CLEVELAND — A vehicle narrowly avoided being crushed by a wall that came tumbling down during Thursday night’s storms as it drove past the historic Empire Plow building, which was already in the process of being demolished in Cleveland’s Saint Hyacinth neighborhood.
Surveillance video shared with News 5 shows a wall of the 136-year-old building collapsing onto the road at 7:13 p.m. Thursday, just as a vehicle was driving by. Debris from the collapsed wall comes within inches of the vehicle as it veers out of the way.
No injuries were reported, and the video shows the vehicle driving around the detritus before continuing on its way.
News 5 photographer Mike Harris captured images of the aftermath of the collapse Friday:
The Empire Plow Co., a manufacturer of plows and other agricultural implements that has operated since 1840, moved to the factory at 3140 East 65th St. around 1890, according to the company’s website.
The building has been vacant for years, and after the property was purchased earlier this year, demolition began on the historic structure, according to NEOTransBlog.
Urban explorers captured images of the demolition in progress earlier this month.
News 5 has reached out to city officials for details on what happened and plans for cleaning up the mess left by Thursday’s severe weather.
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