With a 1,686-seat auditorium, Goodyear Hall was the largest stage and theater in Akron —and one of the largest in Ohio — when it was completed in 1920. It was opened by Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. as part of its 5.5 million square-foot, 400-plus-acre Akron campus. Featuring a gym, classrooms and offices alongside the hall, the complex was meant as an industrial, educational and recreational destination for Goodyear employees. Over the years, the hall hosted productions, including “The Chocolate Soldier” — its cast is pictured there in 1950. The hall was a part of the recent $500 million East End redevelopment project, which included a Goodyear headquarters building, offices, apartments, retail space and a hotel. The complex was reimagined as the Goodyear Hall Gymnasium sports event center and the 1,450-plus-seat Goodyear Theater — which reopened in 2016 with sold-out concerts by Smashing Pumpkins and Gavin DeGraw. Now, the century-plus-old venue features concerts by “American Idol” finalist Ruben Studdard Oct. 17 and Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett Nov. 4.
Summit Memory/Akron Summit County Public Library
