Historic Molly Stark Sanatorium Demolition to Begin in Stark County
Canton, Ohio – Demolition is imminent at the long-abandoned Molly Stark Sanatorium in Stark County, marking the end of an era for the historic, yet deteriorating, structure. Stark Parks officials confirmed the contractor is on-site and work is expected to begin within the next day or two.
For decades, the sanatorium has stood as a stark reminder of Stark County’s past, drawing both curiosity and concern due to its increasingly unsafe condition. Stark Parks acquired the property with plans to transform the grounds into public park space, but the extensive disrepair of the building itself presented important challenges. The demolition represents a culmination of planning and a necessary step toward revitalizing the area for community use.
“It’s been a huge priority,” said Dan Moeglin, executive director at Stark Parks. Developers had previously determined that restoring or renovating the building was financially unfeasible, citing a caved-in roof, extensive wildlife habitation, and the overall impact of decades of natural decay.
The cost of simply preventing access to the dangerous property has been significant. ”It’s in the hundreds of thousands of dollars that we’ve spent in terms of staff time from keeping people from getting themselves hurt,” explained Sarah Buell, Capital Projects and Planning Manager at Stark Parks.
Following demolition, Stark Parks intends to convert the grounds into a new park area. “We’re going to green this space up, reuse the entire grounds as some kind of park activity,” moeglin stated.
News 5 initially conducted interviews for this story in February 2025 but delayed publication at the request of Stark parks to deter trespassing until a firm demolition date was established.
