RESERVOIR PARK

Reservoir Park gets its name from the huge city reservoir that was constructed here beginning in 1913. Prior to that time, Akron got most of its drinking water from Summit Lake, which offered very suspect water quality. After the city established large open lake reservoirs in Portage County, a new water system was developed that included large steel mains which pumped the water to the covered reservoir here, located at one of the highest points in the city.

The giant reservoir, which holds 20 million gallons in its underground chamber, still serves the city. The surrounding park was mostly bare wasteland until the 1930’s, with only a single ball diamond to be found. Up until that time, most of Goodyear Heights’ recreational needs were met by Blue Pond Park, at the foot of Goodyear Boulevard. After a baseball stadium was constructed there, the playground and park around the pond eventually saw less use due to Goodyear’s expansion. Eventually, neighborhood leaders looked further up the hill for a solution.

So it was that in the mid-1930’s the Goodyear Heights Recreation Association proposed turning the 10-acre city-owned wasteland into “a model play center.” The Water Department turned to the WPA to build a new shelter house while the Parks Department handled overall design and landscaping. Initially, the city added baseball fields, horseshoe courts, tennis courts, a wading pool and a playground. Finished in 1938, the park was first known as Waterworks Park, and was dedicated at a ceremony attended by a crowd of 10,000 people. Shortly thereafter, the park was renamed Reservoir Park.

As the years went on, the park added basketball courts, a large swimming pool and a community room to the shelter house. Today, Reservoir Park remains a popular and well-used center for youth sports programs, summer recreations programs, community activities and more.