The building on the northwest corner of Denver Avenue and East 28th Street in South Lorain reached the end of its century-long lifespan Feb. 15.
The building, recently bought out by United Property Management’s Jon Veard, was demolished by Don Buchs, owner of All American Demolition.
According to Paul Mager, a descendant of the building’s original constructors, the structure was over 100 years old at the time of demolition.
“My maternal grandfather (Zaccario Mariotti) and great-grandfather (Matthew Cherubini) built that building,” Mager said about the structure built in the 1920s. “My great-grandfather built the building that they tore down across the street, which was used as the Russo-Slav, they tore it down about a year ago.”
Next door to the structure being razed is Mariotti Printing, 513 E. 28th St., which Veard owns.
Started by Mager’s uncle, his family has construction-related roots there as well.
“(Zaccario Mariotti) was the father of the guy who started the printing shop, and that was my uncle,” he said.
Mager said that while the building had quite a few iterations throughout its life, he remembers it originally was built as a confectionary known as Lolly’s.
Multiple family members, he said, lived nearly their entire home lives inside those walls.
“My mother was born in that building,” Mager said. “It was the turning point.
“Their family had gotten so big, they built a house on East 30th and Denver, and that’s where my mother grew up.”
With so much family history in this area of Lorain, Mager said he is sad to see the building come down.
“The building looked magnificent from the outside,” he said. “However, I was in it yesterday, and it appears the roof has been leaking for maybe a decade, and all the floors were rotted.”
Despite the “impeccable” brickwork from the outside, the interior of the building essentially was beyond repair, Mager said.
Veard said that the demolition was necessary for the city of Lorain’s current revitalization plans.
“I have no real plans for it, other than I just want to clean up the neighborhood, and clean up that block for myself,” he said. “I know it’s ragtag, I know it’s falling down inside.
“The prior owner … agreed to a fair price, so I acquired it. That was just last month. Now, we’re taking it down.”
Veard noted that there is “no real plan” for the building’s lot, following the demolition.
While his team decides what, if anything, they would like to do with the land, they will take care of the grass and keeping the lot looking nice.
“I understand there’s a big plan for South Lorain to be redeveloped, all along (East 28th Street),” Veard said. “We’re looking at certain properties on 28th Street to maybe have an opportunity, if that happens, to change the nature over there.
“We’ll be part of it.”
The building might be gone, but Veard said that the demolition was for the best.
As the South Lorain development plan moves into the future, Mager said he hopes the demolition is for the best.
The new plan might breathe some life into struggling neighborhoods throughout Lorain, he said.
“It’s sad to see it come down, and hopeful of new development for the city of Lorain,” Mager said. “That’s all I can say.”
