MAY 10, 16 .. DOCTOR BOB'S HOME .. AKRON, OHIO

The Fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.) has a founder, William Griffith Wilson, and a co-founder, Robert Holbrook Smith M.D.

The two of them are known more commonly as Bill W. and Doctor Bob.

Below are links to two Posts that I published showing Bill Wilson's home in East Dorset, Vermont.

http://aaphotoshere.blogspot.com/search/label/The%20Wilson%20House%20Part%201

http://aaphotoshere.blogspot.com/search/label/The%20Wilson%20House%20Part%202


My first visit to Doctor Bob and his wife Anne's home in Arkon, Ohio was in July of 1988. Since that first visit I have returned many times. Each time is memorable and significant.  

All of us who make our pilgrimage to Akron and to Doctor Bob's home owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to the local members of the fellowship who so generously donate their time and their energy to spend three hours from noon to 3pm welcoming visitors to Doctor Bob's home.

Before getting to photos of Doctor Bob's home it is important to note that Akron is extremely rich in A.A. history. 

Doctor Bob's home certainly may be the most important A.A. venue to visit in Akron but I want to mention several other venues that visitors enjoy visiting. 

Next door at 859 Ardmore Avenue is a treasure trove of A.A. archives.

The walk between Doctor Bob's home and the archives collection.

You are going to get-to-know the above rock because you are going to see it in several photographs below.

In one sense of the word A.A. began at The Gate Lodge of the Seiberling Mansion where Bill Wilson met Doctor Bob on Mother's Day, May 12th of 1935.

This is a must visit venue.

If you go to Akron the best place to begin your visit is the Akron Intergroup Office. Here you can get maps and a lot of information about the historical A.A. sites in Akron. You also can get a meeting list of current meetings. I love attending meetings in Akron.

Akron Ohio U.S.A. where it began.

The archives at the Akron Intergroup Office are just phenomenal. 

 I have spent hours and days here.

The chapel at (what was St. Thomas Hospital) Summa Hospital is a do-not-miss venue.

I want to write Saint Ignatia.

Mount Peace cemetery where Doctor Bob and his wife Anne are buried.

The home of Oxford Group members T. Henry Williams and his wife Clarace where the earliest members met.

It was in the lobby of the then MAYFLOWER HOTEL in downtown Akron where Bill Wilson had the panicky feeling of being in trouble. 

Bill thought, "You need another alcoholic to talk to. You need another alcoholic just as much as he needs you."

Bill telephoned the Reverend Walter F. Tunks from the lobby of the Mayflower and asked him for the  names of some drunks to talk to.

The Reverend Walter F. Tunks gave Bill Wilson the names of ten people to contact in Akron who could steer Bill to a drunk that he could assist.

King School used to be a must-see venue. It has been torn down and re-built. I have many film photos of the old King School but have not converted them to digital format.

Reverend Tunk's Rectory is also an important venue. I can not find my photos of this venue which is still standing and worth a drive-by viewing.

Doctor Bob's home has a mailing address:

Dr. Bob's Home
P.O. Box 449
Akron, OH 44309-0449

Telephone: 330-864-1935

www.drbobshome.com

Doctor Bob's home is located at 855 Ardmore Avenue in Akron Ohio at its intersection with Everett Avenue.
In the two photos below we are looking up Ardmore Avenue at Doctor Bob's home just past the American Flag.

Notice that THE ROCK above and below in front of Doctor Bob's home is in two different locations.

This is because the photos I am posting were taken during several different visits spanning several years. 

I KNOW ! This does NOT explain why THE ROCK is in two different locations does it? I don't have a clue!

Below is what is engraved on THE ROCK.

To the left of Doctor Bob's home below is the home of the archives.

Let's walk up the steps to Doctor Bob's home.

Yes Yes Yes! It really is true! There are Twelve Steps leading up to Doctor Bob's home.

Thank You for your service and for showing me around during this visit to Doctor Bob's.

Below are close-up photos of the above plaques.

The  comfortable living room greets you as you enter the home.

Turning to your left you see the dining room. On the dining room table is the typewriter used to write the Big Book and a reprint of the first edition of Alcoholics Anonymous. I can't believe the changes I have seen in the dining room decor since my first visit in 1988.

Turning to your right above you walk into the kitchen.

Again thank you for your service.

We have come out of the kitchen back into the dining room. In the background is the living room.

 I love to sit in the couch immediately inside of the front door.

Looking down at the living room as you climb up the stairs to the second floor.

Doctor Bob and Anne's bedroom on the second floor.

Doctor Bob's son Smitty's room. Bill Wilson stayed in this room during his visits to 855 Ardmore Avenue.

 The work done on the home is amazing. 

Below is their daughter Sue's room. Many a person, on their knees beside this bed, with Doctor Bob at their side, prayerfully accepted God and the Good Lord into their life.

The condition of the home is just stunning. The time and the work and the cost to restore and to maintain it is beyond one's imagination.

Below is the bathroom on the second floor.

The below photos were taken of the attic. At one time the attic housed a video display that showed A.A.'s history. This is now next door in the archives collection.

I am at-a-loss to explain the meaning of the below furniture in the attic.

 The condition of the home is just remarkable.

And? In the basement? There is a basement.

Doctor Bob's home was not constantly in the possession of his family. In June of 1984 a group of members began to discuss the possible purchase of Doctor Bob's home. 

In May of 1985 it was incorporated as a non-profit corporation and 
on October 31, 1985, it was named as a State of Ohio Historical Site. 

On October 17, 2012, Doctor Bob's home was named as a National Historical Landmark.