Disclaimer: All of these places are private property, and not open to the public. However, there is no law saying that you cannot take photos and observe them from the outside. Aside from the legal issues though, there are numerous structural issues within many of these buildings, as well as dangerous things such as asbestos, black mold and other things that can damage your health. What you do though is ultimately up to you. I’m not your parent or legal guardian. I just wanted to share some interesting history of the 7 most popular abandoned buildings to visit in Cleveland, Ohio. Again though, I can’t tell you what to do or not to do. I’m not a cop.  

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1. Westinghouse:

The abandoned Westinghouse factory on Ashland Road in Cleveland has quite an interesting history, having employed people like Edison, and even had Tesla in briefly. The company was known in the beginning for producing the world’s first alternating-current transformer, which was one of the biggest things to happen in the history of electricity. This factory was abandoned by the mid-1970s, but has been a popular subject for urbex photographers, and many others, including those interested in learning about Cleveland’s history. The factory also served as a filming location for the Avengers movie when they filmed here in Cleveland. One of the upper areas of the factory was used in the Black Widow interrogation scene – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyyGJk51n-0

Read more and see more photos of the abandoned Westinghouse factory here: https://architecturalafterlife.com/2019/02/clevelands-westinghouse-factory/

Coordinates: 41.49948812552885, -81.64687991996986

2. National Acme:

The National Acme company had become one of the largest machine-tool manufacturers in the UUnited States by 1980. At this time, the company was seeing net sales of $405 million. The company changed hands and names numerous times over the years, and eventually became Acme-Cleveland. Not much remains within the old shell of the factory that once was National Acme, but it remains a popular spot for urbex photographers living in or visiting Cleveland.

Read more and see more photos of the abandoned National Acme factory here: https://architecturalafterlife.com/2022/06/national-acme-cleveland/

Coordinates: 41.553162223625705, -81.59378788463414

3. Warner & Swasey:

The Warner & Swasey company is one of the most notable and important companies in not only US history, but world history as well. This company created the modern lathe and helped create modern CNC machining, and without these things, we may not be anywhere near where we are today. Their machines played very prominent roles in the war efforts for both world wars. A lot of the old machines that used to fill this factory space are still used around the world today.

Read more and see more photos of the abandoned Warner & Swasey factory here: https://architecturalafterlife.com/2019/03/warner-swasey/

Coordinates: 41.502047261995024, -81.65000556794222

4. Warner & Swasey Observatory:

The Warner & Swasey Observatory was built by owners of the Warner & Swasey company, Worcester Reed Warner and Ambrose Swasey. The two had a great interest in, and love for building telescopes. Though this part of their business was not very profitable, it was because of their love for research of our stars that they continued to build them, and why they decided to build the observatory for the Case School of Applied Science at the beginning of the 20th century. Many of the telescopes built by Warner & Swasey are quite notable, and still operate around the world today. 

Read more and see more photos of the abandoned Warner & Swasey Observatory here: https://architecturalafterlife.com/2013/01/warner-swasey-observatory-cleveland-oh-look-to-the-skies/

Coordinates: 41.53603698288546, -81.56849021407771

5. Willson Middle School:

While the building does not hold the most incredible history aside from being a very old Cleveland school, and displaying some interesting early architectural elements, it’s hard to miss when driving down E55th. The structure was built in the early 1900s, right before Cleveland had started adopting the numbered street system. It was named Willson for the street that it stood on, which eventually became E55th just a couple years later. It’s unfortunate to see how many schools sit abandoned across our country, with many of them being in larger urban landscapes like Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, etc.

Read more and see more photos of the abandoned Willson Middle School here: https://architecturalafterlife.com/2016/05/willson-middle-school-schools-out-forever/

Coordinates: 41.51474534009011, -81.65118721253897

6. Sidaway Bridge:

Okay, it’s not a building, but it’s definitely one of the coolest bridges to visit in Cleveland. Of the many abandoned places you can visit in Cleveland, Sidaway Bridge is one of my favorites. A bridge that was supposed to bring two neighborhoods together, but ultimately ended up tearing them apart. Built in the early 1900s, there were hopes that it would connect two neighborhoods so that they could more easily come together and build together, but feuds between the two neighborhoods only grew worse. The original bridge was deconstructed and replaced with the larger bridge you see today when visiting. In the 1930s, the bridge was the site of the Cleveland Torso Murders, and during the Hough Riots in the 1960s, the bridge was set on fire in an attempt to stop anyone from crossing between neighborhoods.

Read more and see more photos of the abandoned Sidaway Bridge here: https://architecturalafterlife.com/2019/01/sidaway-bridge-hough-riots-and-the-cleveland-torso-murders/

Coordinates: 41.48036467175044, -81.64180020941649

7. Richman Brothers:

Almost right across the street from Willson Middle School sits the massive shell of what once was one of the largest, and best companies in United States history. The Richman Brothers company was known at the height of its growth for being the best company in the entire country to work for. The Richman Brothers company introduced two week paid vacations to its workers, becoming the first industrial organization to do so. The company also offered paid maternity leave, had set a thirty-six hour work week, and offered corporate stock options. They could surely be seen as one of the most reputable companies in US history when it comes to their business practices.

Read more and see more photos of the abandoned Richman Brothers factory here: https://architecturalafterlife.com/2017/12/the-abandoned-richman-brothers-factory/

Coordinates: 41.51562746722045, -81.65238352417519

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Thanks for checking out Architectural Afterlife! If you enjoyed this post, you may enjoy checking out these other interesting places in Ohio.