AKON, Ohio _ An Akron landmark is getting a big haircut.
The city plans to chop off 100 feet from one of a pair of iconic red brick B.F. Goodrich smokestacks for safety reasons.
The smokestacks, both rising 195 feet and with the word "Goodrich" on them in white, have towered over the city skyline for about 100 years.
But the northern one has deteriorated to the point where bricks are falling and there is a risk of a partial collapse.
The stack is expected to be lowered to just above the letter "R."
It wasn't an easy decision to shorten it, Mayor Dan Horrigan said.
"However, we cannot and will not risk anyone being injured from falling bricks; and, unfortunately, it would cost $1 million to temporarily secure the northern stack in its current condition," he said.
The city, which has owned the property since 1987, plans to save the bricks for a future creative use.
It's unclear when the work, which is expected to cost between $130,000 and $175,000, will begin. The southern stack will remain at its current height.
The smokestacks sit at the site of the former Goodrich tire complex, which has been turned into an office and commercial park called Canal Place.
The stacks were decommissioned in 2015 and are no longer used. When they were operating, they maintained a constant temperature that prevented swelling and contracting, the city said.
Since then, the Ohio weather has taken its toll on them.
The northern stack, which was used to burn coal, has shown evidence of large cracks and dislodged mortar joints in recent months.
The southern stack, which was used to burn gas, is in better condition.
The city plans to cap both stacks to help prevent moisture getting inside in the future.
"It's disappointing anytime that you lose an iconic structure," said Dave Lieberth, chairman of the Summit County Historical Society and a former deputy mayor. "Having said that, the problem with iconic structures is that they age and they often don't grow old gracefully."
The society would like to see the structures lit and the city has been open to that possibility.
"A stack and a half is better than no stack at all," Lieberth said.
