CLEVELAND — Donna Burgess moved to Cleveland’s Stockyards area for the upside – an affordable house in a West Side neighborhood that hasn’t gentrified yet.
But for 13 years, she’s seen the downside: The abandoned factory across the street.
Now that long-vacant building, at West 73rd Street and Wentworth Avenue, is finally coming down. On Monday morning, a demolition crew tore into the old box-making plant as neighbors snapped pictures and exchanged hugs.
The city is paying for the demolition as part of its broader efforts to fight blight. After years of razing dilapidated houses, public officials are turning more of their attention to old industrial properties – and using federal and state money to help cover the costs.
The Wentworth Avenue building has been a source of complaints for years.
“You walk out your driveway, you know, and it’s like OK, this is what I got to look at,” said Burgess, who has seen fires, a cascade of bricks and a procession of squatters.
“It’s been sitting there too long like that,” she said.
Built in 1917, the brick building was the longtime home of a box and carton manufacturer. In 2009, the property was on the verge of condemnation when it went through tax foreclosure and state forfeiture. Then, it got snapped up by a light bulb recycling company.
That company eventually caught the attention of environmental regulators. In 2016, Ohio EPA investigators found millions of fluorescent bulbs – many broken – inside. They cited owner George Dietrich for running a hazardous waste facility without a permit.
Two years later, after a fire, the EPA found that the building was contaminated with mercury and other harmful chemicals. The agency cleaned up the worst of the mess, but the property languished.
Thieves broke in. Homeless people camped out inside.
“Just to have the building gone, have the hazard gone, and not have to deal with it as an incredible eyesore anymore will be a good thing,” said David Brooks, who lives nearby.
The demolition will cost $1.2 million. That includes asbestos abatement, which the city already completed.
The money comes from federal pandemic-stimulus funds, part of a roughly $512 million infusion the city received from the American Rescue Plan Act.
Cleveland will bill the owner, a defunct company with a mailing address in Cleveland Heights, for the work. But the city isn't likely to collect anything. The bill will show up as a tax lien on the property, which is already going through tax foreclosure again.
It’s a cycle that city officials see over and over. And it’s one they’re trying to break.
“At the end of the day, our goal is to remove the blight and return to the community a usable site,” said Beth Mackey, who works for the city’s demolition bureau.
To prepare for the teardown, the city worked with nonprofits to relocate people who sought shelter in the building. Police and firefighters hauled away abandoned cars. And the city warned neighbors to avoid the dust, close their windows and keep children away.
Councilwoman Jasmin Santana, who represents the area, held a demolition watch party Monday morning. Brooks was there with a camera, documenting the beginning of the end.
He and his wife have been some of the most vocal advocates for change.
“They say the squeaky wheel gets the grease,” Brooks said. “Well, it may take a long time to get the grease. But I guess this kind of proves if you’re squeaky long enough, something will happen.”
Santana applauded the neighbors for their persistence. She said the old factory has dragged down all of Stockyards – not just the adjacent streets.
“Taking it down is a crucial step towards revitalizing this part of our community,” she wrote in an email. “I’m eager to see this property gone and excited about the potential for future development in the area.”
Demolition should wrap up in mid-November. There’s not a firm plan for the site yet.
Court records show that the Cuyahoga County treasurer filed a foreclosure lawsuit in early 2023 over unpaid property taxes. A judge approved the foreclosure in November. But the property hasn’t been auctioned off yet because of environmental concerns, which must be advertised as part of any sale.
Brooks said he’d love to see green space there. Or maybe new places to live.
“We’ve got a good start,” he said. “The building’s coming down. And everything after this will be progress.”
Burgess also suggested housing or any development that would serve the community. Down the street, the Hill Pub used to overflow with factory workers from the old box-making plant. Now, neighbors gather around the bar to discuss the city’s battle against industrial blight.
“You know,” Burgess said, “if they can make a project of tearing one of these down every summer, and winnow them down until there’s hardly anything, I think that would help the city a lot. I really do. I really do.”
