The 19th-century building at the center with the white siding is visibly leaning to the left, into Maxi’s Bistro which is owned by the same principal. The leaning building is due to be demolished but it remains to be seen if plans for developing the property are imminent (Google). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.
Plan to replace demo’d building with Maxi’s expansion
Italy has its famous Leaning Tower of Pisa. Cleveland has its leaning laundromat of Little Italy. But while Pisa’s was built in 1372 and is in no danger of falling, Cleveland’s 19th-century version is a danger to surrounding buildings and may be demolished soon after five years of consideration.
The leaning building on Little Italy’s main drag that was approved by the city of Cleveland’s Landmarks Commission for demolition five years ago is the subject of a pending demolition permit submitted last week. Also approved back then was a development plan for an expanded Maxi’s Bistro restaurant that site, 12115 Mayfield Rd.
No pending building permits have been submitted for 12115 Mayfield. Since the property is in an historic district, such demolitions are the purview of the Landmarks Commission. The commission’s 2020 demolition approval is still in effect as such approvals don’t expire — unlike permits.
The leaning laundromat of Little Italy is in danger of falling into the neighboring Maxi’s Bistro, 12113 Mayfield. And since the two properties are owned by the same principal, there is even greater motivation to demolish the building — despite the long time between a Landmarks approval and a permit application.
“The building is leaning and the basement has collapsed,” said Fatmir Mani, owner of Maxi’s. “It cannot be saved.”
An early plan for the expansion of Maxi’s Bistro onto the parcel at 12115 Mayfield. However this version was shortened by about 8 feet to match the neighboring buildings before it was approved by the Landmarks Commission (Blatchford).
Maxi’s property and that of the leaning building next door are owned by different limited liability corporations — 12113 Mayfield is owned by Vayrin Properties; 12115 Mayfield owned by V Properties — but have the same managing member, Vjollea Hajrullahi, public records show.
And when Landmarks reviewed and approved the demolition request in 2020, it followed up months later by approving the design for a new development to replace the leaning building. That new building was approved after much debate at the commission over how tall it should be to match its neighboring buildings.
Mani said that Landmarks staff asked him this week if the development plans had changed. Mani said they hadn’t, so Landmarks requested a copy of the approved plans, developed by Travis Logsdon of Blatchford Architects in Cleveland Heights. NEOrans left an unreturned phone message with Logsdon.
“There really isn’t a great opportunity to save the building,” Logsdon said of the leaning structure in 2020. “It’s in really bad shape. The owner is proposing a new restaurant in this location with a party room above. He has a similar set up at Maxi’s. He’s always booked for events.”
A year ago, Mani opened The Black Cherry Room at Maxi’s — a bar and lounge on the second floor of its restaurant. Also added was an outdoor, but all-season patio in the backyard of Maxi’s Bistro to provide for more seating for dining.
In 1954, 12115 Mayfield is seen in this view when it was the home of a travel agency. It then became a laundromat after it was remodeled in 1962 due to some inconvenient bomb damage (CPC).
While there hadn’t been any action in five years on the demolition, until now, there has been a paper trail at the city’s Building and Housing Department. The leaning building is the subject of two documented violation notices, both in 2022.
“The property needs to be inspected for a collapsing structure — the building is leaning onto the building next door,” wrote Keith Gudat on Feb. 23, 2022. Gudat was then Cleveland’s chief building inspector. He is now the chief building official at the city of Sheffield Lake in Lorain County.
Then, in September 2022, other building violations were reported. A public record shows the leaning laundromat’s downspouts are unsecured, decayed and in need of cleaning. Window units are decayed, broken and in need of paint. Exterior siding is loose, deteriorated and the paint not weather resistant, the filing noted.
In addition to the threat of the leaning building, the structure has water infiltration in the basement and a leaking roof, according to city officials five years ago. The building was substantially renovated in 1962, eliminating much of its original architectural character. It’s only recent use has been the addition of an ATM — effectively preventing its collapse.
At the center of this 2022 streetview is 12115 Mayfield. The 19th-century building will likely be demolished in the coming weeks (Google).
“The building is leaning and partially held up by the ATM enclosure,” said Maurice Ruelens, chief city planner at the City Planning Commission.
The age of the building is in question because no original permit was filed prior to its construction. The earliest reference to the building was in the newspapers which reported that a stabbing murder had occurred there in 1894 when it was a restaurant-bar, Ruelens added.
In the 1940s, the building was a laundromat when it was bombed — apparently during a mob dispute. Public records show this and multiple other properties nearby were owned by the D’Agostino family for decades until 2011.
Cuyahoga County property filings show that the D’Agostino family acquired properties in Little Italy starting in the mid-1930s from Frank Milano, one of founding members of the Mayfield Road Mob.
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