It would probably help if I explained exactly what area I actually consider to be North Hill.
Cardarelli Corners - City of Akron Resolution No. 523-1956 designating the intersection of Sawyer Avenue and Iuka Avenue as Cardarelli Corners
Whereas, Nick A. Cardarelli has been a resident of The
City of Akron since 1912; and
Whereas, Since 1926 the said Nick A. Cardarelli and his family have resided at
1071 Sawyer Avenue in The City of Akron, Ohio, which is located near the
intersection of said Sawyer Avenue and Iuka Avenue; and
Whereas, at that time the area at said corners consisted of large holes which
were used as dumping places, endangering the life and health of residents of
that area; and
Whereas, The said Nick A. Cardarelli, after much effort, prevailed upon the City
and private contractors to fill in said areas so that playgrounds could be set
up for the children; and
Whereas, Said area and corners thereafter became known as Cardarelli Corners;
Now Therefore, Be it resolved by the Council of The City of Akron;
That, in recognition of the fine work of Nick A. Cardarelli in providing
playgrounds for and contributing to the well being of the children of the Sawyer
Avenue and Iuka Avenue area, the intersection of Sawyer Avenue and Iuka Avenue
be and hereafter be known as Cardarelli Corners
Chuckery Race
- On Monday 27 May 1844 at "about 4 o'clock PM the water was descried from the point where
it was to flow over the hill into the valley of the Little Cuyahoga river, when the "Baby Waker" of the
Summit Guards, stationed on a neighboring hill, awakened the echoes that skirt the valleys of the two rivers, by
repeated discharges, done in fine style. This was answered by the hearty cheers of the multitude, and the ringing
of the bells from the town. Then came a pause, and all were on tip-toe to see the final consummation of this great
work - the fall of the water at the end of the race into the valley below. The water came slowly on, as if it had
lost its way and was loth to leave the foamy bed of the ancient river and check its headlong career to be subject
to the control of man. But art and enterprise had triumphed - the great work, which had so long been held in doubt,
was accomplished, for soon the water was seen to emerge from the termination of the canal and flow over the hill
into the valley below. This was greeted with three cheers from the people and the firing of cannon."
The preceding paragraph appeared in the Beacon in the issue of 29 May 1844.The Chuckery Race was the scheme of Dr. Eliakim Crosby who, after his success with the Cascade Race in downtown Akron, believed he could construct another race with much more power. Briefly stated, Dr. Crosby planned to divert water from the Cuyahoga River, at a point near the present day Prospect Street observation bridge in Cuyahoga Falls, into a channel approximately 30 feet wide and 8 feet deep. If you stand on the observation bridge today, the channel began at a point down near where the river curves out of sight to the right. The channel proceeded down river through the area of the old Ohio Edison plant across the street and then followed almost identically the path of the present High Bridge Trail to the High Level Bridge.
Waters Park - In his last will
and testament, which was recorded in Summit County Probate Court in December of 1933, Frank Hyde Waters stated
his desires regarding the property that he held at the north end of the North Hill Viaduct.
"All the real estate owned by me is contiguous, although the title is derived through several deeds and is located abutting on North Main Street at the north end of the Viaduct and extending eastwardly to the rear of the lots on the west side of Butler Avenue, in the city of Akron, Ohio, for many years my beloved wife and myself have desired to have this property donated to the aid of persons suffering from tuberculosis by having erected and maintained thereon a Tubercular Clinic or a structure to furnish proper accommodations to convalescent persons who are practically cured but not yet ready for discharge, and in the event the City of Akron or the authorities of Summit County, should not accept the same as a gift and devote it to one or the other of said purposes, that the same be donated to the City of Akron as a park or playground for children, and if it is possible to accept it as a site for a tubercular clinic and also for a park or playground for children, I desire to have it so donated, and in order to carry out these purposes, should I fail to do so during my lifetime, I give and devise all and singular said real estate to J. Stuart Sneddon, H. E. Andress, and Ruth I. Moore, in Trust, however, to negotiate with the said City of Akron, Ohio and the county officials of Summit County, Ohio their acceptance of said property for one or more of the above purposes, and as soon as they are able to have the same accepted by one or the other of said public authorities, for on or more of the purposes aforesaid, they are authorized and empowered to convey all and singular said real estate to the acceptor or donee, and the deed of conveyance shall recite the donor and the purpose for which it is given and conveyed and the same shall be maintained by the donee in perpetuity and forever with the condition that there shall be erected at a suitable place upon said premises a Tablet or Monument of granite not less than three feet thick, eight feet long, and six feet high above the base and foundation, with proper inscription thereon of the donors name and the purpose for which it is donated, and that such donation is in the memory of the donor's wife, Cora S. Waters, and daughter Mary Waters Sneddon."
Frank H. Waters' name began appearing on titles to land that included his eventual estate in the late 1880's. Over the years, "Frank Waters, lawyer by day and mechanic, bricklayer, gardener, horticulturist, and what not by evenings and early morning, had made with his own hands a country estate at the city's rim. . . . With the exception of several rugged old oaks every one of the scores of trees - poplars, maples, ash, fir, spruce, hemlock, and pine were planted with Mr. Waters own hands.
Roses of every variety grow there in almost wild profusion and there are dozens of flowering bushes, only one or two alike. Lilacs, rhododendron, laurel, bitter sweet grow at all corners. Mulberry bushes weep at corners, some of the finest dahlias and gladioli grown in these parts flower there. Mr. Waters planted every one of them.
Up until a short time before his death, Mr. Waters thought nothing of getting up at 5 o'clock in the morning and working in his garden till it was time to go the office. Then in the evening, when his day with legal tomes were through, he'd put on his old clothes again and go back to work in the garden.
Not only did he build the garden but he laid the bricks for drainage and poured the concrete for the walks and driveways, leveled the cinders for the roads. Before the water lines came to North Hill, Mr. Waters had his own system. The water tower that he built - every stick of it with his own hands - still stands in back of the house, a retreat for pigeons from miles around. The white house, with its vine covered brick chimneys was built under Mr. Waters personal supervision.
Shortly after the filing of Mr. Waters will, the city health commissioner determined that the city and the county were "well cared for as far as needs for a tuberculosis clinic were concerned and believed the tract would be more beneficial as a playground". It wasn't until Februaruy of 1935 that all of the plans for the park and negotiations between the City and the Executors of the will were completed. Shortly thereafter work began on the construction of tennis courts, and outdoor theatre, and a wading pool. The final park design made use of the original Waters' residence, a greenhouse, a garage, and a building that was used for storage of playground equipment. A formal dedication ceremony was held on September 15, 1937. J. Stuart Sneddon, son-in-law of Mr. Waters, traveled from New York to make the presentation. "It is my hope in making this presentation on behalf of the Waters family that the residents of Akron receive as much enjoyment from the property as the Waters family did." Several hundred people attended the ceremony that day.
By the late 1970's, most of the original buildings
had been demolished. New tennis courts were built along with a new parking area and some site improvements. Today,
there is only one small building remaining and I am uncertain if that was built by Mr. Waters. The monument that
was requested in Mr. Waters' will still stands along with remains of the outdoor theatre, that was built by the
city, and all the concrete walls, stairways, and driveways that were built by Mr. Waters.
Patterson Park - From 1963 through
1965, the city of Akron purchased the land for the Park through the Federal Open Space Land Program under Title
IV of the Housing Act of 1961. Four seperate puchases were made totalling $ 114,500.