CLEVELAND, Ohio – When the historic Fifth Church of Christ Scientist on the Lakewood-Cleveland border is torn down later this year, more than brick and mortar will be demolished.

Along with the uniquely octagonal 1926 structure, the city will also lose a big part of its history. The church is the second-to-last building standing by famed local architect Frank W. Bail, who also designed the Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court building on East 22nd Street. Only his magnificent Gothic Lake Shore Hotel on Edgewater Drive in Lakewood will remain standing.

"Bail made four or five amazing structures for the city," says historian Michael DeAloia, author of "The Seven Wonders of the Sixth City" (2010) and "Lost Grand Hotels of Cleveland," due out later this summer.

"At one time, he was mentioned in the same breath as Walker and Weeks."

Despite efforts to preserve the iconic structure, the church fell into disrepair under city ownership over the last 12 years. It closed in 1989 when its congregation moved further into the suburbs.

Cleveland Landmarks Commission member Allan Dreyer described the dilapidated church as an example of demolition by neglect to The Plain Dealer when the demolition was approved in May. "It's just hard for us to hold other property owners to a standard that the city has not exhibited," he said.

The loss of such a unique (and once-preservable) building is a big blow to the city – but, fortunately, an increasingly rare one. Like most American cities, Cleveland has become more preservation-minded since the 1980s.

Just look at the ongoing preservation of the Victorian, 1901-built Schofield Building at East Ninth Street and Euclid Avenue, in which the original terra cotta facade is being restored as the building is repurposed to become a Kimpton Hotel.

Or look across the street to see the restoration of the remarkable Ameritrust rotunda and tower, which is becoming apartments, a hotel and a Heinen's grocery.

"There was a time before cities were cognizant of their architectural heritage, before the 1960s," says John Grabowski, Krieger Mueller associate professor of applied history at Case Western Reserve University and historian/senior vice president for research and publications at the Western Reserve Historical Society.

"You can find similar examples in many American cities. Cleveland was no different. But a major movement began toward preservation in the 1960s and 1970s."

Indeed. The 1970s, one of Cleveland's darkest historical eras, gave birth to Cleveland's most successful preservation story: the campaign to save and give new life to Playhouse Square.

The internationally known entertainment district was headed for the wrecking ball before preservationist Ray Shepardson embarked on his remarkable journey to restore the dilapidated theaters to their current glory and vitality.

Not so lucky was what many considered the most gorgeous of all Euclid Avenue theaters, the Hippodrome, or "Hipp," as it was called.

Opened in 1907, the magnificent 11-story Hippodrome seated 3,500 and featured opera, ballet, vaudeville, movies and even John Philip Sousa and Al Jolson on what was then the second-largest stage in the United States. It could even host water shows and diving horses, thanks to its water tanks and hydraulic stage.

"It was extraordinary. Opening night then even had horses jumping off the second-floor balcony into enormous water tanks," says DeAloia.

The building, which was owned by federal judge and real estate investor Alvin Krenzler, was torn down to become a parking lot in 1981.

"The Hippodrome was a spectacular theater, and its demise has saddened many people," says Grabowski. "It was different in many ways from the theaters down the street – it was a grand, grand structure."

Euclid Avenue suffered more greatly than most areas of the city in the zeal of past urban planners and real estate developers to rebuild and renew. Most Clevelanders know about the historic loss of Millionaire's Row, 40 mansions from East Ninth to East 55th streets that were systematically demolished, 33 bulldozed by 1937.

Perhaps less well-known, but just as significant, was the loss of what was once a bustling Public Square, surrounded by buildings, not parking lots. The Cuyahoga, the Williamson and the Blackstone buildings number among those taken down in the cause of progress – the Cuyahoga and Williamson buildings as late as 1981, to make room for the Sohio Building.

More than 30 years later, the civic spotlight is finally turning back to Public Square. New plans to revitalize the area by closing streets and creating a plaza and more green space may begin to materialize as early as this year. It's not replacing the lost buildings, but it is moving forward while honoring the past as well as civic commitments.

"The architecture of the city speaks of a culture," says DeAloia. "Cleveland's past is so rich, and its future is really bright. I would love to see the modern Cleveland connect and merge with the old Cleveland."

Maybe it already is.

In honor of the Lost Cleveland landmarks mentioned and the impending destruction of the Fifth Church, we have compiled a slideshow of some of the biggest ghosts that still haunt our city. Some were architecturally remarkable, others remarkably popular. We've included buildings and amusement parks and restaurants and even a tiki bar. Add you favorite Lost Cleveland landmarks in the comments section – and hope that in the future, the list doesn't grow longer.