From Tiffany stained glass to Victorian homes, farmhouses, barns, and neighborhood landmarks—this year’s Architectural Heritage Awards celebrate the many ways preservation carries history forward.
Join us as we honor an exceptional group of projects helping shape Summit County’s architectural legacy, including the restored St. Paul’s “Transfiguration” Tiffany window, the Akron History Center, PEG’S Gallery / Baldwin-Buss-Merino House, Keyser-Swain farmhouse and more.
📍 Akron Woman’s City Club
📅 Sunday, May 17
🕐 1:00 PM
Tickets are $40 and include brunch & presentation.
Reserve your seat through the tickets link in our Bio, QR code on the flyer, or by calling 330-535-1120 for pay-at-the-door reservations.
@summit_history
#preservationmatters #akronhistory #akron #historicpreservation #adaptivereuse
It’s never too chilly to help save a piece of our legacy.
Join us today from 2–4 PM—we’ll have hot chocolate and coffee to warm you up.
#savefirestone #legacy #showup #akron #communityvoices
It’s more than a pin.
It’s a small way to say this place matters.
That its story isn’t finished.
That decisions like this deserve care, clarity, and community voice.
We’ll have these at the gathering—take one, wear it, pass it on.
📍 Saturday, May 2
🕐 2:00–4:00 PM
1200 South Main Street (in front of Firestone Plant One)
Be part of what happens next.
#savefirestone #communityvoices #legacy #akron #rubbercity
Firestone Plant One gathering: May 2nd. The extra time has only made this conversation more focused and meaningful.
We’ll be coming together to talk about what comes next for this historic site, including environmental considerations, adaptive reuse ideas, and how local voices can help shape the future. I’m also hoping to see real discussion around a full feasibility study that looks at all options, not just residential, but also light industrial, mixed use, commercial, and even demolition. How do we truly understand what’s possible if we don’t fully explore it?
Once it’s gone, it’s gone. There’s no going back. Our history is not disposable and we must advocate to see it properly preserved and honored. Too often we hear “we should have saved it” after the fact, when all that’s left is an empty lot. I’d rather we ask the hard questions now while we still have the chance to decide differently.
This moment matters, and showing up matters. Hope to see you there!
#firestone #akron #summitcountyohio #PreserveThePast #historicbuildings
@ptpakron@signalakron@ohiohistory@summit_history@news5cleveland@akronbeaconjournal@330togo@akron_history_center_ahc
Firestone Plant 1 is part of Akron’s story - but more importantly, it’s part of your story.
We’re inviting former employees, family members, and anyone with a connection to Firestone to take part in this gathering in a meaningful way.
Bring a photograph.
Bring an old ID or keepsake.
Bring a story.
Help us honor what this place has meant - not just in history books, but in real lives, real families, and generations of hard work.
Because preserving a place also means remembering the people who gave it life.
📍 Join us May 2nd in front of Firestone Plant 1
🕐 2:00 PM
#legacy #akron #savefirestone #webuiltthiscity #historicpreservation
Rain may have delayed us - but it didn’t stop us.
We’ve got a **new date: May 2nd** for our Firestone Plant One gathering, and we’ve used the extra time to make this event even more special.
Join us for a community-focused conversation about what comes next for this historic site - exploring environmental considerations, adaptive reuse possibilities, and how the community can help shape future outcomes.
Your support matters! This is a critical moment to be part of the conversation.
More details coming soon - stay tuned.
We hope to see you there.
@akronmayormalik@ohiohistory@akronbeaconjournal@firestone@bridgestone@nytimes@wsj@tclfdotorg@washingtonpost@citylab@cnn@savingplaces@heritageohiomainstreet
#savefirestone #makeadifference #akron #historicpreservation #communitysupport
**EVENT UPDATE**
Due to expected rain and high winds, today’s Firestone Plant One gathering has been postponed.
We’re committed to creating a safe and welcoming space for this important conversation, and unfortunately the weather won’t allow for that today.
A new date will be announced soon — please stay tuned for updates.
Thank you for your continued support and commitment to Firestone’s future.
#savefirestone #adaptivereuse #postponed #staytuned #akron
When no proposals emerge, it’s often framed as a lack of market interest.
But at Firestone, the outcome may reflect how the RFP is structured by creating a project that is unfeasible for a private developer to take on alone.
Assumptions about cost, risk, and environmental remediation were built into the process early that shaped what was considered viable before proposals were even made.
The city’s redevelopment approach has depended on private investments absorbing those conditions for restoration, and now clearance before a viable plan has formed.
In that structure, the absence of proposals isn’t surprising.
It’s not just about demand, it’s about how the lack of environmental cleanup creates constraints on what the site can become.
@ohiohistory@akronmayormalik@akronbeaconjournal@firestone@bridgestone@nytimes@wsj@tclfdotorg@washingtonpost@citylab@cnn@preservationohio@savingplaces
#rethinkingfirestone #historicpreservation #rfpprocess #akron #adaptivereuse
Saved from the aftermath of the 2018 fire - and now restored.
