Bratenahl |
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Address
411 Bratenahl Road
Bratenahl, OH 44108
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Phone
216-681-4266 |
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Bratenahl was originally part of the villages of Glenville & Collinwood in 1902, when Glenville
was anticipating annexation by Cleveland, a group
of residents including Liberty E. Holden, Samuel Mather, and Frederick Goff, mayor of Glenville, opposed annexation and decided to form an independent Village. When Glenville was annexed
in 1903, that portion north of the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railroad and extending from Gordon Park to Colt Road seceded and was incorporated as the village of Bratenahl. In 1901, when the village of Collinwood was annexed, the area from Colt Road to E. 140th Street became
part of Bratenahl.
In the mid-19th century about two dozen families farmed the rural area. One of these rural, settlers was Chas. Bratenahl, who owned land on Lake Erie, and the path to his farms from St. Clair Avenue was called Bratenahl Road (East 88th Street). On the lakeshore at Eddv Road. In the late 19th century, some of Cleveland's wealthy families came to the lakeshore during the summer.
Living first in elaborately furnished tents and later in summer cottages, many of them subsequently built large mansions on the lakefront. The area was characterized by the tree-lined Lake Shore Boulevard, a succession of gardens accompanying the estates, curving drives, banks of trees and rolling lawns, and docks on the water's edge for family yachts.
The population of Bratenahl was about 640 in 1910, increasing to 1,000 by 1920, 1,250 by 1933, and approximately 1,270 by 1960. In the 1980s, the population .of 1,485 was diverse. Some families lived in modest homes along the side streets; others who were descendants of the original owners remained or returned to live in the lake front mansions.
Bratenahl is part of the Cleveland public school system, but many students attend parochial and private schools. The village, which in the 1980's had no commercial enterprises, had many community oriented activities such as theater groups, town meetings, family nights, and a summer camp.
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