Sachsenheim Hall Slated to Close This Month After 116 Years

For Transylvanian Saxons, there has been a home away from home in Cleveland since the early 1900s. That place is Sachsenheim Hall (7001 Denison) in the Stockyards neighborhood. Sachsenheim translates to “home of the Saxons,” and for 116 years it has been the joyous site of meetings, dances, concerts, weddings, baby showers, bowling leagues, political fundraisers and fish fries.

Since its modest beginnings at the turn of the century, the structure greatly expanded its footprint by building a large addition that added a second-floor ballroom, bowling alleys, a dining room and the rathskeller bar.

RELATED: A Historic German Club Evolves With its Cleveland Neighborhood

But come September 27th, all that history is expected to reach its natural conclusion as Sachsenheim Hall winds down operations. That will be the last day of business unless something drastic occurs, say people familiar with the situation. Attempts to reach members of the board for comment have been unsuccessful.

For more than 20 years, Scott Lindell ran the restaurant and bar at the Hall. Lindell, known to many as Grumpy, sold his well-known Tremont diner Grumpy’s in order to make the transition to Sachsenheim.

“It was a big piece of my history,” he says.

Before Lindell got involved, the old rathskeller catered only to members of the organization, serving up a steady diet of traditional German food, weekly fish fries and food for special events.  

“I opened it up to the public and got them selling food that was not traditionally German, while maintaining a lot of the German dishes,” he explains.

READ MORE: The Food Trends and Classics We Love in Cleveland’s Dining Scene

It was Lindell who launched one of Cleveland most popular Taco Tuesdays, but also Wing Wednesday and one of the best selections of German beer.

“When I first started there they had two beers on tap and when I left there were 14 and they were all German,” says Lindell.

But the aging structure requires significant capital to maintain let alone repair and renovate. A fire in 1968 fire wiped out the bowling alleys and the events calendar isn’t what it used to be, leaving the 120-seat dining room and 400-seat ballroom dark more days than not.

An active GoFundMe campaign has come nowhere close to its goal of raising $116,000.

“As is the case with many a historic building, time catches up to it and over time maintenance and repairs become costly. In addition to incurred debt over the years, other concerns include major needed repairs, the largest being a roof that is in need of a total replacement and we are asking for your financial help and support,” states the fund’s organizer.

For more updates about Cleveland, sign up for our Cleveland Magazine Daily newsletter, delivered to your inbox six times a week.

Cleveland Magazine is also available in print, featuring immersive stories, helpful guides and beautiful photography and design.