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Harvey S. Firestone Memorial

Akron, Italy

Harvey S. Firestone Memorial

The Harvey S. Firestone Memorial is a large sculpture ensemble dedicated to Harvey S. Firestone, created by sculptors James Earle Fraser and Donald De Lue in Akron, Ohio. The monument was designed by architect Eric Gugler and was dedicated on August 3, 1950. It is located at Bridgestone Americas Tec

hnology Center at 10 East Firestone Boulevard, Akron, Ohio 44301, adjacent to the Research Building. The impetus to create a monument to Harvey S. Firestone in Akron began shortly after his death in 1938; however, the advent of World War II temporarily delayed the project, although discussions regarding the site continued in 1944 between representatives of the Firestone company and the architect Gugler. It was during these discussions that the patron expressed the desire that the work include more than just a statue of Firestone. Gigler then developed the concept of the allegorical bas relief panels on a curved exedra. As work on the piece progressed, the elderly Fraser found doing the physically demanding work on the monumental seated figure to be more and more taxing and was aided in this process by both his wife, sculptor Laura Gardin Fraser, who represented him at the statue's dedication...

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