Renovations complete at Mickey’s Building in East Cleveland

This story was produced in collaboration with The East Clevelander Magazine.

On July 10, the Cuyahoga County Land Bank cut the ribbon for the newly renovated Mickey’s Building in East Cleveland. 

Several hundred people, including East Cleveland city leaders, residents, and those associated with the project, listened as Gus Frangos, president of the Cuyahoga County Land Bank, presented a PowerPoint outlining plans for the multi-purpose facility and how it will be used.

Brandon L. King, mayor of East Cleveland, spoke to the audience about how this project will bring hope and change to an area that, back in 2010, was infested with drugs and prostitution. 

“We have a chance now to change the neighborhood by cleaning up vacant lots,” he said.  

“We can get rid of properties that people just walked away from. This initiative will remove illegal activities. The only way to make way for tomorrow is the right to assemble the land. We see this as a beacon of ‘hope for tomorrow,’ for rebuilding East Cleveland; when you see this grand opening, all of the efforts we have been making for years. The only way to make way for tomorrow is to assemble the land,” King said.

Eda Daniel, who left Cleveland years ago for Boston, stands alongside the mayor. When she decided to return, she chose East Cleveland’s Forest Hills neighborhood. 

“I moved here from Boston in 2015,” she said.  “I wanted to return home and pick East Cleveland to plant new roots. I met the mayor shortly after that. Not long after, a group of us decided we wanted to improve the city. The mayor and the chief of staff supported our neighborhood groups. We created 15 neighborhood groups. Each neighborhood decided how they wanted to revitalize their neighborhood. And now Mickey’s Building manifests all that good work coming together in this city.” 

Mickey’s Building, at the corner of Woodlawn and Euclid Avenues, was once a Buick dealership in 1949. It later became Mickey’s Rustproofing and Paint Shop. The building had been empty for around 20 years. The Cleveland Land Bank began showing interest in acquiring the 20,000-square-foot complex around 2009. 

Mickey’s $3.5 million transformation includes high ceilings and new shiny silver elevators that opened to a second floor that could double as a practice field for the Cleveland Browns. The landscaping has been upgraded from once dirt to a well-manicured green space. 

The Land Bank project in East Cleveland doesn’t stop at Mickey’s; the organization has over 30 acres to work with. According to a story on Channel 5’s website a few days ago, once every bit of the space is developed, which could take five or more years,  the cost could reach over $120 million. This venture could bring hundreds of jobs to the city and much-needed revenue. 

“The land we are working with is about 30 acres in the particular target area that we’re most concerned with and focused on,” Dennis Roberts, director of real estate development for the Cuyahoga Land Bank said. “It’s a big square that stretches from Woodlawn Ave,” to the west, to Forest Hills, on the south, up to about Farrington Rd continuing to Euclid to the railroad tracks, then back to about Woodlawn Ave. Verdynt, a biotech company, is waiting to close on a deal to purchase Mickey’s. In regard to this, we would be transforming a vision into reality. The creation of over 100 high-paying jobs by Verdynt Bio is the spark needed to jumpstart investment that will fuel the beginning of the revitalization of this historic city. The purchase amount can’t be disclosed since we have yet to close on the Verdynt deal. But, I can tell you the price is not more than what we invested.”

Lela Eskridge, a 50-year resident of East Cleveland, hopes that the investment in the city will help bring some life back. 

“When I moved here, things were starting to go down,” she said. “Some neighbors weren’t keeping up with home repairs and letting their landscape deteriorate. This new project is a positive move for the city. I never thought about leaving. I love my home and its proximity to downtown, the hospitals, and University Circle.” 

Recently, the project hit a snag; the owner of Loiter Café and Marketplace was supposed to occupy a space on the first floor of Mickey’s Building. Because of an issue with the owner’s lease and the Land Bank, a lawsuit was filed by the owner. A Cuyahoga County judge a few days ago ruled on the side of the restaurant’s owner, but with the stipulation that the restaurant opens in 30 days from the time the verdict was rendered. 

“I can’t comment on pending litigation,” Roberts said. “But this will not affect the sale of the Building and any other plans we have.”

The group plans to break ground on some new single-family homes this year. 

“So we plan to break ground on five new homes on Woodlawn in late fall, early winter. One of our development partners plans to build townhouses as well. No one will be asked to sell their property. We have no intention to buy any residence out. We’re trying to help the residents stay. Our organization has raised cash and or commitments for over $1 million to do home repairs. And we’ve already started that process,” Roberts said.