Another dilapidated house in the city of Lorain was razed.
The dwelling at 783 W. Sixth St. was torn down Sept. 11 by Don Buchs, owner of American Demolition.
The structure has lived multiple lives, said Jennifer Black, director of marketing and public communications for the Lorain Public Library System.
The library owns the property at 783 W. Sixth St., which is down the street from the Main Branch Library., 351 W. Sixth St.
Known around the library as the “cat house” for many years, thanks to the number of felines sheltered by the house’s previous owner, the structure fell into disrepair after the pipes burst last winter, Black said.
The ice storm caused the owners to move out and sell the house to the library, she said.
“We’ve owned parcels of (this block) for years,” Black said. “It’s just been accumulating; this was the last piece.
“We do not have immediate plans for it. We’re going to clean it up and just put some grass in, but the house needed to come down because it was in disrepair.”
After the library purchased the land last winter, the Lorain Fire Department used the house earlier this summer as a training ground for test burns, according to Lorain Fire and Rescue’s Lt. Ryan Bowers.
“When we’re in there, we’re also doing size-ups,” Bowers said July 6, before a training session. “If I go and I put a smoke detector in, and three days later I get a structure fire in there, I can remember.
“Any time we can get into any of these houses within our response district, we’re gaining information and adding data to the vault.”
To avoid the house becoming a refuge for local wildlife, Black brought in Buchs to raze the house.
The library also brought in recyclers to take out all copper piping and other salvageable materials, she said.
“We always try to mirror what the community is doing. So, it depends on what the next need is for the community; where are the wants and the needs, and what can we do to fulfill any vacancies.”
— Jennifer Black, director of marketing and public communications for the Lorain Public Library System
As for the long-term plans for the land, Black wants to wait and see what needs arise in the Lorain community.
“We always try to mirror what the community is doing,” she said. “So, it depends on what the next need is for the community; where are the wants and the needs, and what can we do to fulfill any vacancies.
“I think we’re just going to sit back and wait and see, and really think through it.”
Buchs said the house’s plot should be cleaned up by the end of the week.
However, he noted that landfills in the area are backed up due to recent flooding, so there could be a bit of a delay.
