Eleven commercial properties have been slated for demolition throughout Akron for failing to maintain minimum standards for safety. 

Jodie Forester, compliance administrator for Akron’s Housing Compliance Division, said demolition dates have not yet been set.  

Once the structures are demolished, Forester said, the plots of land still belong to the owners and the cost of demolition is added to the property taxes for the sites.

Akron City Council approved two contracts to take down the 11 properties: one with Ray Bertolini Trucking Co. to demolish five of the properties at a cost of $213,050 and one with Butcher & Son Excavating to tear down the remaining six at a cost of $99,720, for a total of $312,770.

The buildings were individually condemned by the city and approved for demolition at various meetings of the Vacant Commercial or Industrial Building Appeals Board over the past several years. 

In each case, the owner failed to comply with provisions of the city’s codes for vacant commercial and industrial buildings, which means the properties are in “such a state of disrepair as to create a serious hazard to the health and safety of the community.” 

332 Trigonia Dr. in West Akron.
332 Trigonia Dr. in West Akron. (Screenshot via Google Streetview)

332 Trigonia Dr. 

Owned by Apostolic Church of Christ Inc., this .41-acre property in West Akron was approved for demolition in 2023. 

1261 Copley Road  was purchased by Greens Investment Group Corp. in March. This 1,080-square-foot building served as a Church’s Chicken restaurant in West Akron.
1261 Copley Road  was purchased by Greens Investment Group Corp. in March. This 1,080-square-foot building served as a Church’s Chicken restaurant in West Akron. The building at 1265-69 Copley Road, right, is owned by Westside Neighborhood Development, which purchased it in 2008. It’s zoned as a concrete-block row house . (Screenshot via Google Street View)

1261 Copley Road 

Purchased by Greens Investment Group Corp. in March, this 1,080-square-foot building served as a Church’s Chicken restaurant in West Akron before it was boarded up. It’s zoned as a drive-in restaurant facility.

1265-69 Copley Road 

Westside Neighborhood Development bought this grouping of buildings from the previous owner in 2008. It’s zoned as a concrete-block row house situated on the east side of the former Church’s Chicken, which is also scheduled for demolition. 

This vacant building at 558/560 Vernon Odom Blvd. in Sherbondy Hill will be torn down with 10 others in Akron. The building at one time housed the Hi-De-Ho Bar.
This vacant building at 558/560 Vernon Odom Blvd. in Sherbondy Hill will be torn down with 10 others in Akron. The building at one time housed the Hi-De-Ho Bar. (Screenshot via Google Street View)

558 and 560 Vernon Odom Blvd. 

Rubber City Lounge LLC purchased these two properties on April 5, 2024, and they were scheduled for demolition on April 10. The two-story brick building in Sherbondy Hill is located at the corner of Vernon Odom Boulevard and Mallison Avenue about two blocks from the Vernon Odom Branch Library. The building previously housed The Rubber City Jukebox bar and grill and the Hi-De-Ho Lounge.  

Emmanuel Homes LLC purchased the two Sherbondy Hill properties at 409 and 411 W. Thornton St. in 2018.
Emmanuel Homes LLC purchased the two Sherbondy Hill properties at 409 and 411 W. Thornton St. in 2018. (Screenshot via Google Street View)

409 and 411 W. Thornton St.

Emmanuel Homes LLC purchased these two Sherbondy Hill properties in 2018. They were approved for demolition in 2023. 

A buyer named David W. Jones purchased this freestanding commercial property at 1030 and 1032 Kenmore Blvd. in 1999.
A buyer named David W. Jones purchased this freestanding commercial property at 1030 and 1032 Kenmore Blvd. in 1999. (Screenshot via Google Street View)

1030 and 1032 Kenmore Blvd.

A buyer named David W. Jones purchased this freestanding commercial property in 1999. The structure was approved for demolition in November 2025. 

Family First Ministries purchased this site at 1149 Kenmore Blvd. in October 2026.
Family First Ministries purchased this site at 1149 Kenmore Blvd. in October 2026. (Screenshot via Google Street View)

1149 Kenmore Blvd.

Family First Ministries purchased this site in October 2026. 

348 Cole Ave.

The current owner purchased this property in 2001, and it was approved for demolition in June 2022. 

Owned by 198 Cuyahoga Street LLC, this property was approved for demolition in 2023. The building housed Ewald’s Grocery in the 1920s and 1930s and was home to a series of churches in the 1980s.
Owned by 198 Cuyahoga Street LLC, this property was approved for demolition in 2023. The building housed Ewald’s Grocery in the 1920s and 1930s and was home to a series of churches in the 1980s. (Screenshot via Google Street View)

198 Cuyahoga St.

Owned by 198 Cuyahoga Street LLC, this property was approved for demolition in 2023. The building housed Ewald’s Grocery in the 1920s and 1930s and was home to a series of churches in the 1980s.

1097 Bellows St.

Little Ministries LLC owns this property, which was approved for demolition in July 2024. It’s listed on Google as the previous site of a mechanic shop called Southside Garage. 

Approved for demolition in 2020, this property at 1284 W. Waterloo Road was last sold in 2017. It’s the former site of a now-closed grocery store called Mike’s Market.
Approved for demolition in 2020, this property at 1284 W. Waterloo Road was last sold in 2017. It’s the former site of a now-closed grocery store called Mike’s Market. (Screenshot via Google Street View)

1284 W. Waterloo Road

Approved for demolition in 2020, this property was last sold in 2017. It’s the former site of a now-closed grocery store called Mike’s Market.

Kristine Gill is a freelance writer based in Willoughby with experience covering real estate, crime, higher education and health. She majored in newspaper journalism and creative writing at Kent State and runs a fiction workshop for local writers. She spent a decade living in Florida, working first as a reporter for the Naples Daily News. She later worked as a media relations specialist for the Collier County Sheriff's Office.