Metroparks Buys Barge 225 for $1.3 Million, Will Move It to Wildwood Park

The Cleveland Metroparks has bought Barge 225 for $1.3 million and plans to move it to Wildwood Park in the Euclid Creek Reservation. The sale closed on July 6.

It most recently served as the offices for LeanDog and Arras Keathley, among other short-term tenants in recent years. LeanDog leased the space beginning in 2009 and its founder, Jon Stahl, along with Arras Keathley founder Jim Hickey, purchased it in 2011 before leading $1 million in renovations to convert it to office space.

As for what’s upcoming:

“Planning regarding the future use of the barge is underway and we look forward to sharing details in the future,” a Metroparks spokesperson told Scene. “The public can look forward to opportunities for creative programmatic elements and events.”

There’s every reason to be excited for its potential, as Metroparks CEO Brian Zimmerman told the board it was a “one-of-a-kind opportunity.”

Hickey told Scene the pair had the barge up for sale for a bit mid-pandemic. Once the Metroparks came calling, it seemed like a natural fit.

“We had a couple of organizations look at it,” Hickey, who sold Arras Keathley in 2018, said. “And we had a couple of interim tenants, but it was clear it was time for its next chapter. Ultimately, we felt that the best next chapter was with the Metroparks. They have such a history of doing great things when they step into new initiatives.”

Stahl agreed.

“For us, the pandemic hit pretty hard. My team went remote and everything changed,” he said. “It goes to show that you can have this cool boat with prime views of Cleveland but it’s still not enough to keep people from not wanting to come into the office. It was a ghost ship. When the parks approached us, we knew it was a great home for it. It’ll be in the public eye, something unique to enjoy, instead of being a law firm or something.”

SignalCleveland first reported the purchase from details in the Metroparks last board meeting.

Starting life as the Steamship Kearsage in 1894, it has led many lives over the last century, including, and most notably, as the Hornblower’s restaurant.

Designed by Washington Irving Babcock, the Kearsage operated as a charter boat for the Western Transit Company before being sold in 1907 to the Canada-Atlantic Transit Company.

She was idle from the late 1930s until after World War II, when the boat was scrapped, with the hull landing in the hands of Sabadish Brothers Dredging Company and the stern being converted into a barge. She debuted as Hornblower’s Barge and Grill in 1992, which closed in 2006. Conversions

With 4,000 square feet of decktop space and many more below, Hickey can only imagine what the Metroparks has in store.

“This is a unique property,” Hickey said. “By our research, there are only three floating offices in the U.S. And we wanted the next chapter to be as compelling.”

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