Architecture & Creative Placemaking
Grammar Studio

Client: Hingetown Redevelopment

Ohio City Firehouse
Cleveland, OH

How might one historic building launch a neighborhood revitalization process?

The Ohio City Firehouse had been sitting vacant for many years when we bought the building in 2011. We renovated it to include retail spaces on the ground floor and offices on the second floor, maintaining the three original fire poles. We brought in Rising Star Coffee Roasters, Urban Orchid Floral, Larder Deli & Bakery, and several other businesses, turning this once fortress-like building into a vibrant open space.

The activation of this building brought renewed interest in the area, and was followed by the opening of a new art space in an old transformer building (The Transformer Station) and many other renovation and new construction projects in the area.

The building has become a community anchor for the area, and has been a focal point and home base for countless concerts and events, including the beloved Ohio City Stages free concert series, which takes place each summer and is organized by the Cleveland Museum of Art and regularly attracts crowds of 3,000+ attendees.

Credit: Grammar Studio