Here's What Was Salvaged From Lakewood Hospital

LAKEWOOD, OH — The gradual flattening of Lakewood Hospital has been witnessed by nearly every resident and visitor to the city. As crews clear the way for new development on the Detroit Road corridor, Patch reached out to city officials to determine what, if anything, was being salvaged from the hospital building.

Three arched windows from the corner of the hospital, the iron railings and lights from the Belle corner porch and an original keystone from the boiler room have all been saved, according to Bryce Sylvester, Lakewood's director of planning and development. On Tuesday morning, crews also salvaged a large piece of the cornice details from the corner of the hospital. That material was not originally planned to be saved.

"Lastly, the city has directed the contractors to remove and preserve bricks from the original wing of the hospital. The city will be making bricks available to those interested," Sylvester added. He said details on the bricks would be released soon.

As for the interior of the hospital, several items were saved by the Lakewood Historical Society, Sylvester said. He indicated the Society had saved door knobs, fittings, fixtures and paneling. Many of those items were sold during the Society's fall salvage sale, according to Greg Palumbo, the Society's executive director. Additional items pulled from the hospital will be available for purchase at the next salvage sale.

Many items that might have been lost during the razing were also pulled from the hospital and installed in the Historical Society — including window blinds, a railing and sink for a handicapped bathroom, cabinets and counters, and high-end archival shelving.

Palumbo said there were several obstacles to retrieving items of the hospital. For instance, he told Patch, some of the caulk around the windows contained asbestos. Professionals had to be called in to mitigate the danger before the windows could be removed.

The Historical Society also receives numerous questions about obtaining a brick from the hospital. Those questions should be directed to the city, Palumbo said. The Lakewood Historical Society currently has involvement with the distribution of bricks from the site.

Lakewood Hospital closed in 2016 after a drawn-out struggle between two factions in the city. The land will be used for a mixed-use development of businesses and residential units.