In the mid-20th century, Howard Street was the center of black culture in the bustling Rubber Capital of the World. It was home to many of Akron’s black-owned business and entertainment establishments. In 1920, George Mathews opened his barbershop in Howard Street, and in 1925 opened the Hotel Matthews next door. The hotel became an anchor for the neighborhood, and an iconic destination for the era’s most famous black entertainers, who came to town to perform at many of the “whites only” clubs and hotels, but could not stay there. In the 1960’s, the Howard Street District began to decline and was eventually razed for “urban renewal” in the 1970’s and 1980’s.

Art x Love was engaged to create a mural honoring Akron’s jazz heritage in the old Howard Street District of the city. The mural faces the former site of Hotel Matthews, and depicts Ella Fitzgerald, Count Basie, nightclub dancers, Cab Calloway, and Louis Armstrong playing together. The vision for the mural remains incomplete, but it still serves as a strong reminder of Akron’s past.