ICYMI: See Why the Hilliard Theater Could be Razed in Spring 2017 (Photos)

LAKEWOOD, OH — The Hilliard Theater could have a date with the wrecking ball this spring.

The 89 year-old Hilliard Theater had first been deemed a nuisance in 2013. At that time, City of Lakewood ordered the owner, Robert Dobush, to make repairs or demolish the building. While Dobush has claimed that he has made some progress with virtually no resources and very little money, the city said that wasn't enough, and furthermore, Dobush did not pull any permits for the required structural repairs, according to Cleveland.com.

The City of Lakewood is set to spend $940,000 on asbestos removal and proceed with demolition of the old theater and the attached apartments and retail spaces, according to city planner Bryce Sylvester in an update to Lakewood City Council.

Demolition costs will be supplemented with a $200,000 grant from Cuyahoga County, and the city says it plans to put a lien on the property to recoup some of the costs, according to Cleveland.com.

Dobush describes himself as a "distressed property owner" and has requested help from the city for financing repair of the biggest problem with the building — a hole in the roof so big “you could drive a Volkswagen through it without touching much of anything.”

However, the city says it is moving forward with demolition plans and has met with Johnson-Laux Construction, a company that has been tapped to handle the asbestos removal and demolition in the spring.

"The abatement will take two to three months to complete, and the demolition should take around a month to complete," Sylvester said. "Conservatively, I would say the site would be brought to the ground by March of '17. It might be a little bit sooner than that if they are really efficient. The expectation from our perspective is that once spring comes, we will have a flat site there."

The Board of Building Standards rejected an appeal from Dobush to stop the demolition, claiming the building has deteriorated to a point where it is no longer safe to be in and there were concerns that the building could collapse.

City Council President Sam O'Leary showed his appreciation for the building department's efforts:

"I really appreciate the department's efforts on that particular nuisance property," O'Leary said. "I know that it has been a very long and arduous uphill battle to get that issue remediated for that neighborhood. I have heard a number of people in the neighborhood express at various points consternation that it hasn't come down sooner, but also when those pieces finally have started to fall into place, people are very grateful that we'll be able to turn a page in that neighborhood and, hopefully, move forward."

Cleveland.com reports that Dobush purchased the building for $275,000 14 years ago hoping that it would prevent the building from being torn down and that someone would show an interest in redeveloping the property. Unfortunately, Dobush has not been able to make necessary repairs or get ahead of the theater's deterioration.

Photos by Rick Uldricks and City of Lakewood