CLEVELAND — Fridrich Bicycle, Cleveland’s oldest bicycle store and repair shop, closed in 2024. At the time, owner Charles Fridrich told me he hoped to sell the building.
A sale has not happened, and now part of the iconic building has been torn down by the City of Cleveland.
If you drive or walk past the building at 3800 Lorain Ave., you’ll see a pile of debris from the demolition.
City of Cleveland spokesperson Tyler Sinclair said in a statement that the last thing anybody wants is to demolish a building, especially one that housed a legacy neighborhood business.
“However, we absolutely cannot have someone get hurt or worse, killed, from a collapsing structure,” Sinclair said. “This property had bricks falling onto the sidewalk and debris trickling onto Lorain Avenue — a main city street with heavy vehicular and pedestrian traffic — which posed a substantial public safety risk.”
The city provided numerous photos showing the building’s condition and said multiple code violations and court action failed to resolve the issues.
Sinclair added, “We recently received numerous complaints from residents in the neighborhood who expressed grave concerns about the building collapsing, which we verified was an imminent threat, with demolition being the only option left. One of the owners and his attorney were on-site just prior to the demolition and were fully aware of the situation and the city’s decision to proceed with the emergency demolition of the collapsing building.”
I spoke with Fridrich in July of 2024, ahead of the closure of the family business. It had operated for nearly 150 years.
RELATED: Fridrich Bicycle hitting the brakes, set to close at the end of August after 141 years in business
At the time, I asked him, “I’m sure at some point you might want to relax and enjoy other things in life?”
“Without question,” Fridrich replied. “My age is certainly a factor. I’m 84 and should have done this several years ago.”
On Thursday, I met Cleveland native John Davis, a television producer who documents the city’s history. He said it’s sad to see part of Fridrich Bicycle gone, but he’s grateful he filmed it beforehand.
“It brought a lot of respect to the neighborhood. I mean, I bought my bike from over there, and I still got it,” Davis said. “The way they talked to you — it was like family. Once they saw you and you came in there, they always kept that dialogue and conversation going. It was an amazing place.”
The city said demolition decisions are always difficult, “but public safety has been and always will be our top priority.”
Damon Maloney is a Cuyahoga County and We Follow Through anchor at News 5 Cleveland. Follow him on X @DMaloneyTV, on Facebook DamonMaloneyTV or email him at Damon.Maloney@wews.com.
