Huron Place Teardown Begins: 10 Acres of East Cleveland Land Unlocked
The $1.2 million demolition of the 1961-built apartment complex clears the way for future development on Terrace Road.
By Abigail Brooks ·
Work crews began dismantling the Huron Place apartment building on Wednesday, ending more than a decade of vacancy in East Cleveland. The structure, which opened its doors in 1961, had sat empty on Terrace Road until recently. Mayor Sandra Morgan declared the site a danger to the surrounding neighborhood, noting that the building had become a source of local nuisance. She stated that it was time for the structure to come down to relieve the burden on the community.
Ricardo Leon, the chief executive of the Cuyahoga Land Bank, described the property as a hub for criminal activity. He pointed to frequent break-ins by children and extensive graffiti as evidence of the building's decline. To finance the removal, the Cuyahoga Land Bank coordinated with the state of Ohio and the city government. An Ohio Department of Development grant will cover 75 percent of the total $1.2 million price tag.
The City of East Cleveland is providing the remaining 25 percent of the funds as a local match. This financial arrangement allows the project to proceed without additional public debt. Once the demolition is finished, the site will yield approximately 10 acres of open land. Currently, no formal development plans exist for the plot, though Morgan expressed a belief that the area will eventually serve a mixed-use purpose.
Morgan described the city's momentum during the start of the project, saying they were moving at the speed of progress. She expressed excitement about the transition from a vacant lot to a usable space. The timeline for completion is set at three to four months from the start of the work. By that point, the physical structure will be removed, leaving the ground ready for whatever next steps the city and partners decide to take.
