The era of early modernism and art deco style was about to dawn when Charles Firestone began practicing as an architect in 1919. As he was building his practice, Lawrence Motter was gaining his education at the University of Notre Dame and the University of Detroit.

The two would become partners and form Firestone & Motter, Architects, in 1936. They established their office on Cleveland Avenue in Canton, and Firestone lived upstairs in the same building.

During the 1930s the firm designed several historic structures in Canton, including the Frank T. Bow Federal Building, Timken Senior High School, and Fawcett Stadium, now internationally known as the site of the annual Pro Football Hall of Fame Game, held during enshrinement week every August.

Michael Motter graduated from Notre Dame with a bachelor of architecture degree in 1959 and joined the firm the following year. During the ensuing decade Firestone & Motter developed the original master plan for Walsh College (now Walsh University) in North Canton. They designed the first campus facilities: la Mennais and Farrell Halls, Rannou Campus Center, and Menard and Alexis dormitories.

The firm also designed the original Stark County Historical & Science Museum, and has since designed all subsequent additions, including the now-popular Children's Museum.

Following the death of Charles Firestone, Lawrence and Michael Motter became partners in the 1960s. In the 1970s, Lawrence became a consultant as Michael joined forces with Jeffry Kreps to form Motter/Kreps Architects.

Kreps later joined his father's architectural firm in West Virginia, and Michael Motter then partnered with Rodney Meadows in 1985 to form Motter & Meadows Architects. Rod Meadows had graduated from the University of Cincinnati with a bachelor of architecture degree in 1979. While pursuing his bachelors degree, Rod had attended the San Francisco Center for Architecture and Urban Studies in 1978. He went on to receive a master of architecture degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1984.

Sadly, Michael Motter passed away in 1993, and Rod Meadows has been sole owner and president of Motter & Meadows ever since.

Once of the firm's most visible projects over the last decade has been the Design for the Future building program in the Canton City School District. Fueled by $176 million from the State of Ohio and a local bond issue, the seven-year program comprises building 10 new school buildings and renovating all other school buildings in the district.