Akron facilities span centuries
A look at the history of the Lockheed Martin Corp. facilities in Akron:
■ 1898: Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. begins operations in a factory near the Little Cuyahoga River in East Akron.
■ 1923-24: Goodyear, with Zeppelin Co.’s involvement, forms Goodyear-Zeppelin Corp. Zeppelin’s Karl Arnstein and other Zeppelin personnel move to Akron from Germany to build rigid airships, now known as zeppelins, using Zeppelin patents.
■ 1929: The Akron Airdock is built in East Akron to house construction of two huge airships — the USS Akron and USS Macon — for the U.S. Navy. (Arnstein oversees the airdock’s design.)
■ Early 1940s: Two plants in Akron and one in Arizona are started for Goodyear Aircraft Corp. with facilities near the Airdock. Goodyear Airdock was formed after the dissolution of Goodyear-Zeppelin in 1940 amid war in Europe. ... The U.S. Navy orders blimps. Goodyear Aircraft eventually delivers more than 150 during World War II. Most are used as submarine spotters.
■ Early 1960s: The Navy ends its blimp program, and Goodyear delivers its last Navy ship, a ZPG-3W, with an envelope more than seven times the size of the company’s public relations blimps. In 1963, Goodyear Aircraft changes its name to Goodyear Aerospace Corp. to reflect increased involvement in space programs.
■ October-November 1986: Goodyear fights off a hostile takeover attempt from British financier Sir James Goldsmith.
■ November 1986: Goodyear’s board authorizes the sale of Goodyear Aerospace, Akron’s second-largest employer, located next to Akron Fulton International Airport, to raise money. The airdock is opened to the public for the first time since 1933, as part of Goodyear’s contribution to the beginning of that year’s United Way fund drive.
■ 1987: To reduce the takeover defense debt of about $2.6 billion, the company sells Goodyear Aerospace Corp., including the Airdock, to New York-based Loral Corp. for $588 million.
■ 1988: Mass picketing and rallies punctuate a 12-week strike by United Auto Workers Local 856 members at Loral’s Akron facilities. (Local 856 membership stands at about 1,400 during the strike. Many of the unionized workers were employed at the Aircraft Braking Systems unit of Loral. Today, Local 856 has about 100 members at Lockheed.)
■ 1989: Loral sells the Aircraft Braking Systems unit to a newly created company called K&F Industries. This business is now owned by British company Meggitt plc.
■ 1996: Lockheed Martin buys Loral’s Akron properties, including the Airdock, next to Akron Fulton International Airport. Eventually, the Summit County Port Authority becomes the airdock’s owner and leases the building back to Lockheed Martin.
■ 2005: Lockheed sells its Akron property, which does not include the Airdock, to Industrial Realty Group in California and remains as a tenant of IRG.
■ July 2011: Lockheed’s high altitude airship prototype crashes shortly after its maiden voyage.
■ Nov. 14, 2013: Lockheed Martin announces it is closing its Akron facility and others in the nation. Fewer than 100 of the 600 jobs are to remain in Akron.
— Compiled by Beacon Journal business writers Katie Byard and Jim Mackinnon
