LAKEWOOD, Ohio - City-hired crews will begin demolition next week on the former Hilliard Square Theater, which closed almost 30 years ago.

"Not only is it an eyesore, but it's a public safety hazard," Mayor Michael Summers said.

Students attending nearby Harding Middle School walk by the theater daily. The city was concerned the deteriorating building could collapse or sections would crumble, injuring pedestrians.

"It's something we couldn't ignore," Summers said.

The theater is located on the north side of Hilliard between Northland and Olive avenues.

Demolition should begin Monday or Tuesday, Planning and Development Director Bryce Sylvester said. Crews have removed asbestos from the 90-year-old building. Demolition of the theater and adjacent apartments and storefronts that face onto Madison Avenue will wrap up in about a month.

"By mid-March, the building should be to the ground," Sylvester said.

The then-vacant lot should be seeded with grass in April, he said.

The sidewalk in front of the theater on the north side of Hilliard will close next week, but the sidewalk on the south side of Hilliard will remain open. The sidewalk on the south side of Madison Avenue, to the rear of the theater, also will close, but the sidewalk on the north side of Madison will remain open. Traffic on both Hilliard and Madison will continue as normal.

The city is spending $985,000 on asbestos abatement and demolition of the theater. It obtained a $200,000 grant from the county to offset part of the cost. The city will file a lien on the property to recoup its money, city officials said.

There are no immediate plans for redeveloping the property, city officials said. However, there have been discussions with a neighboring catering business about expanding onto the property, and the city is considering building a pocket park or parking lot.

The city has been talking with the owner since September 2013 to negotiate an agreement to repair or demolish the building. Building owner Robert Dobush previously asked the city for help in financing repairs.

The city's Housing and Building Division last year declared the building a public nuisance. 

The most serious problems had to do with large holes in the roof that allowed rain to pour into the building, causing extensive damage to the structure, officials said.

Dobush disagreed with the city's description of the building's condition. During a presentation last year to the city's Board of Building Standards, he asked if instead of demolishing the building the city could help him finance replacement of the badly damaged roof. He referred to himself as a "distressed property owner."

Dobush couldn't be reached for additional comment Thursday.

The Hilliard Square Theater, with 1,228 seats, was built about 1927. It opened as a movie theater that also staged vaudeville shows. The theater closed in the early 1960s but reopened later under the name of the Westwood Theater, before closing in 1988.

Dobush purchased the theater and the attached apartments and storefronts 14 years ago for about $275,000 to prevent the building from being razed. He has hoped to find someone interested in redeveloping the property.

Our editors found this article on this site using Google and regenerated it for our readers.