More than a year after a late-January fire tore through the northern building of the Marquee at Cedar Lee, construction crews are back on site in Cleveland Heights, and the sound of hammers is finally drowning out the silence. Neighbors and business owners say workers are framing balconies, running ductwork and reroofing as the developer pushes ahead with the rebuild. City officials and the project’s backers are calling it a major step toward restoring retail space and bringing hundreds of new apartments to the Cedar-Lee strip, and merchants who watched foot traffic vanish after the blaze say the return of hard hats is already a relief.
On-the-ground progress
Local cameras have been capturing the comeback in real time, with crews visibly rebuilding the structure, assembling floors, and installing exterior systems. A recent video from WKYC shows trades working their way up floor by floor. According to News 5 Cleveland, city leaders now tentatively expect the rebuilt complex to open in the second half of 2026.
The blaze that started it all
The project’s reset started with a nightmare. The fire erupted on Jan. 24, 2025, and burned for nearly 20 hours, pulling in mutual aid from more than a dozen neighboring departments as investigators later combed the wreckage. Officials reported no injuries, but the portion of the development facing Cedar Road was ultimately deemed unsalvageable after crews fought the flames. Those findings, along with the ongoing review of the site, were detailed by Cleveland 19/WOIO.
What had been planned
The project, long known as Cedar-Lee-Meadowbrook and now marketed as The Marquee at Cedar Lee, was conceived as a public-private, mixed-use development with an estimated $66 million price tag, roughly 200-plus market-rate apartments and street-level retail. The City of Cleveland Heights lays out the scope and financing of the plan, while lead developer Flaherty & Collins Properties sets the design and early construction timeline when ground was first broken. Those details are outlined by the City of Cleveland Heights and by Flaherty & Collins Properties.
Cleanup and demolition
By the time the fire hit, the damaged northern building was roughly three-quarters complete, according to local construction accounts and reporting, which made the loss particularly costly and forced a careful teardown. Demolition crews moved in during March 2025 and, as the debris was cleared, the city reopened Cedar Road and the nearby parking garage to give surrounding businesses a badly needed boost. The contractor’s demolition summary and local coverage document both the sequence of work and how far along the building was before the blaze; see the account from C&J Contractors and community reporting, such as Cedar Road reopens.
What local business owners are saying
Along Cedar-Lee, shop owners say the sight of cranes and scaffolding has already lifted spirits, with many hoping that steady construction will translate into steady customers. City officials have also stressed that finishing the development is central to the district’s broader economic health. As reported by News 5 Cleveland, Mayor Kahlil Seren said the first phase of the project is nearly fully leased, and nearby merchants told reporters the rebuild is “exciting” for the neighborhood.
What to watch next
Developers and city leaders say they remain committed to rebuilding as quickly as possible, and independent development watchers point out that the adjacent Meadowbrook building has already started leasing. Officials say that existing leasing activity is one more reason to keep the reconstruction schedule moving. Local development coverage from NEOtrans and reporting in Cleveland Magazine describe how a mix of strong leasing demand and restored access to the Cedar-Lee district are shaping the project’s timeline.
We will continue to track permits, contractor updates and tenant announcements as the site moves through reconstruction. For now, the reappearance of construction crews on Lee Road is an unmistakable sign that the Cedar-Lee district is working to put the worst of the winter fire in the rearview.