After purchasing St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Tony Troppe ensured the survival of its historic Tiffany stained glass window, placing it in the care of the Akron Art Museum for restoration.
Now, The Transfiguration returns - offering a rare opportunity to experience this extraordinary work up close, and to hear directly from the person helping shape what comes next.
🎤 Presentation by Tony Troppe
📍 Akron Art Museum
@akronartmuseum
#transfiguration #stainedglass #historicpreservation #adaptivereuse #akronhistory
We know many of you have seen the City’s recent updates and may be wondering:
Is it too late to make a difference?
The answer is no.
While demolition is still the city’s choice, the front portion of the building is not expected to be impacted for many months, and the decisions about the site’s future are still unfolding.
What happens next: how the site is reused, what alternatives have not been explored, and how the community is involved - is still very much undecided.
📍 Join us on site:
Saturday, April 18 | 1:00–3:00 PM
1200 South Main Street, Akron
This will be a public protest and educational gathering focused on what’s possible for Firestone Plant One.
We’ll be sharing materials on: ◦ Environmental feasibility alternatives ◦ Adaptive reuse strategies ◦ Opportunities for community involvement
There will also be refreshments and a space to connect with others who care about Akron’s future.
@akronmayormalik@ohiohistory@akronbeaconjournal@firestone@bridgestone@nytimes@wsj@tclfdotorg@washingtonpost@citylab@cnn@heritageohiomainstreet@savingplaces
#savefirestone #makeadifference #akron #historicpreservation #communitysupport
What if the outcome isn’t just about the building - but about the pattern behind the decisions?
Looking at sites like Firestone, certain patterns begin to emerge in how decisions shape what’s possible long before proposals are ever considered. Many reflect longer-standing redevelopment approaches, including those from the urban renewal era, as well as more recent shifts toward market-driven development that continue to influence how both public and private projects are evaluated today.
• Framing matters.
When a place is labeled “blighted,” it can be positioned as a liability - language that can open the door to demolition funding pathways and shape what’s seen as possible from the start, with removal often becoming the most straightforward path.
• Feasibility is defined early.
Assumptions about cost, risk, and value shape what is considered possible from the outset - often narrowing the range of options before alternatives are fully explored.
• Public input comes late.
Community voices often enter only when required, rather than when ideas are first taking shape.
• Risk is shifted, not shared.
When projects rely on attracting private investment without corresponding public investment in remediation or risk reduction, the absence of viable proposals is common. This is especially true in economically constrained areas and at sites requiring significant environmental cleanup, such as Firestone Plant 1. In these conditions, constraints can compound, making the property increasingly difficult to reposition.
• Demolition comes before direction.
When removal happens without a clear long-term path, future possibilities can be permanently reduced. In some cases, demolition occurs before a viable long-term use or tenancy has been established.
These aren’t conclusions.
They’re patterns worth examining.
Because before we decide what’s possible, we should understand what’s shaping the decision.
@akronmayormalik@ohiohistory@heritageohiomainstreet@tclfdotorg@akronbeaconjournal@cnn@wsj@nytimes@firestone@bridgestone@clubdevo
#akron #historicpreservation #rethinkingfirestone #urbanrenewal #devo
In the name of progress, we once carved a highway through the heart of Akron.
The Innerbelt was part of an era of urban renewal -
when neighborhoods labeled “blighted” were cleared in the name of redevelopment.
What followed divided neighborhoods, displaced a Black community,
and reshaped the city in ways we are still grappling with today.
Now - decades later - Akron is only beginning the work of repair.
The city has just released a new Innerbelt Master Plan -
a 15–30 year vision to reconnect neighborhoods and rebuild what was lost.
Because once a place is erased, rebuilding what it meant to a community is never simple.
And that’s what makes this moment so important.
Because at the very same time…
The city continues to advance some form of demolition as a leading option at Firestone Plant 1 -
the defining anchor around which the Firestone Park neighborhood was built.
And alongside it, other historic places like Bowen School and St. Paul’s are also at risk.
The echoes are hard to miss.
Then, communities were reduced to “blight” to justify removal.
Now, places are again being framed as problems to solve rather than assets to invest in.
Then, demolition was called progress.
Now, it is still being treated as a solution.
The contrast is clear:
Akron is beginning a decades-long effort to repair one decision…
while still advancing another that could create the next loss.
This is not just about one building.
It is about whether we have truly learned from the Innerbelt.
Because the lesson is not only that demolition changes a city -
it’s that once identity, memory, and place are erased,
what replaces them rarely restores what was lost.
We are still repairing the consequences of past decisions — let’s not repeat them.
@akronmayormalik@ohiohistory@akronbeaconjournal@firestone@bridgestone@nytimes@wsj@heritageohiomainstreet@tclfdotorg
#akron #urbanrenewal #preservationmatters #innerbelt #historicpreservation
