CLEVELAND — A building that has remained vacant for over two decades in a Cleveland neighborhood is now being demolished.

Donna Brooks, a resident of the Stockyards neighborhood for nearly 40 years, was at the start of the demolition on Monday morning.

What You Need To Know

  • A building off West 73rd Street in Cleveland is being demolished

  • It has been vacant for over two decades and residents in the area have been pushing for it to be demolished for years 

  • The demolition will be finished in early November, but there's no exact plan for what will replace the vacant space

“I didn’t realize I was going to get this emotional,”  Brooks said.

Brooks explained the building has been a site for drug activity, squatters and other dangerous activities.

“I’ve been waiting for it to come down for over 20 years,” Brooks said.

Brooks said the community group she’s a part of has been fighting for the building to come down for a long time. She’s worked with city leaders such as Jasmine Santana. Santana worked to get the funding for this demolition project. The state provided $22 million for the building, that’s off of West 73rd Street in Cleveland, to be demolished.

“For as long as I’ve lived in this area, which has been more than two decades, residents have been complaining about this vacant building. When I campaign, every door I knocked on, everyone talked about this eyesore here,” Santana said.

Brooks discussed potentially wanting a park or another community space that could go in the vacant area once the building is demolished. She expressed her hope for this to serve as a reminder to people that they should get involved in their community.