The 113-year-old Lincoln Building on the University of Akron’s campus is turning to rubble, marking a new beginning in the area.
The demolition of the building, constructed in 1913 and owned by the university, clears the way for a new facility designed to help move polymer research from the lab toward commercial use, the University of Akron said in a July 7 news release.
The site is within the city’s Lincoln-Mill Redevelopment Area, where the university controls roughly two-thirds of the land.
Marshall Moore, senior industry adviser at the Polymer Industry Cluster, previously said the new facility “will be specific to making polymers, which are the raw materials for the rubber and plastics materials that we use.”
The facility will open with about six staff jobs, which could double as more projects move in, he said.
The project builds on the momentum of the Greater Akron Polymer Innovation Hub, led by the Polymer Industry Cluster,” the university said.
According to the Lincoln-Mill Redevelopment Plan, “The purpose of the new facility will be to enable academic researchers, small and start-up companies and existing industry to make initial scale-up quantities of novel polymers to evaluate real-world performance, demonstrate commercial value and attract investment.”
“Akron’s future will be built on the strengths that have always set this region apart: innovation, industry and people who know how to make things that matter,” said R.J. Nemer, president of The University of Akron, in a prepared statement. “This facility will help move polymer ideas from the lab to the marketplace, creating new opportunities for students, researchers, entrepreneurs and employers across Northeast Ohio.”
Contact reporter Derek Kreider at DKreider@Gannett.com or 330-541-9413.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Demolition of UA’s Lincoln Building makes way for new polymer facility
Reporting by Derek Kreider, Akron Beacon Journal / Akron Beacon Journal
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By Derek Kreider, Akron Beacon Journal | USA TODAY Network
