A Storied Cleveland Ship Launches New Chapter With Cleveland Metroparks

Editor’s note: This is an evolving story. Follow us on Facebook or Instagram for updates from the Cleveland Metroparks in the coming weeks.

They’re calling it a Bon VoyBarge Bash.

That’s because the owners of the barge, located in the harbor off downtown Cleveland and once home to the old Hornblower’s Barge & Grill, are saying goodbye to their ship-turned offices after selling to the Cleveland Metroparks.

“For us it’s the closing of a really powerful chapter,” says Jim Hickey, who owned the ship with John Stahl. “We have had a remarkable run here. While we were often called crazy, I don’t have a minute of regret. It was a great place for both of our companies. Every day I walked to work thinking, I get to work on Lake Erie today. I get to work on the water.”

Stahl’s software company, LeanDog, now operates mostly virtually while Hickey’s business, Arras Keathley, closed its doors in 2018.

But the ship’s history goes back way further than that. Hickey says its hull dates back to 1894, which makes it older than the Titanic by more than a decade.

It became Hornblower’s in 1992 — a downtown institution remembered by many.

Carol Bennett, who recently retired after decades with Cleveland Magazine, shared a Facebook memory of her first time at the restaurant.

“Remember when we (Cleveland Magazine employees) were invited to their ‘dress rehearsal’ dinner prior to opening to the public? I think our dinner took three hours but it was free with cocktails!!!”

Hickey and Stahl purchased the boat in 2010 and, after putting about a half million dollars into it, converted it into two separate open office spaces.

“We did a complete renovation of the barge,” Hickey says. “We invested a lot of time and money and energy. It’s a unique structure. We gutted it; cut out a lot of windows where it was solid steel.”

The private Bon VoyBarge Bash, scheduled for June 30, is the final goodbye for Hickey and Stahl, complete with a performance by Hickey's brother Dan's band, 80HD, on the rooftop. “We’re expecting about 250, but the list seems to be growing by the minute," Hickey says. 

While Hickey says plans are still evolving as to how the Metroparks will use the space, there’s no doubt it will honor the ship’s legacy.

“A lot of folks don’t know that we have one of the finest park systems in the country. We are so blessed. This is one of a bunch of wonderful things they have on their docket. You can bet your last dollar that they’re going to do something special with this because that’s what they do.”

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