Schrader Building

The Schrader Warehouse Building is an excellent example of a standalone daylight factory, making the building an important example of Akron’s industrial history. The building’s reinforced concrete construction, large expanses of steel sash glazing, and open floor plans with regularly spaced concrete columns illustrate the typical features of the property type. The building exhibits Early Twentieth Century Classical Revival details such as quoining on the first story, pilasters, and decorative brackets above the main entrance.

A. Schrader’s Son Inc. of Ohio, the original occupants of the building, played an integral role in the development of Akron’s rubber and tire manufacturing industry. The company invented the Schrader Valve, a valve used in every modern-day automobile tire and most bicycle tires. A. Schrader’s Son Inc. of Ohio first constructed a one-story distribution building in 1921 at the height of Akron’s rubber industry boom. Demand for Schrader products grew rapidly, and the company expanded in 1926, hiring the Turner Construction Company, the leaders in reinforced concrete construction and daylight factories, to build the five-story warehouse at 711 Johnson Street.

Rosin Preservation documented this historic significance in the building’s National Register nomination. Working closely with the developer, the team plans to pursue historic tax credits that will aid in the building’s historic rehabilitation.