1970, when the Quaker Oats Co. packed up its
headquarters in Akron, Ohio, and resettled in Chicago,
the run-down factories and grain silos it left behind were
likely candidates for the wrecking ball. But that was
before an enterprising group of developers, led primarily
by Akron architects Ted Curtis and Harold Rasmussen,
stepped into the picture.
Now the one-time eyesore in the heart of the city is
playing a major role in the revitalization of Akron's
downtown. Today it is known as "Quaker Square," a
block-long cluster of shops, offices, restaurants and the
piece de resistance: the country's only hotel built inside an
array of grain silos, dubbed the Oatmeal Hilton by
locals.
The