FirstMerit Tower Receives (Merit) Badge
Have you seen it? Looming high above Main Street is the latest addition to the name tags that grace the tall buildings of downtown Akron. The one-story, blue, block letters proudly proclaim the namesake of the tallest of them all: FirstMerit.
click to enlarge
Yes, in case you didn’t know, the 442 foot high (antenna included) art deco skyscraper located at the intersection of Main and Mill Streets is formally known as the FirstMerit Tower for the bank that occupies the majority of its floor space. And, apparently, the bank is insistent that all who gaze upon the structure know this, having erected the building-wide banner this week.
The sign is strategically placed on the west-facing side of the tower for the optimal viewing pleasure of those entering the city via West Market Street or State Route 59. It is also apparent that a second sign (of equal magnitude, let’s hope) is planned for the east-facing facade as well.
Now, all who enter the City at the Summit shall know the name of this dominant edifice!
Unless it’s night time. During its first week of operation, the “t” in Merit has failed to light up. Although, “FirstMeri” has a nice ring to it.
Update: The East face of First Merit Tower is now also branded and the Radisson no longer has a logo on the building and has been renamed the Akron City Centre Hotel.
By McK on November 3, 2008 at 9:49 am
I so dislike logos on top of buildings. Also, they had previously spent $1.8 million to clean and refurbish the terracotta crown of this building. It makes little sense to cover up that work. Also, historic preservation status was being pursued for this building, this signage may complicate matters. I also imagine they have stopped lighting the crown at night now that this signage has been placed. I always loved how nice the crown looked lit up at night, it really added some character to the skyline. Lastly, I just find this particular logo to be very cluttered looking on this building, the letters nearly fade into the windows and just look like an afterthought (which of course they are). TAKE THE SIGN DOWN FIRSTMERIT!!!!
By NM on December 24, 2008 at 3:06 pm