Dr. Robert Smith House
Historic house in Ohio. Built 1914. Added to the National Register in 1985, and a National Historic Landmark.
What it is
The Dr. Robert Smith House, also known as Dr. Bob's Home, is a historic house museum at 855 Ardmore Avenue in Akron, Ohio. Built in 1914, it is significant as the home from 1915 to 1950 of Dr. Bob Smith, one of the cofounders of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). It was here that Smith and Bill W. began the meetings that became AA, through which Smith achieved sobriety. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985, and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2012.
Text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
The record
| Register name | Smith, Dr. Robert, House |
| Property type | Building |
| Address | 855 Ardmore Ave., Akron, OH |
| County | Summit County |
| Listed | Oct 31, 1985 |
| Listed for | Social history |
| Level of significance | National |
| Reference number | 85003411 |
| Built | 1914 · more from the 1910s |
| Type of place | house |
| Designations | National Historic Landmark |
| Contributing resources | 1 building |
The nomination form, the document that argues why this place matters, is in the National Archives: Read the nomination ↗
Visiting
| Address | 855 Ardmore Ave., Akron, OH |
| Coordinates | 41.0960° N, 81.5488° W · Directions ↗ |
| Also in Akron | 66 listed places in Akron → |
| Nearest national park unit | Cuyahoga Valley National Park · 11 miles · on Park Atlas |
| Federal campgrounds nearby | Cuyahoga Valley National Park Picnic Shelters 9 miles · Mill Creek Camping (Berlin Lake) 29 miles · Mill Creek Day Use 29 miles |
Explore
Map
Nearby in Summit County
Local history books for Akron
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Guidebooks to historic places and travel in Ohio
Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.
Reference
Questions people ask
When was Dr. Robert Smith House listed on the National Register?
Oct 31, 1985. It is also a National Historic Landmark, the higher of the two designations.
Source: National Park Service
When was Dr. Robert Smith House built?
1914.
Source: Wikidata
Can I visit Dr. Robert Smith House?
Yes. Dr. Robert Smith House is recorded as open to the public.
Source: Wikidata
Where is Dr. Robert Smith House?
855 Ardmore Ave., Akron, Summit County, Ohio. The nearest national park unit is Cuyahoga Valley National Park, 11 miles away.
Source: Cuyahoga Valley National Park
Where is the nomination form for Dr. Robert Smith House?
The National Archives holds the nomination form, the document that made the case for listing.
Source: National Archives
Are there campgrounds near Dr. Robert Smith House?
Three federal campgrounds are within reach. The closest is Cuyahoga Valley National Park Picnic Shelters, 9 miles away. Mill Creek Camping (Berlin Lake) is 29 miles away, and Mill Creek Day Use is 29 miles away.
Source: Campsite Atlas
Is there cell service at Dr. Robert Smith House?
FCC coverage maps show Verizon 5G, AT&T 5G, and T-Mobile 5G at the listed point. Coverage indoors and behind old masonry is another matter.
Source: FCC Broadband Map
Sources
Location, type and contributing counts come from the National Park Service's National Register spatial data. Listing dates come from the National Register office's spreadsheet where it carries the listing. Construction date, architect, style, photograph and encyclopedia link come from Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons, matched on reference number 85003411. Nothing here is transcribed by hand. The nomination form and photographs ↗ at NPGallery are the original nomination as filed with the National Park Service, and the form is often the best description of the place. The description under "What it is" is the opening of the Wikipedia article, CC BY-SA.