Flames Destroy Historic Building, Beloved Bike Shop

PENINSULA, Ohio (WJW) — A popular local bike shop burned to the ground early Friday.

Firefighters from several departments were called to Eddy’s Bike Shop on Main St. in Peninsula just before 1 a.m.

When firefighters arrived, they found the building fully engulfed in flames. Firefighters were still putting out the flames more than two hours later. The building was destroyed.

The Peninsula Foundation owns the building. Karen Walters is the executive director of the organization.

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“I live right across the street and I heard popping noises and I was just about to — Jesus [her reaction to a popping noise in the background] — call the police and they came and I saw them blocking off traffic and then I could see the smoke and the flames from my window,” she said.

She said Eddy’s Bike Shop rented the business. They were closed for the winter but preparing to reopen in the next few weeks.

“They just moved in last year,” she said. “They’ve been closed for about three months. They’ve been painting and doing some minor remodeling in the off season and getting ready to reopen for the spring.”

“It’s iconic,” Walters said of the building. She said it’s right on the Cuyahoga River and its foundation was tied into the bridge.

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“The property was built in 1893 as a small bar here on the river. It survived the flood of 1913 which took out a lot of the properties here,” she said.

Walters said she has lived in Peninsula her entire life. In fact, she said her family has called the area home for six generations.

“It’s a pretty horrific fire,” Walters said as the building burned behind her. “Very sad day. It’s a sad, sad day.”

“That building has been here a long time,” she said. “One of the interesting histories about it is Peninsula had a professional baseball player named Scotty Ingerton. It was his bar for a while. So at one time it was called ‘Scotty’s Place’.”