CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio – A Cleveland Heights bar was damaged when part of the cornice of a landmark century-old building collapsed to the ground early Sunday.
According to Cleveland Heights Mayor Kahlil Seren, no one was injured in the collapse, which occurred shortly before 3 a.m. The cause of the collapse is currently under investigation.
On Sunday afternoon, workers were busy picking up debris outside the Fairmount, a cocktail bar on the ground floor of the Heights Medical Building at the corner of Cedar Road and Fairmount Boulevard. Large bricks from the cornice on the building’s facade fell, causing damage to the bar’s exterior, including its familiar sign and awnings.
Crews blocked off a portion of Fairmount Boulevard so drivers could not turn right or left onto Cedar, as well as portions of the sidewalk leading from Luna Bakery and Cafe to Fairmount. Drivers could still access the outdoor parking lot behind the building on Sunday afternoon.
Jake Orosz, the owner of the Fairmount, said in an email that he barely escaped injury in the incident. Orosz said he was walking along the snow cornice beneath the crash site just four minutes before the collapse. He said he was there to pick up a phone charger he had left there after work.
“It was pretty intense, as you can imagine,” he said.
“I’m just thankful that no customers or employees were injured,” he added.
He also said the Cleveland Heights Fire Department and a structural engineer deemed the building “safe for business” and posed no danger to patrons or pedestrians. And the fire department was still investigating the cause of the collapse.
The Fairmount will reopen at 4 p.m. on Monday, and Orosz said guests and staff will only use the rear entrance, directly off the parking lot, until scaffolding is erected in the coming days.
Seren said Barrio, a restaurant in the building, as well as Luna Bakery and Cafe were also affected by the collapse. He said Barrio was able to continue its normal operations because it was also accessible through the rear entrance.
