Editor's note: This story previously stated the City of Cleveland purchased the cathedral in 1993, it has been corrected to reflect that the city purchased it in 2023.
A once beautiful cathedral in Cleveland that's been abandoned for nearly 30 years is finally being demolished. The city of Cleveland began knocking down Nativity Catholic Church on Aetna Road this week. The project cost the city $906,000.
Emma Colter has lived on Aenta Road for 27 years and since she’s lived there, Nativity Catholic Church has sat abandoned.
“It’s been a horror scene down there,” Colter said.
Colter said she’s been calling the City of Cleveland for years to have it demolished. It’s attracted squatters, rodents, and violence, according to Colter.
“They’d cut holes in the fence, they crawled through the windows on the other side Dunbar that’s back there,” said Colter. “We have to live here, and we don’t want to be living in fear, in fear of people coming over going inside that church doing lots of strange things in there.”
Another lifelong resident, Kenneth Fuller, hopes the project breathes new life into the neighborhood.
“They need to put the money into the neighborhood now," said Fuller. "All the abandoned buildings, abandoned houses. get rid of them and then start investing in the neighborhood. I can’t move into the Heights, anywhere, I was born in this neighborhood. I’ve been here since 1961."
In a statement from Ward 2, Cleveland City Councilman Kevin Bishop said:
“The Nativity Catholic Church was a holy gathering place in our neighborhood for many years. However, since its closure, the building has sat vacant, become an eyesore, and has been a nuisance to these residents. The demolition of this long-vacant structure will allow this community to move forward - and to think creatively about how we can replace it and bring more progress and development to Ward 2. Much like the person this church was built to worship, I have faith that this neighborhood - and this site in particular will be resurrected. Better days are in our future. I can’t wait to work with the community to determine what the next life for this site will be.”
The City of Cleveland also responded to the project with a statement saying:
“The project site is under contract for demolition with work anticipated to begin next week. We were recently notified that unidentified individuals reached out to another City department expressing concern about potential item(s) that may or may not exist inside the structure. It’s important to note that the property has been abandoned for years. Additionally, there may be harmful compounds, like asbestos, throughout the site that could present health risks – which is why the City and contractors are taking the precautions necessary to adhere to stringent EPA standards. Access to the site will be limited to contractors as we cannot allow residents inside and potentially expose them to harm. That being said, we are currently working with the site contractors to see if any options are available to address the concerns we were made aware of, but safety will be the top priority in any decision as that is of paramount importance.”
Colter finally feels she can take a sigh of relief.
“It’s a blessing to see them tear that church down because we went through a lot to try and get that church torn down,” said Colter.
The city said the project will take multiple weeks to complete. It warned residents to keep all windows and doors shut facing the demolition site to avoid toxins from getting into homes.
Some parishioners reached out to the city to get a hold of artifacts left in the church.
They wanted to save a specific cornerstone because something special was inside. The city found the cornerstone and broke it open. Inside was a box with newspapers and coins. Friday, the city will be handing the findings over to the parishioners.
Nativity Catholic Church was built in 1903. The City of Cleveland purchased the church in 2023.
