Photo via aerialagents/Instagram
Overhead view of Irishtown Bend, that could soon become one of Cleveland's premier parks.
The demolition of two buildings on W. 25th Street to clear the way for the Irishtown Bend project could begin as early as noon on Monday, the nonprofit LAND Studio has announced.
Scene reported in July that the Cleveland Metroparks would manage the demolition with funds obtained by LAND studio through the Clean Ohio Fund.
As we reported then, the demolitions will be the "first major visible step" in the project to create a premiere public park in Cleveland. It aims to stabilize and reimagine the Cuyahoga River hillside along the bend just North of W. 25th Street and transform it into a 23-acre park.
The former Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA) administrative building, and the former CMHA multifamily housing complex known as "Big 8" are the two structures to be demolished. The Big 8 facility is slated for demolition first on Monday. Protective fencing will have been erected by Monday.
A statement from LAND Studio said that the demolition could clear the way for "dramatic views" of the river and downtown Cleveland which are now obstructed.
"The clearing of these buildings will now give the community a better sense of the incredible potential this space offers," said Joel Wimbiscus, LAND Studio project manager, in a press release. "Once razed, the curtains will be drawn back to open up a dramatic view of the Cuyahoga Valley and downtown allowing Clevelanders to reunite with a vista that has been hidden for more than 50 years."
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