When Rolling Acres Mall opened in 1975, it rippled and burbled with opulence.
The two-level, $75 million complex, developed by Richard B. Buchholzer and Forest City Enterprises, was the Akron-Canton area’s largest shopping center, providing space for five department stores, 120 shops, 1.3 million square feet of floor area and free parking for 7,500 automobiles.
Its literal centerpiece was the Court of the Twelve Trees, a lush paradise that architect Keeva J. Kekst termed “a new ecological concept.” The rustic court featured a dozen live trees, cascading fountains and tropical greenery under a vaulted skylight.
Heavy-duty cranes positioned the steel lattice for the space-frame skylight, which was installed in two sections measuring 55 by 80 feet and meant to simulate a gigantic garden trellis.
“This gives the feeling of open-air freedom that cannot normally be achieved within any structure, even though the conventional skylight is used,” Buchholzer proudly told the Beacon Journal in 1975.
The futuristic fountain display was a sight to behold as people arrived through the main entrance off Romig Road. Reminiscent of the Emerald City skyline from The Wizard of Oz, rectangular, stainless-steel sculptures, some at least 10 feet tall, foamed over with water that fell into a series of red, ceramic-tile troughs.
More than a dozen water jets responded with smaller geysers across the basin. Hundreds of gallons of water had to be recycled each hour to keep the fountains in continuous flow.
“First you see the crescendo of water, spilling from the center fountain area,” a mall publicist gushed. “Then it flows gently, horizontally, from ledge to ledge, moving and rippling, spilling fresh water aroma into the air, and making soft sweet talk.”
Credit belonged to Brimfield Township plumber Pat Leiher, who was happy to have a secure, long-running job during the construction of Rolling Acres.
“What I’ve enjoyed most is helping install the plumbing for the fountains in the center court,” he said at the time. “They are something!”
Obviously, the Court of the Twelve Trees wouldn’t be complete without the 12 trees. The mall hired a nursery operator who traveled to California, purchased a dozen Indian laurels, shipped them in a refrigerated truck to Ohio and planted them and other greenery in sunken areas around the fountain display inside the mall.
Three days before Rolling Acres opened, the Rev. V. Stanford Hampson, a United minister who had served in Honolulu for 18 years, delivered a blessing in Hawaiian on Aug. 3, 1975, in the Court of the Twelve Trees.
Its English translation: “How fragrant are the trees and flowers here. A place nestled in beauty and wreathed in comfort. Now that you have arrived, love comes with you. Love abundant. God’s love be with you. Amen.”
Gurgling fountains welcomed shoppers Aug. 6 as the first 21 businesses opened: Sears, Rite-Aid Drugs, Kinney Shoes, Akron Savings, Der Dog Haus, Robinson Jewelry, Chess King, Thom McAn Shoes, Walden Books, Foxmoor Casuals, Claire’s Boutique, General Nutrition, Dalton Books, Play Palace, Nobil Shoes, Record Land, Alice’s Women’s Wear, Leroy’s Jewelry, Carousel Snack Bar, the Limited and Jo-Ann Fabrics.
“The Court of the Twelve Trees at Rolling Acres has been acclaimed as one of the outstanding beauty spots of all shopping centers in the nation or abroad, and is well worth visiting and enjoying for many days to come,” the mall advertised.
Some customers stopped to toss pennies and other coins into the fountains, treating them like a wishing well. Mall workers gathered the change — thousands of dollars per year — and donated it to charities.
The shopping complex was the toast of Akron retail in the late 1970s. Finding a parking spot could be difficult even though there were 7,500 spaces. As the mall expanded, store occupancy reached 100 percent.
Around 1981, the mall stopped calling its central plaza the Court of the Twelve Trees. Most customers probably didn’t know it by name anyway. It was mostly just called “the Rolling Acres fountain.”
A slow, steady decline consumed the mall over the next two decades. Shoppers changed their habits and stores moved out. Tenant occupancy plunged to 65 percent by 2000.
Customers complained that lighting was too dim in the mall’s center court, so workers removed the towering trees that had been planted so lovingly for the grand opening. By 2006, the famous fountain was allowed to go dry. About 75 percent of the stores were gone, too.
The mall closed in 2008 after years of slumping sales. Years of neglect took their toll as vandals shattered windows and smashed fixtures. Trash and debris polluted the dark halls, and tall weeds grew beneath broken skylights.
Following a lengthy foreclosure battle with owners, Akron took ownership of the mall last month and is making plans for demolition.
The Court of the Twelve Trees is long gone, but the foundation of its ceramic-tile fountain remains in the ruins of Rolling Acres. Glass shards and paper scraps litter the basin where shiny pennies once were tossed by people making wishes.
More than 40 years later, the Hawaiian blessing has lost its meaning: “How fragrant are the trees and flowers here. A place nestled in beauty and wreathed in comfort.”
Copy editor Mark J. Price is the author of the book Lost Akron from The History Press. He can be reached at 330-996-3850 or mjprice@thebeaconjournal.com.
