Please join us tomorrow for a discussion and letter writing session to our elected officials exploring how and why the decision of demolition is still a choice, not an inevitability. Our community can still act to preserve this landmark and its legacy.
This week, the City of Akron announced it will begin demolishing historic Firestone Plant One on December 8th. Yet the City has still not justified this decision, which rests on a mismanaged BID package, a narrow redevelopment strategy, and a refusal to consider the full range of alternative reuse options.
You can read the City’s stated arguments in the latest article (linked here).
In summary, what Akron is calling “reasons” to reject redevelopment are actually:
- Standard components of early adaptive-reuse proposals
- Common financing mechanisms used for preservation in cities across the country
- Challenges that federal and state tax credits, grants, and partnerships are specifically designed to solve
Akron has framed these normal redevelopment tools as prohibitive in order to manufacture the narrative: “We tried everything. Demolition is unavoidable.” It isn’t. Tomorrow, we’ll break down why, and what we can still do.
We’ll provide letter templates, talking points, photos of the building, and guidance for writing powerful messages to City officials.
Local historic-architecture photographer Ashley Martinez will also share her photographs of Firestone Plant One.
📅 Letter-Writing Night: 6pm-8pm, Preservation House: 2074 W Market St, Akron, OH 44313
Please RSVP with link below 👇 or email: friendsoffirestonefactory@gmail.com