“Since February, nothing’s been done,” City of Akron attorney John York told the owner of the dilapidated South Main Street boarding house that was evacuated earlier this year over concerns that portions of the building could imminently collapse. 

Residents were forced to leave the 51-unit building at 1431 S. Main St. on Feb. 13 after portions of the building’s brick veneer on the third floor detached and collapsed onto the front sidewalk. Inspectors found additional safety issues, including that the back wooden stairwell and balcony of the three-floor building was dangerous and that a fire panel was inoperable.

Tenants are still not allowed back in the building, and none of the longstanding issues discovered before and after its evacuation have been addressed. The Housing Appeals Board, during its June 26 meeting, was waiting for an explanation from the owner, Robert Johnson, about the building’s condition as its members considered what to do next.

Robert L. Johnson, right, who owns the apartment building at 1431 S. Main. St. in Akron
Robert L. Johnson, right, who owns the apartment building at 1431 S. Main. St. in Akron where he also lived, stands in the building’s parking lot in February. Residents of the building were evacuated after the building’s front facade partially collapsed, dropping bricks and debris onto the sidewalk and roadway below. (Susan Zake / Signal Akron)

“I haven’t had the funds, I haven’t had the opportunity, I’ve been on house arrest, I’ve been on my ankle monitor, I’ve had a lot of legal issues,” Johnson told York, defending the inaction on repairs to his building and becoming increasingly heated as the questioning continued. “… I ain’t going to stand here and let you talk down to me, because you’re not above me, brother, you’re just like me. Just because you have a law degree?”

Johnson said he was facing an upcoming felony kidnapping and assault trial that could have put him in prison for the rest of his life. The charge was dismissed the day after the hearing because the victim was “unavailable,” according to court records.

Johnson, who previously spent more than 30 years in prison for a murder conviction, told the board that $65,000 in cash was stolen from his office when he was arrested on charges last year, that he had only just finalized a drawn-out divorce that prevented him from selling the building and that insurance companies have not yet paid on claims related to the building. 

Timbers that are part of the framing of the rear balcony of the apartment building at 1431 S. Main St.
Timbers that are part of the framing of the rear balcony of the apartment building at 1431 S. Main St. in Akron show rot and are no longer level. The building was evacuated Feb. 13 after a section of the front brick facade collapsed on Feb. 9 — the building’s condition was deemed an “imminent danger” to residents. (Susan Zake / Signal Akron)

Johnson and his attorney had hoped to persuade the board to not order the building demolished, promising that a nearby gas station owner would only consider buying and fixing up the building if he knew it wouldn’t be razed.

Their pleas didn’t work. York, the assistant director of law, argued to the board that the $80,000 to $100,000 figure the potential buyer said would be the cost of repairs to get the building into compliance was unrealistic. 

“There are so many [issues] inside that building,” one board member said. “… old issues that were never repaired from years ago.”

Signal background

Another member called it a “blighting influence on the neighborhood.”

The HAB unanimously ordered the building demolished, charging the cost of the procedure to Johnson as a tax lien on the property unless a demolition waiver is processed.

Johnson and his attorney promptly went to court and sued to stop the demolition, calling the decision unconstitutional, illegal and unreasonable. 

In the Summit County Court of Common Pleas on Monday, Johnson filed an appeal of the housing board’s decision and a request for an injunction that would prevent the demolition while the appeals process plays out. 

The repair of a support beam holding up the rear balcony of the apartment building at 1431 S. Main St. in Akron shows the two timbers added to support the section hit by a car.
The repair of a support beam holding up the rear balcony of the apartment building at 1431 S. Main St. in Akron shows the two timbers added to support the section hit by a car. The building was evacuated Feb. 13 after a section of the front brick facade collapsed on Feb. 9 — the building’s condition was deemed an “imminent danger” to residents. (Susan Zake / Signal Akron)

His attorney highlighted that the business owner who he said would consider buying the building had the demolition not been ordered, along with the line of questioning from the city attorney, who questioned the wisdom of purchasing a building that needed so many repairs to bring it up to code.

“The City’s position was more based on its frustration at [Johnson’s] perceived lack of remedial action even though [Johnson] lost its income from the City’s shutdown and its owner being prohibited from disposing [of] the building because he was going through a contested divorce,” the complaint states. 

The filing also emphasized the “enormous stress as he was being prosecuted for felonious assault and kidnapping that he strongly contested. Thus, he had to devote a considerable amount of time and energy to defending his criminal case while the City aggressively moved to demolish [Johnson’s] property.” 

Postings on a rear entrance of the apartment building at 1431 S. Main St.
Notices from Akron Fire Department Chief Leon Henderson, the chief building official of the Division of Building Standards of Summit County and the City of Akron’s Chris Ludle, director of public safety, are posted on a rear entrance of the apartment building at 1431 S. Main St. on Feb. 14. The building was evacuated the day before after its condition was deemed an “imminent danger” to residents. (Susan Zake / Signal Akron)
1599341_441_COMPLAINT_FILEDDownload

Government Reporter (he/him)
Doug Brown covers all things connected to the government in the city. He strives to hold elected officials and other powerful figures accountable to the community through easily digestible stories about complex issues. Prior to joining Signal Akron, Doug was a communications staffer at the ACLU of Oregon, news reporter for the Portland Mercury, staff writer for Cleveland Scene, and writer for Deadspin.com, among other roles. He has a bachelor’s degree in political science from Hiram College and a master’s degree in journalism from Kent State University.