221 S. Broadway
Akron, OH 44308
330/761-2820

Grades: 5-8
Design Enrollment: 500
Project Manager: Maryann Wolowiec

Groundbreaking
The groundbreaking ceremony took place on Wednesday, May 6, 2008. Click on the link to the right to view highlights.

NIHF School — Center for STEM Learning's Master Facility Plan
The proposed National Inventor's Hall of Fame School — Center for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Learning will occupy a new addition to the existing National Inventors Hall of Fame Foundation (NIHFF) along with renovated space. The NIHFF and the new CLC will be integrated and will share the facility but will be separated for security reasons. The new NIHF School will occupy approximately 30,000 square feet of the existing facility. The proposed addition (approximately 50,000 square feet) will be located to the north of the existing building adjacent to the existing Morley Health Center parking deck. 

The proposed new facility will be located in the heart of downtown Akron. The city is offering the use of the plaza above the Morley parking deck to the north as exterior activity space. The new facility will front onto Broadway, a major one-way street in Akron. To the south of the existing facility is University Avenue, which connects directly to The University of Akron. To the west are existing railroad tracks belonging to CSX Transportation Inc.

During the concept phase of this project, the design team attended a series of meetings with the city of Akron, community members, parents, students and Akron Public schools staff members. It was unanimously decided that the proposed addition should be located to the north of the existing NIHF, between the Hall of Fame and the Morley parking deck. Student drop-off and pick-up will occur along the access drive to the west of the facility, but there will also be a public entrance to the new NIHF School along Broadway. The entrance to the National Inventor’s Hall of Fame Foundation will remain in its current location, separated from the new community learning center entrances.

Since the site is small, the proposed NIHF School addition will have to be four stories above Broadway and two stories below Broadway, the bottom floor aligning with the lowest level of the existing facility and the rear access road. The intent of the design team is to integrate the two facilities while allowing both to operate separately, providing security between the two entities. The NIHFF will retain the “Great Hall,” a separate lobby and most of the Inventors Tiers, while the NIHF School will occupy most of the western potion of the existing structure. The new four floors above Broadway will contain four class levels, grades 5-8, one grade level on each floor. The existing western portion of the building will contain support activities such as art, music and food service. The physical education spaces will be located below grade. The aesthetics of the addition are intended to complement the existing facility. The current NIHF structure is an icon in the city, and its integrity should be maintained. 

The proposed NIHF School will offer a comprehensive middle school program with a science, math and technology focus. The centralized location affords opportunities for integration with local establishments such as the Akron Art Museum, the Summit County Courthouse and the main branch of the Akron Summit County Public Library. The close proximity to The University of Akron could easily allow visiting professors to integrate with staff instructors and students along with students accessing The University of Akron research labs and facilities.

Architects
All designs are the work of an architectural firm from one of six firms, which comprise the Akron Architectural Group. AAG architects work with Akron Public Schools architects on each site. The architectural firm designing the NIHF School is Hasenstab Architects (Scott Lukens, project architect). John George is the Akron Public Schools liaison.