The old Woodhill Supply – also known as the abandoned “duck factory” – was originally built as a streetcar maintenance shop. Eventually, as streetcars were phased out of the public transportation system in Cleveland, the building would serve numerous other purposes.

Woodhill Supply would eventually take ownership of the property. Woodhill Supply is a plumbing, HVAC, tool and PVF company. They had purchased the building to use as a distribution center.

Contrary to popular local belief, the factory was not actually a duck factory, but rather was used by the American Heart Association as a storage space to store thousands of rubber ducks. The ducks were being used as part of an annual race down the Cuyahoga River, where people would be assigned a numbered duck, hence the numbers on the bottoms of the many ducks found here.

Woodhill Supply operated in the building for 50 years, until finally leaving in 2011. The decision to leave was made due to rapid deterioration of the property. They deemed it unnecessary to put too much money into fixing up the damages, and vacated the property entirely. When the building was abandoned, the ducks were left behind with it.

The structure had become a popular location for explorers and photographers alike, and over its years of abandonment, quickly gained the name of “the rubber duck factory.”

On September 27, 2015 the factory was set ablaze, and smoke poured into the streets. We could see smoke in the sky from miles away, and when we reached the location, fire crews were working hard battling the blaze. It was later announced that the remains post-fire would eventually be demolished.

OHIO’S FORGOTTEN HISTORY

This is just one of many places that will be featured in my upcoming book “Ohio’s Forgotten History”

If you would like to be notified when the pre-order for this book goes up, click HERE. You will also receive a special $15 discount code that you will be able to use during the pre-order. Thank you so much for your support and helping me keep this blog up and running!