Plans to demolish Akron’s historic Firestone Plant 1 have stalled.

On Tuesday, the Urban Design and Historic Preservation Commission rejected the city’s request to demolish the building, the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company's former headquarters. The city has owned the property since 2013, according to the proposal.

Commission members said the 115-year-old structure, particularly the clock tower in its front facade, is a symbol of the Akron community and its industrial past.

“That structure is very meaningful to the community,” commission member Leianne Neff Heppner said. “It represents that time in our history at the turn of the 20 th century when rubber was king, and we feel that it is important to preserve such structures for the future, so we continue to tell that story.”

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