Artist turning an abandoned Cleveland house into something beautiful

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - A year’s work in the making is turning the lot holding a condemned home into a work of art.

“Hopefully, it will be somewhere where people will come take a break, sit down for a bit, enjoy the lush nature that surrounds the area,” said Malena Grigoli.

The home used to sit at 9413 Sophia Avenue, in Cleveland, and was on the condemned list, owned by the city of Cleveland’s Land Bank.

“I proposed the project in, I think it was March of 2024, and it was mainly driven by my interest in the lifecycle of structures,” said Grigoli.

She partnered with the city of Cleveland and the City Council’s Transformative Art Fund.

The materials from the demolished home, repurposed to help create the art in the lot, transforming it into an art park of sorts, or an “installation” as Grigoli calls it.

Grogoli and her team are also using mushrooms to mix with wood chips from the old home, which will break down over time, creating a compost to help life grow in the lot.

“Consider what happens when they are no longer able to serve the purpose they were intended for,” said Grigoli.

After all the work the lot will be unveiled Saturday from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., a chance for the public to see the finished product for the first time.

And from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the Convivium 33 Gallery (1433 E. 33rd Street), there will be a panel to explain and discuss the project and a presentation.

All of which is free and open to the public.

Grigoli hopes people take away, “A curiosity about their immediate, built environment, whether it’s here in this neighborhood or elsewhere.”