The Colonel Simon Perkins Mansion, situated on a hill overlooking downtown Akron, is one of the best examples of a Greek Revival residence in Ohio. The house was completed in 1837 by the son of one of Akron’s founders. Col. Perkins was instrumental in the formation of Summit County in 1840, and brought the Ohio and Erie Canal through Akron. The canal created the source for motive power that led to the development of the town as a milling and warehouse center, and as such, Akron is often referred to as “a child of the canal.”

Architectural historian Walter C. Kidney, in his book, Historic Buildings of Ohio, speculates that Issac Ladd was the house’s builder. Ladd constructed a similar house in Warren, Ohio, near Youngstown. The house is constructed of square, random laid, rough faced sandstone. Dressed stone quoins lintels, sills and water table contrast with the rough faced stone walls. One of the houses most impressive features is the two-story portico. The shallow sloped hip roof is pierced by two tall chimney stacks and a balustraded viewing platform or “widow’s walk.” Entered from the stone portico, the main entry is framed by sidelights and a transom. The house also exhibits elements of the Federal style, as can be seen in the elliptical frieze windows on the side elevations and the delicate interior woodwork.

Historic color postcard of Colonel Simon Perkins Mansion and carriage house Courtesy of Ohio Memory websiteWilliam A. Barnhill

Adjacent buildings include an 1865 office building, and an 1895 Shingle style carriage house, which includes a windmill. A dry-laid sandstone wall runs along the street edges of this corner property. Descendents of the Perkins family continued to occupy the house until 1945, when it was sold to the Summit County Historical Society. The interior of the Perkins Mansion was restored in 1986 and the house and grounds now serve as headquarters for the historical society and a house museum open to the public.

The Colonel Simon Perkins Mansion is located at 550 Copley Rd., in Akron. The house is open to the public from 1:00pm to 4:00pm, Wednesday-Friday from April-December. For further information call 330-535-1120 or visit the Summit County Historical Society‘s website. The Colonel Simon Perkins Mansion has also been documented by the Historic American Buildings Survey .