New Chapter Planned for the Ferry Cap & Screw Factory

The vacant Ferry Cap & Screw Company building in Cleveland, Ohio, is approaching the end of its useful life, but redevelopment efforts are underway.






The vacant Ferry Cap & Screw Company building in Cleveland, Ohio, is approaching the end of its useful life. Redevelopment efforts are underway, with the developer having received a grant from the brownfields program. This grant will aid in the remediation of asbestos, contaminated soil, and other waste, paving the way for the building’s conversion into apartment units. The extent of the building’s reuse will depend on the condition of the existing structure and what can be feasibly salvaged.

Cleveland’s nut and bolt industry flourished, driven by the abundance of raw materials from the city’s numerous iron and steel mills. This industrial surge resulted in the establishment of many nut and bolt manufacturers in the Cuyahoga River valley, catering to local companies and markets in the western U.S.

Thomas Ferry initiated the Ferry Cap & Screw Company in 1907, focusing on manufacturing cap screws, set screws, and sewing machine parts. In 2006, as part of a strategic decision, the company began leasing a facility at another screw factory in Lakewood, a nearby suburb. By 2008, all operations of Ferry Cap & Screw were consolidated at the Lakewood location.

Currently, the northern section of the Cuyahoga River, once dominated by industrial sites and mills, is being transformed. This area is now being repurposed for parkland and some of the city’s most significant residential and commercial redevelopment projects in recent years. Brownfield grants are crucial in these transformations, as the costs of cleanup often surpass the financial value these projects would bring to private developers.






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Hopefully they can convert the building. Near where I live, in the suburbs of Chicago, there was a factory in Villa Park that produced Ovaltine and similar products. They were able to convert that into apartments or condos, and even built a number of buildings around it with matching features like corrugated steel roofing, brick walls, and glass-block windows.

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