University Hospitals plans to demolish entire block of homes near Little Italy

NewsMore than dozen East 115th Street homes owned by University Hospitals and next to the hospital campus are scheduled for demolition. UH has not yet determined what to do with the property once it is vacant.Rich Exner, cleveland.comCLEVELAND, Ohio - An entire street of homes is slated to vanish near Little Italy as University Hospitals moves forward with a demolition plan to free up space for yet-to-be-determined medical purposes.With many of the homes in disrepair after 41 years of UH ownership, the Cuyahoga County Land Bank, working on behalf of UH, recently received a $220,000 grant from the state of Ohio to tear down 16 structures.The 15 homes and one apartment building extend nearly the entire length of East 115 Street between Mayfield Road and Cornell Road, just south of Euclid Avenue.Weathered signs posted on 12 of the homes say there have been no public utilities since December 2022. And the Land Bank’s state application listed all but two properties as vacant.The Cuyahoga County Land Bank, working with property owner University Hospitals, has received a state grant to demolish the 15 homes and one apartment building outlined in this map in red.Cuyahoga County property records | Rich Exner, cleveland.comUtilities have been cut off for more than three years for at least 12 of the University Hospitals-owned homes on East 115th Street, according to signs posted on the properties.Rich Exner, cleveland.comThe demolition plan, however, has not yet gone through the city approval process.And the future is uncertain for the two occupied properties, which are used by the Transplant House of Cleveland, a nonprofit offering temporary housing for transplant patients and their families.The Land Bank told the state that the 16-unit apartment building and the duplex are on month-to-month leases. The application said, “University Hospitals has confirmed that the property will be vacated prior to the anticipated start of the project,” which was listed as July 15, 2026.Yet as of this week, both the demolition timetable and whether the Transplant House properties would be spared were unclear.Adam Stalder, director of Community Stabilization for the Land Bank, said demolitions to the two occupied properties “might not move forward.” He deferred to UH for more specifics about the two properties.cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer reached out to both UH and the Transplant House.The Transplant House of Cleveland, a nonprofit offering temporary housing for transplant patients and their families, operates in this duplex and a small apartment building across the street on East 115th Street.Rich Exner, cleveland.comThe street represents a rare collection of mostly large single-family homes in what otherwise is an area mainly surrounded by University Hospitals, Euclid Avenue businesses, and high-rises and commercial buildings on Mayfield Road.The colonial-style homes likely date back to the early 1900s. Property records list them as being built in 1900, but that year often shows up in records when the actual date is unknown. The single-family homes on the list range from roughly 1,600 to 2,200 square feet.“These houses are amazing. I’m sorry to see them go. I remember when there were more houses over there (along Mayfield Road) before those high-rises went up,” said Transplant House volunteer Roy Pekoc. “I just think it’s a shame. I wish they would keep them.”UH acquired nearly all the properties in 1985 from University Circle Inc., property records show. For years, they were rented out.Though proceeding with demolition plans, UH said it had not yet determined the future use of the land.“We have an opportunity and a desire to clear this land so that we can continue to grow University Hospitals in order to fulfill our mission and serve the community,” UH said in a statement.“We will work with our partners to salvage and repurpose parts of the homes that UH has owned for decades and are seeking permission to raze the structures thereafter. We are still working to determine the best long-term use for the property, but it will ultimately be based on the clinical needs of our patients.”Signs posted on 12 East 115th Street properties owned by University Hospitals say there have been no utilities since at least December 2022.Rich Exner, cleveland.comThe state of Ohio has awarded a $220,000 grant to tear down 15 homes and an apartment building, all owned by University Hospitals, on East 115th Street.Rich Exner, cleveland.comrexner@cleveland.com - Reporter primarily covering the regional development and transportation beats for cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer. Past jobs at cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer include data analysis...