Bratenahl Place, Cleveland, Ohio

The posh Village of Bratenahl is one of the nation’s smallest (at merely one square mile of land area) and wealthiest (per capita annual income north of $75,000) residential suburbs. Occupying a small sliver of land between the Lakeland Freeway (Interstate 90 and State Route 2) and Lake Erie’s shore in the eastern reaches of Cleveland, Bratenahl embraces the winding length of Lake Shore Boulevard. Throughout much of its 105-year history, the Village has been noted for its many grand single-family homes and estates.

However, that traditional character was modified in 1967, with the development of One and Two Bratenahl Place on eighteen acres of waterfront land. The two 16-story high-rise structures brought dense multi-family condominium living to this low-scale single-family village.

One Bratenahl Place, pictured here, is the larger of the two structures, housing 178 condominium residences plus 3 guest suites and a restaurant. (Its smaller relation houses another 72 residences, and provides other resident amenities, such as a library, party room, exercise area, rooftop terrace, etc.) Both buildings were developed in the Brutalist Style, with crisp, utilitarian geometry and punctuated fenestration.

Bratenahl Place’s land development includes underground parking, a swimming pool, lakeside fire pit, walking paths, clay tennis courts, and both formal and informal gardens. The site abuts an additional 11-acre land preserve.