Overview
The Matthews Hotel Monument, located at North Howard Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, honors one of Akron’s most important cultural landmarks.
From the 1930s through the 1950s, the Matthews Hotel welcomed legendary jazz musicians who performed in the city while traveling between major gigs in New York and Chicago. Icons such as Cab Calloway, Louis Armstrong, Count Basie and Ella Fitzgerald stayed here during an era when segregation prevented Black performers from lodging in white-only downtown hotels.
The original hotel was demolished in 1982. Akron artist Miller Horns, who passed away in 2012, dedicated his life to ensuring its legacy lived on. Construction of the monument began in 2011 with support from local contractors who donated labor and materials.
Quick Facts
- Status
- Existing
