This year’s Best Upper Floor Residential Rehabilitation Award was presented to City Architecture and The Capital Realty Group for the Mayflower Manor Apartments renovation in Akron.
The 450 room Mayflower Hotel, designed by Grahm, Anderson, Probst, and White, opened in 1931. At sixteen stories tall, it is the tallest building in Akron’s South Main Street Historic District. After a number of different operators, the hotel closed in 1971. The building, now known as the Mayflower Manor Apartments, reopened in 1979 as 233 senior, affordable apartments. The 2021 renovation included updates to the apartment units, common interior areas, and the exterior of the building, the first significant renovation to occur since 1979. The acquisition and renovation of this building by Capital Realty Group has had a significant impact on downtown Akron. The owner’s commitment to keeping affordable housing in the heart of downtown Akron, in a location that is well connected to public transit, cultural assets, and entertainment venues, has been embraced by the city.
A chance event in 1935 would establish the Mayflower as a significant cultural landmark. Bill Wilson, a recovering alcoholic from New York, made a phone call to local doctor Bob Smith when he found himself craving a drink from the hotel bar. The two men helped each other get sober and would go on to found the group Alcoholics Anonymous. Each year, recovering members commemorate Founders Day and many travel to the Mayflower to celebrate.