The Lackawanna Industrial Heritage Group held a rally Saturday in front of the administration building at the former Bethlehem Steel.

The State has given permission to begin tearing down the building as early as next week. Protesters, though, say they are gaining public support. They urge people to contact Lackawanna Mayor Geoffrey Szymanski to save the building.

"This building is a symbol of Western New York's cultural heritage. It is important to us not just as a building, but as a place of potential for the future of this community," said Dana Saylor, a professional historian and preservation activist.

Barring extreme weather, demolition will take four to six weeks to complete.