The former Masonic Temple building in Ohio City that houses Cleveland Rocks is being auctioned off in a distress sale after years of financial difficulties.
A recent listing by George Roman Auctioneers shows the 29,000 square-foot facility up for bid until late September. The minimum price: a notch over $1 million.
As of late August, owner Kevin Wojton and his three LLCs tied to the gym at 2831 Franklin Blvd. have yet to pay back nearly $2.3 million in loans to the city, the county and to Huntington Bank, court records show. The county officially foreclosed on Cleveland Rocks in February; it was placed under the control of a receiver, auctioneer Ron Roman, in May.
Employees interviewed weren’t surprised at Cleveland Rocks’ debt. All were quick to point to accusations against founder Wojton of defrauding investors out of tens of thousands despite good intentions of opening up a “world class” gym in 2017.
Wojton has not been affiliated with the business for years, several employees told Scene. He did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
A county spokesperson confirmed to Scene that Wojton stills owes Cuyahoga County about $161,500 on two loans.
“I feel like they’ve done a really good job of creating a community” without him, Maggie Butterfield, who worked at Cleveland Rocks from 2023 to 2025, told Scene in a phone call.
“That’s really the saddest part about the whole thing,” she said. “They did so much work, created a really beautiful space for people to find community.”
“Now they’re gonna lost it all because somebody was super selfish,” she said.
The gyms were still open as of Wednesday, with climbers chalking up or fixing ropes. General Manager Chase Clifford told Scene he hopes the building stays this way—as a gym—after the auction closes.
It might be hard to convert the building to anything else: massive steel support beams were drilled a floor deep to create the towering climbing walls. Which could set a developer back millions if a climbing gym isn’t their thing, Clifford speculated.
And besides the debt tied to its founder?
“We are a business turning a profit,” Clifford said, standing in one of Cleveland Rocks’ climbing rooms. “It’s just a matter of turning enough to overcome debt. Which would just be an uphill battle.”
The final day to bid on the property is September 22.
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