Kelly-Springfield Tire Plant, Cooling Tower, 701 Kelly Road, Cumberland, Allegany County, MD

Significance: The Kelly-Springfield Tire Plant is a technologically and historically significant industrial complex in Allegany County. The facility was in operation from 1921 until 1987 and served as Kelly-Springfield's only manufacturing plant between 1925 and 1962. The plant was critical to the development of Cumberland during the twentieth century, and is an important record of an early tire manufacturing plant. The Cooling Tower, built circa 1945, represents a later addition to the plant. The structure was built to cool the hot water created during the tire making process. Hot water from the plant was delivered to the tower, cooled, and stored in an underground reservoir before being recirculated back to the plant.
Survey number: HAER MD-102-D
Building/structure dates: ca. 1945 Initial Construction