LAKEWOOD, Ohio — A year after the iconic, Instagram-favorite “Pizza Mural” made way for renovation work, another one has been completed in Lakewood, right next to Cleveland’s West Side.
The original Pizza Mural, which is featured in our list ofCleveland's 100 Hidden Gems, was located at the corner of West 28th Street and Church Avenue and was the creation of artist Mike Sobeck.
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However, the side of the building needed to be restored, which meant the mural had to go.
“There will be another pizza mural one of these days; it just has to be the right wall,” Sobeck told News 5 at the time.
The new mural, featuring a full pie and a three-dimensional slice, is located along Hird Avenue near the intersection of Detroit Avenue, near the line of Lakewood and Cleveland’s west side.
“I’ve never done it like this before,” Sobeck chuckled. “Originally it was going to be a sign and it kind of grew into a mural, a sign, this three-dimensional mural if you will.”
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The new Studio West 117, a neighborhood being built and catering to the LGBTQ+ community, commissioned Sobeck for the mural as part of their new fieldhouse which will feature a walk-up pizza shop.
“It was a real blow to the city to see his mural in Ohio City taken down, and we knew with the pizza kitchen we wanted to offer, we needed something iconic,” co-founder Betsy Figgie explained.
Studio West 117 is set to open its first phase in October, which will feature not just pizza, but an indoor gymnasium, bars, restaurants, a rooftop patio, and outdoor space for people to enjoy.
“We are in essence developing a couple city blocks," Figgie added.
Sobeck told News 5 he offered up three ideas for the pizza mural, and joked that the most unusual and extreme choice was the one that was picked. A sentiment co-founder Daniel Budish confirmed and embraced.
“Everything we’re doing here is an experience,” he explained. “We’re really focusing on the creativity of the LGBTQ+ community. So we want people to see various aspects of our community and be out there. You can be anyone and you can do anything, and that’s what we’re going for with the entire project.”
When the space is complete, the pizza mural is expected to be one of more than two dozen murals at Studio West 117.
“There’s exciting things happening on this street, and I feel like this is going to be a huge thing,” Sobeck explained.
Clay LePard is a reporter at News 5 Cleveland. Follow him on Twitter @ClayLePard or on Facebook Clay LePard News 5.
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