Cleveland is a beautiful city, in terms of both architecture and natural scenery. However, with such a long history, a few places are bound to become a blend of the two. Many destinations in Greater Cleveland have not seen use in years, but Mother Nature is having a ball day reclaiming their ruins. The results, as you'll see, are stunning.
1. Willson Middle School
This decaying school once taught generation after generation, operating for over a century. It was built in 1903 and educated young Clevelanders until 2005. For over a decade, it has sat in disrepair and decay. Water and temperature fluctuations are breaking the structure apart bit by bit.
2. Abandoned Cost Guard Station
In 1976, the decades-old Coast Guard Station on Whiskey Island at the mouth of the Cuyahoga River was abandoned. The Coast Guard moved to East Ninth Street, and with no need for the old building, it sat in disrepair. A 60-foot lighthouse towers over the structure, and a boathouse and docks also are notable. Its interior is covered in graffiti, and it contains a flight of stairs that leads nowhere due to floor collapse. It is estimated that repairs would cost upwards of $9 million, so a reopening of the station as something new is unlikely in the near future.
3. Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Bridge Number 463
The rare heel-trunnion design of this bridge makes it an impressive structure despite the vegetation that now clings to its skeletal frame. Dating back to 1956, its construction was part a Cuyahoga River widening project.
4. An abandoned home in the Broadway Avenue Historic District.
This stunning Queen Anne Victorian is boarded up, its residents long gone, its roof has collapsed in places, and ivy has all but swallowed up a few of its loveliest features.
5. Abandoned lift bridge
A few abandoned bridges can be found on the Cuyahoga, but few are as imposing as this giant. Like many others, it has been closed to traffic for at least a decade, with its highway lift span permanently locked in position.
6. William Knapp House
Located in the Valley View portion of Cuyahoga Valley National Park, this home from 1836 did not always appear so lonely. It once stood alongside greenhouses and appears to have once had a shed or garage next to the home, but those are long gone. In fact, you probably wouldn't even spot the home from the road, as only a grass road leads up to it.
7. Cofta Farmhouse
This is just another one of 226 buildings in the park service requiring an estimated total of $24 million in maintenance. This home alone, though quaint, petite, and far from extravagant, requires more than $3 million in repairs.
8. Deep Lock Quarry Metro Park
A hike along the trails of this charming park will take you to the ruins of an abandoned sandstone quarry. The stone here helped build canal locks and other local structures, and its beauty is world renowned.
9. Chippewa Lake Amusement Park
Chippewa Lake has long been a source of entertainment for locals, but the fun truly began in 1875 when the now-defunct Chippewa Lake Amusement Park was opened. It closed in 1978, but its most dedicated residents never left. Rusty skeletons of rides and concessions now litter the park. You can find our full article about this unique abandoned location here.
Cleveland is stunning, and even its most dilapidated structures hint at its incredible beauty. All throughout Northeast Ohio are abandoned places that create an artistic blend of man-made beauty and the power of Mother Nature, and they are truly humbling.
For more, check out this formerly abandoned warehouse that found a new life as a school.
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