Entry No. 17 — the Cleveland file — filed under: roadside attractions
Tim Willis' Junkyard Playground
A grassroots mechanical menagerie in Cleveland's Fairfax neighborhood, featuring over 20 massive, flame-painted robots, custom monster trucks, and kinetic sculptures built entirely from salvaged car parts.
The story
Turn onto East 83rd Street in Fairfax and the suburban quiet gives way to something far louder: a 17-foot metal giant and a 10-foot mechanical dog standing guard over a residential lot. This is Tim Willis' Junkyard Playground, a grassroots gallery of scrap-metal engineering built entirely by one man from discarded auto parts and raw determination.
Willis, a self-taught engineer, collects the automotive castoffs that Cleveland leaves behind—car frames, engines, body panels—and welds them into custom monster trucks, kinetic sculptures, and flame-painted titans. Over 20 massive creations fill the property, turning a dead-end neighborhood parcel into an open-air mechanical menagerie.
There are no admission desks, docents, or velvet ropes here. It is pure outsider art on a monumental scale, proving that with enough torchwork and salvaged steel, an ordinary yard can become a kingdom of scrap.
What it's like
You can spot the sculptures immediately from the street at 2265 East 83rd Street. Swing by during daylight hours for the best view of the flame paint and intricate welds. If Tim is out tinkering in the yard—which happens regularly—you can usually strike up a conversation with him about how he engineered the monster trucks and giant metal dog. It's a fast, free, sidewalk-side stop that takes under twenty minutes.
The move: Snap selfies with the 17-foot-tall metal robot and his 10-foot mechanical dog, then chat with self-taught engineer Tim Willis if he's out tinkering in the yard.
- 📍 Fairfax
- 💸 Free
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Outdoors
Where: 2265 E 83rd St, Cleveland, OH 44103
Hours: Added 2026-07-21 — confirm current hours before you go.
Pair it with
- George Masaveg Art Home — Pair one self-taught Cleveland outsider-art home environment with another, trading scrap-metal giant robots in Fairfax for vibrant, yard-covering art in Slavic Village.
- Judy's Hand Pavilion — Trade Tim Willis' raw, salvaged-car-part robot dog for a surreal 21-foot fiberglass hand sitting in nearby University Circle.
- Dittrick Medical History Center — Shift from grassroots scrap-metal engineering to a dense cabinet of historical medical oddities just five minutes away.
- Baseball Heritage Museum — Combine DIY automotive sculpture with Cleveland sports history inside the original ticket office of historic League Park.
Good to know
Where is Tim Willis' Junkyard Playground?
It's located at 2265 E 83rd St in Cleveland's Fairfax neighborhood, east of downtown.
Is there an admission fee?
No, it's completely free to view from the street and sidewalk.
What are the main sculptures to look for?
Keep an eye out for the 17-foot metal robot, the 10-foot mechanical dog, and various custom monster trucks and kinetic pieces.
Can you meet the creator?
If Tim Willis is out in the yard working on a project when you arrive, he is often happy to chat with visitors about his work.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Atlas Obscura · familydestinationsguide.com · Reddit
last checked: 2026-07-21