Inventory of the Friends of Hower House Collection, 1974-2002

Biography of Biography or History

Hower House is a High Victorian Mansion that was deeded to The University of Akron in 1970. The house was built in 1871 for John Henry Hower and his wife Susan. Architect Jacob Snyder designed the distinctive Second Empire Italianate style structure for the Howers; one of Akron's leading industrialist families. Three generations of Hower family had lived in the home when Grace Hower Crawford and John B. Hower turned it over to the University of Akron.

In 1973 a Faculty/administrative committee recommended that it "be used as a museum and conference center, the repair and maintenance work to be done over a period of years" estimates were then obtained, showing that the cost of renovation for these purposes would be from $266,200 to $378,730.

In 1974, President Guzzetta suggested that the costs of repair and renovation should not be taken from University funds, but that a determination should be made as to whether the community might undertake the restoration with private funds. The Board adopted this suggestion on January 23, 1974.

In early march, 1974, the Akron Area Women's League of the American Institute of Architects pledged $5,000 to underwrite the cost of an architect-historian's study of Hower House. Thus was born the community's response to the challenge of finding the best uses for a memorable gift.

On March 20, 1974, the Development Committee of the Board of Trustees approved the formation of the Friends of Hower House, a volunteer organization to raise funds for the restoration and to act in an advisory capacity to the University. In 1979, the Friends of Hower House formed the Hower House Victorians to promote and to assist in the preservation and restoration of Hower House.

*from the 1993 Hower House Operations Manual, Introduction to Hower House.

Scope and Content

The Friends of Hower House Collection documents the activities of that organization to benefit the museum operations, restoration, and fund raising from the early 80's through 2002. It consists of Jeannette Whites' files from her 18 years as a volunteer, board member and later trustee of the Friends and Victorians with additional materials given her for inclusion in this collection by Dorothy Wright and Catherine Campbell, among others. The collection consists four record series: Series I: Friends of Hower House files, Series II: Hower House Victorians files, Series III: Victorians Conservation and Restoration Committee files and Series IV: Audiovisual Materials.

Statement of Arrangement

Restrictions on Use

Copyright restrictions may apply. Permission to reproduce or publish materials in this collection must be secured in writing from Archival Services, University Libraries, The University of Akron.

Restrictions on Access

No restrictions on access; except not available through interlibrary loan. Copyright restrictions may apply. Permission to reproduce or publish materials in this collection must be secured in writing from Archival Services, University Libraries, The University of Akron.

Hower Family Papers Hower/Ayers Collection

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.

Organizations/Corporations:

Preferred Citation

[Identification of Item], Hower House Collection, Archival Services, University Libraries, The University of Akron, Akron, Ohio

Detailed Description of The Collection