — either by staircase or elevator — discovered ''the gem of the building,'' a society hall with a ballroom, banquet room, parlors and kitchen. Taking up the third and fourth floors, the ballroom had an orchestral balcony and observation gallery.
''The ballroom is a work of art,'' the Akron Beacon reported. ''It is 60 feet square and is magnificent in its finish. The ceiling is raised for a space of 30 feet square in the center of the room and the effect obtained is that of a dome. Around the dome are 124 incandescent lamps and in the dome are four clusters of four lights each.''
Packard Electric Co. of Warren designed the lighting system for the pressed-steel ceiling. William Doud Packard personally supervised the installation, and attended the dedication with his brother, James, and a delegation from Warren.
On opening night, gentlemen donned formal evening wear and bejeweled ladies wore colorful gowns of silk, lace, embroidered gauze and ostrich feathers.
Orchestra leader George Humphrey struck up the band. Albert T. Paige and his date, Ida McClure, led guests on a merry march that transformed into a grand waltz.
Dancers snacked on olives, salted almonds, brandied cherries and French rolls before a maitre d' passed out cards at 10 p.m. inviting them to the first sitting in the banquet room.
Fifteen expert waiters, who had been imported from Cleveland for the night, flitted about candlelit tables decorated in pink and white. Guests dined on oyster patties, chicken salad, oyster salad, cold meats, sandwiches, fruit molds, fancy cakes and French coffee.
Then, of course, it was time to dance again. Whirling about the hardwood floor, couples enjoyed waltzes, quadrilles and two-steps. The orchestra performed 24 numbers before calling it quits around 2:30 a.m.
Carriages lined up on South Main Street. Weary guests bid farewell and traveled home to mansions or rode off to hotels.
Albert Hall became Akron's center of high-society functions in the Gay Nineties. Many galas were held at the hall, including the inaugural 1895 Charity Ball, a benefit for Mary Day Nursery (now Akron Children's Hospital), which continues to this day.
Every Friday, Professor Stickle and his wife, Clara, provided dance lessons in the ballroom. Many children from Akron's wealthiest families learned their first waltzes on the hardwood.
Tough times
Unfortunately, Ohio's finest hall was doomed to fail.
The Panic of 1893, an economic depression that rippled across the nation, hit Akron hard. Local factories cut production and laid off employees.
Some plants, such as Empire Mower and Reaper Works and the Akron Rolling Mills, went out of business.
Among the casualties was the Paige Brothers hardware store. The siblings fell into debt and had to sell the Paige Block. Next, Albert Hall fell into receivership.
Albert T. Paige, who in 1890 was one of the four original purchasers of land in Barberton, gave up Albert Hall to town founder O.C. Barber.
Consequently, Barber sold the building for $50,000 in 1898 to the adjacent M. O'Neil Co., which was looking to expand. O'Neil's installed a carpet department in the old ballroom.
Forced to move was Stickle's dancing school, but the professor had the last laugh. In 1905, he built East Market Gardens, one of the city's most beloved ballrooms of the 20th century.
Albert Hall operated as an annex for O'Neil's department store for nearly 30 years. When the retailer moved in 1928 to Main and State streets, new tenants moved into the old quarters.
Its occupants over the next two decades included Quality Furniture, Thom McAn Shoes, Morrow's Nut House, the Cotton Shop and Wilson Shoes.
Toward the end, the upstairs rooms were rented out as apartments. How many of those residents knew they were living in Ohio's finest hall?
The building stood for 70 years before a wrecking crew performed a modern two-step in the 1960s. Albert Hall was demolished as part of the Superblock urban renewal project.
Today, the site belongs to FirstEnergy Corp., Akron Centre Plaza and the John F. Seiberling Federal Building.
The general public is welcome to join the party.
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.
Get the full article here.
Comments
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Akron, OH
Posted 11:59 AM, 01/05/2009
Another excellent piece of local history for our posterity, Mark. Thanks.
This brings back personal memories of the old Northern Building on South High. It was located where the main library parking now stands. Like the Albert Hall, the Northern Building also had an elegantly decorated ballroom with an ornate stage and full service kitchen to the side (I believe it was on the third floor).
Mebbe you could look into that one for us someday, Mark.
