Center for the History of Psychology

In Association with the Smithsonian Institution

The Cummings Center is also home to the Institute for Human Science and Culture. To learn more, visit the Institute website.

About the Center

The Drs. Nicholas and Dorothy Cummings Center for the History of Psychology, located at The University of Akron in Akron, Ohio, collects, preserves, provides access to, and interprets the historical record of psychology and related human sciences. Read more.

The Center houses the Archives of the History of American Psychology and the National Museum of Psychology, as well as the multidisciplinary Institute for Human Science and Culture.

Read our mission and values.

Did You Know?

The Cummings Center is located on the ancestral lands of many Indigenous Nations: Seneca, Cayuga, Lenni Lenape/Delaware, Miami, Shawnee, Wyandot/Wyandotte/Wendat/Huron, Ottawa/Odawa/Odowa, Chippewa/Ojibwe/Ojibway. These lands were ceded in the 1805 Treaty of Fort Industry and tribes forcibly removed through the Indian Removal Act of 1830.

News and Events

Closed for Winter Break

The Cummings Center, including the National Museum of Psychpology, will be closed to the public beginning December 23 through January 12. We’ll return to our regular hours on Tuesday, January 13.

From all of us here at the Cummings Center, have a happy holiday season!

Give to the Archives Renovation Campaign

Working alongside architects and preservation experts, we’ve developed a comprehensive plan to upgrade our storage facility. These renovations will create a state-of-the-art, temperature- and humidity-controlled, waterproof environment — ensuring the long-term protection of the documents, media, and artifacts entrusted to us.

Your gift will help safeguard our archives with advanced climate control and space-saving mobile shelving. Give today to help us preserve and share history for generations to come.

Statement on Dr. Nicholas Cummings and Sexual Orientation Change Efforts

The Cummings Center for the History of Psychology is named for Drs. Nicholas and Dorothy Cummings, in recognition of their significant financial support for the Center. We at the Center acknowledge that Dr. Nicholas Cummings spoke and wrote in support of sexual orientation change efforts in therapeutic settings when requested by the client. Nicholas Cummings’ words and his stature gave legitimacy and encouragement to anti-LGBTQ+ organizations, and his public statements on sexual orientation retain the ongoing potential to cause harm.

Major organizations focused on mental health have found no empirical basis supporting sexual orientation change efforts and evidence indicates such practices cause harm. We at the Cummings Center stand firmly with these organizations in opposing sexual orientation change efforts, acknowledging their roots in stigma, prejudice, and hate. Read our full statement, as well as a history of Dr. Cummings’ statements and writings on sexual orientation.

Location, hours and contact

73 South College Street, Akron, OH, 44325-4302

Museum and Institute Hours:

The Cummings Center will be closed for our annual winter break beginning Tuesday, December 23. We will reopen to the public on Tuesday, January 13.

Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday: 11:00 am - 4:00 pm

Wednesday: 1:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Sunday and Monday: Closed

Admission Rates

For additional information on travel, mobility, health and safety, and more, visit our Accessibility page.

Archives: By appointment

Phone: 330-972-7285

Email: ahap@uakron.edu

Parking: Complimentary visitor parking is available in the lot directly adjacent to our building, which includes four visitor spots and one accessible parking spot near the front door. Three additional complimentary visitor spaces are available in Lot 30, on the corner of College & Market Streets.

Paid parking is available in Lot 40 on Mill Street, just a short walk from the Cummings Center. Visitors must scan the ParkMobile QR code and enter their vehicle license plate. Additional metered parking is available on College Street. Metered parking is $1/hour and is operated by the City of Akron via the Flowbird app.