Save the Skyway Drive-In Sign & Bricks for Akron/Cincinnati Museums!
The Issue
To: The Fairlawn Planning Commission, Zoning Commissioner Bill Arnold, and Dutch Bros Coffee Developers
For 74 years, the Skyway Drive-In has been a staple of our community, standing as a beautiful piece of Northeast Ohio’s mid-century history and roadside Americana. Now, following its sudden closure, this iconic landmark is facing total demolition to be replaced by a standard corporate Dutch Bros Coffee drive-thru.
Public records and family statements indicate that the Large family actively attempted to sell the property to another family who would preserve the structure and continue the 74-year legacy of the Skyway Drive-In.
Despite the original owners' desires to protect the site's history, current media reports confirm that there is no definitive plan, agreement, or legal mandate currently in place regarding the historical salvage or preservation of the iconic "Ski Hi" marquee sign and roadside artifacts.
While we understand the land has been sold, we refuse to let the physical history of the Skyway end up in a landfill. As a lifelong resident and local history advocate, I am calling on the City of Fairlawn and the developers to agree to a compromise that respects our heritage:
•Donate the Iconic Skyway Sign: We demand that the historic neon sign be safely salvaged and donated to the American Sign Museum in Cincinnati or the Akron History Center for permanent restoration and display.
• Salvage and Reuse the Bricks: We ask the Fairlawn Zoning Commission to mandate that a vast amount of the original building bricks be integrated into the new Dutch Bros structure (such as outdoor patio walls, landscape borders, or facade accents), or released to the Summit County Historical Society for community preservation.
The Summit County Historical Society has already been provided with the developer's information. Now, we need the City of Fairlawn to write these preservation conditions directly into the final building and site plan approvals before the bulldozers move in.
Please sign this petition to show the planning commission, the zoning department, and corporate developers that Akron area residents demand respect for our local landmarks. Don't let them bulldoze our history!
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The Issue
To: The Fairlawn Planning Commission, Zoning Commissioner Bill Arnold, and Dutch Bros Coffee Developers
For 74 years, the Skyway Drive-In has been a staple of our community, standing as a beautiful piece of Northeast Ohio’s mid-century history and roadside Americana. Now, following its sudden closure, this iconic landmark is facing total demolition to be replaced by a standard corporate Dutch Bros Coffee drive-thru.
Public records and family statements indicate that the Large family actively attempted to sell the property to another family who would preserve the structure and continue the 74-year legacy of the Skyway Drive-In.
Despite the original owners' desires to protect the site's history, current media reports confirm that there is no definitive plan, agreement, or legal mandate currently in place regarding the historical salvage or preservation of the iconic "Ski Hi" marquee sign and roadside artifacts.
While we understand the land has been sold, we refuse to let the physical history of the Skyway end up in a landfill. As a lifelong resident and local history advocate, I am calling on the City of Fairlawn and the developers to agree to a compromise that respects our heritage:
•Donate the Iconic Skyway Sign: We demand that the historic neon sign be safely salvaged and donated to the American Sign Museum in Cincinnati or the Akron History Center for permanent restoration and display.
• Salvage and Reuse the Bricks: We ask the Fairlawn Zoning Commission to mandate that a vast amount of the original building bricks be integrated into the new Dutch Bros structure (such as outdoor patio walls, landscape borders, or facade accents), or released to the Summit County Historical Society for community preservation.
The Summit County Historical Society has already been provided with the developer's information. Now, we need the City of Fairlawn to write these preservation conditions directly into the final building and site plan approvals before the bulldozers move in.
Please sign this petition to show the planning commission, the zoning department, and corporate developers that Akron area residents demand respect for our local landmarks. Don't let them bulldoze our history!
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Petition created on July 18, 2026