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TCO News
CLEVELAND — Once a monument to Cleveland’s industrial might, the long-abandoned National Acme Co. factory on the city’s East Side is finally coming down — and rising in its place is a new vision for community revitalization and economic opportunity.
On Thursday, public officials, community leaders, and residents gathered at the edge of Glenville and Collinwood to celebrate the start of demolition on the toxic, trash-filled factory site. The effort, led by the Site Readiness for Good Jobs Fund, is part of a bold plan to turn 37 acres of blighted land into Cleveland’s largest job-ready development.
Blight to Bright Future
The former National Acme building, once a bustling machine-tool manufacturing center, has sat vacant for years — contaminated with asbestos, filled with 27,000 tons of trash, and described by city leaders as one of Cleveland’s worst examples of urban decay.
But with the help of a $7.6 million state grant and leadership from the Cuyahoga Land Bank, an $11 million cleanup is underway. The Site Readiness Fund, a nonprofit born out of pandemic recovery efforts and seeded with $50 million in federal funds, will oversee the site’s future and market it to manufacturers hungry for space in the region.
Combined with an adjacent 22-acre property under contract, the total 37-acre site will become a rare asset in urban America: a shovel-ready, industrial zone inside city limits.
Jobs, Justice, and Reinvestment
“This is more than a demolition,” said Mayor Justin Bibb, flanked by Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel, city councilmembers, and economic development leaders. “It’s a symbol of hope. A symbol of opportunity. And a symbol of progress for our neighborhoods.”
The new industrial campus is projected to support at least 250 jobs, but its value goes far beyond numbers. It’s a down payment on equity, according to East Side council members like Mike Polensek and Anthony Hairston, who’ve long pushed for reinvestment in neighborhoods abandoned by industry and ignored by development.
“This is a win for Cleveland. A win for our neighborhood,” said Polensek, who grew up two blocks away. “We just have to multiply this and duplicate this all over.”
Vision for 2040: A Thousand Acres, 25,000 Jobs
The Site Readiness Fund isn’t stopping here. Over the past 18 months, it has acquired or struck deals for over 200 acres across Cleveland, with plans to redevelop many of those sites by this fall.
“What do we call 200 acres?” said Managing Director Brad Whitehead. “A good start.”
The fund’s long-term goal: reclaim 1,000 acres of underused land and help create 25,000 good-paying jobs by 2040 — many of them in communities that have borne the brunt of disinvestment and deindustrialization.
Lt. Gov. Tressel emphasized the importance of this work as part of Ohio’s broader mission to attract the next generation of manufacturers and workers. “We’ve got to make sure this is a home run — that this becomes a bustling site that brings hope and shows what Cleveland has always been about,” he said.
What’s Next?
The site will now be marketed by the fund in collaboration with Team NEO, the state’s regional economic development group, and real estate brokers looking to attract industry players to Cleveland. Environmental cleanup and clearance are expected to be complete this year.
As Council President Blaine Griffin put it, “This is a win for the region, and everybody needs to applaud this.”
This project represents a new chapter in Cleveland’s ongoing story — one where forgotten places become foundations for a more inclusive and prosperous future.
