The fate of Akron’s historic Firestone Plant 1 is now in the hands of Akron City Council.
City officials are seeking to demolish the 115-year-old building, the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company's former headquarters. The city has owned the property since 2013, according to the proposal.
Last month, Akron’s Urban Design and Historic Preservation Commission rejected the city’s request, saying the structure, particularly its historic front façade and clock tower, should be preserved.
“That structure is very meaningful to the community,” commission member Leianne Neff Heppner said. “It represents that time in our history at the turn of the 20th century when rubber was king, and we feel that it is important to preserve such structures for the future, so we continue to tell that story.”
Preserving the building is too costly, city officials said, and they’d like to use the land for new development. They appealed the commission’s decision, putting the request before city council this month.
Council is holding a public hearing over the demolition proposal on Sept. 11, 2025, at 1:30 p.m.
The building would cost an estimated $5 million to renovate and redevelop, Planning Director Kyle Julien said during the preservation commission’s August meeting.
Environmental constraints and zoning challenges caused past attempts at redevelopment to fall through, he added.
The commission previously approved a request to demolish the rear wings of the building and keep the clock tower last year, but in July, city officials told the board it wasn’t a feasible plan.
The city secured $7.5 million in funding from the state’s Department of Development to demolish the rear wings, and that funding will expire soon, Development Manager David Messner said in the August meeting.
“It’s currently a blight in the neighborhood,” Messner added. “It’s a constant source of police phone calls, vandalism and other issues.”
The city received verbal confirmation from the DOD granting an extension on the funding, but it must complete the project by next year, Messner noted. Based on the size of the building, he estimated the demolition process could take at least a year.
Neff Heppner encouraged Akronites to look into the proposal and make their voices heard.
“It’s now time for the residents to speak up if they would like to see this building stay in our environment,” she said.
