Deconstruction Management Blog

Established in 2009, Deconstruction Management, Inc. (“DMI”) is the first dedicated, for-profit “deconstruction” management firm in the country. Founded on the principles of the triple bottom line of social equity, environmental stewardship and economic prosperity, DMI provides a full, turnkey operation for building removal, remediation, renovation and material reclamation.

Through a strategic partnership with a web-based auction house and warehousing facility, DMI has successfully returned a portion of the proceeds on the sale of reclaimed material back to property owners.

Utilizing advanced communication and information technologies, DMI is able to coordinate, consolidate and present all of the pertinent documentation for each entity involved in a building’s deconstruction in a timely, transparent, secure and paperless system.

By working together with DMI in the establishment of a viable marketplace for reclaimed building materials, the City of Cleveland will become the leader in the expanding global material reuse industry while supporting the Mayor’s vision of Sustainable Cleveland 2019, providing an economic engine to power a green city on a blue lake.

(reposted from Cleveland Plain Dealer article, 7/10/10 by Kaye Spector)

CLEVELAND, Ohio — The four-story, 44,000-square-foot retreat house on the former St. Joseph Christian Life Center property soon will be no more. But parts of it will live on.

"Deconstruction" of the building, now owned by its neighbor Hospice of the Western Reserve, begins today. Building materials from the 1927 structure will be reused, resold or recycled.

Some of the reused materials will stay right on the 12-acre property, which the hospice purchased last year from the Cleveland Catholic Diocese.

More than 10,000 cubic feet of brick will be salvaged, with some of it to be crushed for use as a base for path pavers or use in the hospice gardens along the lake, said David Simpson, the hospice’s chief executive.

Other bricks will be saved for fundraising — sold to people who share a history with the property, he said.

"I’d like to make a connection to some of those people," Simpson said. "A lot of those people are sad to see the building go down. They wouldn’t if they knew the condition of the buildings."

Marble bathroom dividers, vanity mirrors, wrought-iron doors and rails, lighting fixtures and wood casings all will get a second life through the deconstruction.

The nonprofit agency decided to tear down the building after a study showed it would cost $11 million to renovate it.

The building had structural problems, a leaking roof, extensive water damage, black mold, asbestos, an antiquated electrical system and internal and external vandalism. It had been unoccupied since 2007, when the diocese closed the retreat.

Hospice officials met several times with neighbors to talk about the property’s future.

"The building was in deep trouble," Ward 11 Councilman Mike Polensek said. "We came to the conclusion that there was no other choice."

After the building is demolished, the site will become a green space that community members, patients from the neighboring Hospice House and their families can use for reflection and healing, Simpson said.

The hospice plans to expand its memorial Vista Walk and gardens to connect the two properties.

A carriage house and former priest house will remain; no plans have been made for these buildings.

Historical markers are planned to recognize the history of the property, which was used as a sanitarium, hospital, Catholic Youth Organization headquarters and orphanage before becoming the St. Joseph Christian Life Center.

Those who want to share their stories and photos about the site can do so on the hospice’s website, hospicewr.org/clc.

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: kspector@plaind.com, 216-999-3904

As most of us look back on 2009, we here at DMI (Deconstruction Management, Inc.) are excited for the opportunity to have a positive impact on the future of sustainable development in 2010.  Harnessing the energy from Mayor Frank Jackson’s Sustainable Cleveland 2019 Appreciative Inquiry Summit, DMI will look to expand the nature, scope and availability for building deconstruction projects throughout the region.

Although the majority of deconstruction initiatives to date deal with residential properties that may be vacant or abandoned, we look to expand the opportunities for responsible demolition into large scale commercial, industrial and municipal projects.  Any construction activity on an existing structure that generates waste is a candidate for deconstruction.

By utilizing our network, a building owner can endeavor to minimize their contribution to our local construction and demolition debris landfills.

The network continues to grow and we are optimistic about receiving the support of our regional policy makers that share our zero waste vision.

An abandoned house on East 78th Street

The newly incorporated Cuyahoga County Land Reutilization Corp (The Land Bank) holds great promise for helping cities reutilize distressed properties, rebuild neighborhoods and shore up declining tax bases.  As a partner with cities and other units of government, lenders and individual property owners, the Land Bank has the potential to restore housing markets, rebuild communities and change development patterns on a regional scale, targeting future growth and development to core areas. 

The overriding question community leaders have asked themselves throughout the evolution of the Land Bank is “What decisions can we make today that will shape our future?”  By re-imagining our region as a stronger, more vibrant place of opportunity, we have the unique ability to learn from our past and recent failures to drive our regional economy to a new tomorrow.

Leading off the discussion was Land Bank chairman and Cuyahoga County Treasurer Jim Rokakis.  A true public servant, Mr. Rokakis has led the office of the County Treasurer since 1997 and has succeeded in expanding programming, enhancing tax collection procedures, increasing revenue and services all while saving taxpayers dollars by reducing staff levels.  With his sights set on the plague of vacant and abandoned properties throughout the area, Mr. Rokakis worked with the team responsible for the drafting and subsequent adoption of Ohio HB 294 that was passed in December of 2008. By creating the entity through a state charter, the new corporation can act more expediently in the acquisition of vacant and abandoned properties than any other entity. The Cuyahoga County Land Bank is an active land bank in that it has money to buy land that contains an existing structure. Mr. Rokakis stated that the long term goal of the Land Bank is to become the “go-to place in the county where property can be deposited.” Recognizing the slow and agonizing nature of an organization with such visionary goals, the Land Bank maintains very clear and defined goals for 5, 10 and 15 years into the future to preserve the organization’s mission and focus.

Also speaking on the panel was Gus Frangos, President of the CCLRC (aka The Land Bank). Mr. Frangos detailed the challenges of creation and unique operations of the County Land Bank. Recognizing the challenge laid out before him, Mr. Frangos is eager to attack the formidable beast and change the landscape of the community forever. “You can’t stabilize anything until you stop the hemorrhaging” said Mr. Frangos as he discussed the current goals of the Land Bank. One very differentiating characteristic of the Land Bank, as explained by Mr. Frangos, is the desire to become a fully independent, self sufficient, revenue producing entity. In order to grow the operation to become what they leaders envision, the unit must produce a reliable revenue stream so as to be leveraged and bonded. That is going to be very tough when you are given the hand that they have been dealt.

The panel also included Sally Martin, Housing Manager for the City of South Euclid, Terry Schwarz, Senior Planner at Kent State University’s Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative, John Wilbur, Assistant Director of the Cleveland Department of Community Development and Paul Alsenas, Director of the Cuyahoga County Planning Commission.

These public forums are meant to provide the community with insight into the steps being taken to address our region’s most urgent problems. To hear a podcast of this and other previously held forums, visit the college’s website at http://urban.csuohio.edu/forum/.

 image credit: Care2