In one of the most spectacular fires Akron ever had, the Hower
Building on West Market Street at the Ohio Canal was completely
destroyed on May 18, 1909.
The airship "Akron" helped make our city internationally famous
from 1931 to 1933. Built for the U.S. Navy by Goodyear-Zeppelin
Corp. at its huge Akron airdock, the ship was 785 ft long, had a
maximum speed of 84 mph and a range of 10,580 miles. It
encountered a violent squall over the Atlantic on April 4, 1933
and was lost at sea with 73 of its crew.
