Firestone Plant 1 helped make Akron great

Firestone Plant 1 was once a symbol of growth and prosperity.

Now it’s a symbol of loss and neglect.

Akron officials plan to begin demolishing the old rubber factory in December. Before the wrecking ball swings, before the rubble falls, let’s take a moment to remember the building’s glory.

Harvey S. Firestone (1868-1938), a native of Columbiana, founded Firestone Tire & Rubber Co. in Akron in 1900 — two years after F.A. Seiberling and C.W. Seiberling established Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. The Firestone name can be found on Akron streets, schools, a country club, a park, a stadium and an entire neighborhood.

With a workforce of 12 employees, Firestone built solid tires for carriages at an abandoned foundry at Miller and Sweitzer in South Akron. In 1903, the company began to produc