A short distance from the site of Rolling Acres Dead Mall, Rubber Bowl Stadium is another of Akron, Ohio's infamous abandoned places. Situated on a large swath of land shared with Akron Fulton International Airport and Derby Downs, the beloved home of the All American Soap Box Derby, the stadium awaits its inevitable demise.
The Rubber Bowl is in very bad condition. The deserted structures along its perimeter are crumbling, their floors covered by rubble from collapsing ceilings.
Most of the stadium seating has been removed.
Much of it lies in heaps along the bottom of the spectator area.
The dark passageways beneath the stadium are choked with twisted metal benches and other detritus.
The Rubber Bowl was built in 1940 as the home field of the University of Akron's football team, the Akron Zips. It was named in honor of the tire industry, which was so prominent at the time that Akron was considered the Rubber Capital of the World.
The stadium was built by the Works Progress Administration, a federal program that provided hope and opportunity during the Great Depression by creating jobs and livable wages for 8.5 million people.
The original grass field was replaced by Astroturf in 1983. In 2003, the turf was upgraded to AstroPlay, which is still in relatively good condition.
With a seating capacity of 35,202, the stadium served as a venue for concerts, circuses and other events. Over the years quite a few legendary musical acts performed at the Rubber Bowl, including The Rolling Stones, the Grateful Dead, Simon & Garfunkel, Bob Dylan, Black Sabbath, Alice Cooper, Three Dog Night, Tom Petty, Aretha Franklin, and Ringo Starr.
November 13, 2008 marked the Zips' final game at the Rubber Bowl. Facing off against the Buffalo Bulls, the game was televised on ESPN and went into an incredible four overtimes. Sadly, the Zips lost in what was the team's first overtime loss and their first four-overtime game in school history.
With the completion of InfoCision Stadium–Summa Field in 2009, the Rubber Bowl's time came to an end. The new stadium is located on the University of Akron campus, which means that students no longer have to travel half a dozen miles to the Rubber Bowl to attend games and practices.
In 2013, Team1 Marketing Group purchased the Rubber Bowl with plans to make it the home of a United States Football League team called the Akron Fire. Six months later, the league decided not to include an Akron-based team.
Team1 modified their plans, hoping to build a dome over the stadium and transform it into a multi-use entertainment venue. The first event, a hip hop festival called LOUD-Fest, was scheduled to take place in May 2015, but moved to another location after concerns were raised about the deteriorated condition of the Rubber Bowl.
Plagued by zoning complications, financing difficulties, and a high tax burden, Team1 announced in late August 2017 that it would sign the property over to the Summit County Land Bank. The Rubber Bowl's future remains uncertain.
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From Akron, I headed north to Cleveland to see the unique ruins of Newburgh Masonic Temple. Click here to explore it with me.
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Thank you!
Well...the artificial turf still looks in pretty good condition, haha. 😬
ReplyDeleteYes, the turf was in better condition than any other component of the stadium. I believe it was installed in 2003, which means it only saw about 5 years of use before the place closed.
DeleteAnother nice article. Thanks for the good work.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Jon!
DeleteJim, Another great story. Keep up the great work and enjoy your travels.
ReplyDeleteSteve
Thanks so much, Steve!
DeleteAbout half the stadium has bee demolished as of 2019, the last time I saw it. Basically, the freestanding parts have bee tor down while the east and south sections that are dug ito the hillside haven't been touched for fears the roadway that runs along the side (Washington Blvd, I believe) might collapse if the structure is removed. The city still owns it, and they seems to be waiting for and engineering study to be completed before anything else is done. I'm sure the city would like to sell the land to someone and get some property tax revenue out of it again.
ReplyDeleteI've just found your blog and I'm binge reading it now as a way to pass the covid time. Good work on the history and photography.
Regards,
Yet Another Jim. :-)
I had mixed emotions on seeing these photos. Nothing sadder than seeing an old stadium go to rot. On the other hand, I worked there for some five years as part of the cleanup crew, and I remember countless hours there either trying to look busy, or fighting the elements trying to clean the stadium as best as we could. (Let's put it this way - about every photo on this page I can respond with "yup - stood right in that spot.")
ReplyDeleteOne thing, though - Astroturf came to the Rubber Bowl much sooner than 1983. I remember it when I started working there in 1977.
As for the new stadium, which is sadly home to about the worst team in Division 1-A, it's not a bad stadium. Rather non-descript, though. And the stadium store is located right where I lived for two years (1980-1982).
Anyway, thanks for the effort you put in to this. I was finally able to go see a few games in the early nineties, but I made darn sure to put my trash in a trash can.