Red Brick Store is Back in Business on Brecksville Road

One of the oldest buildings in Brecksville is once again open for business.

That’s after a car crashed into the Red Brick Store, and nearly took out the structure last year.

The man who crashed into the building died of his injuries. 

The building, originally erected in 1857, has been under reconstruction since last August.

Workers from a construction crew at the site told Brecksville Patch that it wasn’t easy fix.

A structural beam had to be replaced with two new pillars; when the beam was removed, the floor collapsed. 

Workers had to install new footers.

“It was sort of like one thing after the other,” said one worker, who compared the fixes to falling dominoes.

The building's owner Doug McCreery told Brecksville Patch last year that the car’s impact dislodged a stone from the building’s foundation, pushing it to the basement floor and knocking over two structural supports. A visible crack in the corner of the building also had to be fixed. 

“The real tragedy is the young man who died,” McCreery told Brecksville Patch last year.

Scott Lawrence Wayne, 18, of Brecksville, was killed when his car hit the corner of the building at 8903 Brecksville Road in Brecksville.

“Our hearts just go out to the family,” McCreery added.

The Red Brick Store was back open for business this week. The office furniture has been moved back.

The building’s tenant, Burns Financial Centre, is expected to move into the adjacent space next door, once that area is renovated.

McCreery said the landmark building, which has served as a grocery store, a furniture store and an office, has been in his family for years. Burns Financial Centre is now located in the building.