Akron community members and city leaders expressed hesitation about plans to demolish a historic tire plant in Akron Thursday.

Akron City Council is considering the city planning department’s request to raze Firestone Plant 1, the former headquarters of the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company.

The crux of the debate is whether salvaging the building’s front façade, which includes an iconic clock tower, is financially feasible.

During a public hearing Thursday, city officials said the building has deteriorated, and it would cost an estimated $5 million to preserve the front portion of the 115-year-old structure.

Community members and several council members, on the other hand, said the clock tower is a symbol of Akron’s past as the rubber capital of the world.

“That tower’s not just pa

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