Akron residents plead for preservation of Firestone plant, clock

The city administration said saving all or a portion of the historic Firestone Tire and Rubber Co. Plant 1 is too costly.

Residents largely disagreed, saying it was worth the money to save a piece of Akron's history.

Akron City Council now has 15 days to determine the building's fate.

Ward 5 Akron City Councilman Johnnie Hannah remembers when the former Firestone Tire and Rubber Co. Plant 1 was operating.

Hannah, who grew up in the area, remembers the smell of rubber coming from the plant, the soot settling on his mother's freshly laundered sheets hanging on the line to dry. He worked on the plant's dock, he said, and remembers using the clock tower to discern how much time he had until he was late to work.

Now, Hannah and the rest of Akron City Council are tasked with determining t