Thank you to everyone who has continued to follow the story around Firestone Plant One.

At this time, demolition approvals remain pending, and we are still awaiting documents requested from the City regarding the demolition funding process in April. We have still not heard back, but we will share more information as those records become available. 

Over the past several months, our work has expanded beyond questions of preservation alone, but also
what does meaningful repair look like for a post-industrial landscape?

Former industrial sites have taken many different paths. Some have been demolished. Others have undergone environmental remediation and redevelopment. Others have become places where ecological restoration, public space, industrial history, and collective stewardship coexist.

These examples remind us that the future of industrial landscapes is not predetermined. The paths communities choose: whether demolition, redevelopment, ecological restoration, adaptive reuse, or some combination thereof - are ultimately matters of public policy and collective imagination.

As conversations continue around environmental justice, brownfield redevelopment, and economic revitalization in Akron, we believe there is value in exploring broader models of repair that include ecological restoration, cultural memory, adaptive reuse, and long-term stewardship.

Recently, I came across the work of Cornell University’s Civic Ecology Lab, which studies how people self-organize to steward nature and community in stressed environments through activities such as habitat restoration, community gardening, environmental advocacy, climate action, and organize collective maintenance for public spaces.

What interests me is the possibility that preservation, ecological restoration, environmental justice, and community stewardship may be part of the same conversation. Firestone has increasingly made me wonder how communities care for damaged landscapes and what role those places might continue to play in civic life.

While we continue to seek answers regarding Firestone, I am interested in connecting with others who are thinking about these questions in Akron and beyond.

If you work in environmental science, planning, art, landscape architecture, ecology, history, preservation, public health, or are interested in the future of post-industrial landscapes, I would love to hear from you. Feel free to reach out at friendsoffirestonefactory@gmail.com.

Thank you again for your continued support.