Akron officials said Monday, Nov. 9, that demolition of the historic Firestone Plant 1 is imminent, even as the city awaits final approval of its plan from the Ohio State Historic Preservation Office, the Akron Beacon Journal reported Nov. 9.
The plant is on the National Register of Historic Places, which is why the state preservation office, known as SHPO, must approve the demolition plan, the Beacon Journal reported. The city has submitted a revised plan to SHPO outlining how the building’s historical significance will be preserved and memorialized, and talks between the city and SHPO continue, according to that reporting.
The building’s clock tower has long served as an Akron landmark and a reminder of the city’s Rubber City heyday, the Beacon Journal reported. The long-vacant plant, by the city’s account in that reporting, has become a blight and safety issue, and the city has unsuccessfully sought partners to redevelop it…