National Register of Historic Places

Franklin Hotel

Kent, Portage County, Ohio
Listed
January 18, 2013
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
12000802

About this property

Acorn Corner, originally known as the Franklin Hotel or Hotel Franklin, is a six-story historic building in Kent, Ohio, United States, listed on the National Register of Historic Places since January 2013. Construction started in 1919 and the hotel opened in September 1920. The hotel was also known as the Hotel Kent and later the Hotel Kent-Ellis. Locally it is often referred to as the "old Kent hotel", "Kent Hotel", or the "old hotel", and historically was nicknamed "the Grand Old Lady of Main Street". The building functioned as a hotel until the early 1970s when it was converted for use as student housing. The upper four floors were condemned in 1979, though the bottom floors housed a number of small businesses until 2000. After several years of total vacancy and nearly being demolished multiple times in the 2000s, the building was purchased in late 2011 by local developer Ron Burbick and renamed Acorn Corner to complement his adjacent Acorn Alley development. Work also began on a complete $6.5 million renovation and restoration of the building, which included construction of a new elevator shaft. The renovated building, hailed as a "Kent miracle", opened in April 2013 and had a grand opening in May. Its anchor tenant is Buffalo Wild Wings, and also includes a wine bar, offices, and apartments. The structure, designed by architect H.L. Stevens, is an example of the Neoclassical Revival style. It includes five above-ground levels and a partially exposed basement. It was nominated under National Register Criteria A and B, due to its connections with significant events and developments in local history and important people in the history of Kent.

Location

176 E. Main St.
Kent, Portage County, Ohio
41.15360, -81.35667

Categories

SOCIAL HISTORYCOMMUNITY PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Gross, L.N., Company Building
Industrial
0.2 mi
Kent Industrial District
Industrial
0.2 mi
Franklin Township Hall
Industrial
0.2 mi
Masonic Temple
Industrial
0.3 mi
West Main Street District
Listed
0.4 mi

Questions about this property

When was Franklin Hotel listed on the National Register?

Franklin Hotel was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on January 18, 2013.

What type of historic resource is Franklin Hotel?

Franklin Hotel is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Franklin Hotel?

The period of significance for Franklin Hotel is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Franklin Hotel?

Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Franklin Hotel will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.

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