MOYENAGE is a private residence located at 12725 Lake Shore Blvd. in the Village of BRATENAHL. The imposing three-story Elizabethan Tudor brick house was built on a 3.5 acre site overlooking Lake Erie accompanied by a two-bedroom gatehouse. In 1902, architect Jarvis Hunt designed the home for Jay Collins Morse, a partner of PICKANDS MATHER & CO., and his wife, Seville Samantha Hanna Pickands. Notable Cleveland architect CHARLES SCHWEINFURTH approved the final design of the house. In 1904, the Tudor-Elizabethan gardener’s cottage, adjacent buildings, gardens, and stables were completed. Moyenage is a French term meaning “of or related to Medieval times.”
The exterior design is symmetrical, with an imposing central entrance with carved pediments supported by brick columns that frames a large front door with wrought iron hinges. The façade is framed by terracotta coping at the corners with a large, enclosed porch. An elaborate dormer dresses the roof line. The front facade had stone castellations typical of Tudor and Gothic Revival styles. The outside of the home also features double-hung windows and four elaborate brick chimneys.
The interior has beamed ceilings, with plaster designs. The rooms feature intricate hand-carved moldings and copper crystal leaded glass French doors. A center hall foyer with a black walnut grand double staircase with carved lions dominates the home. The first floor houses an entrance hall, a grand dining room with wrought iron period lighting fixtures, a butler’s pantry, a library, and an observatory with an amber glass skylight. Four master bedrooms and seven bathrooms are on the second floor. The third floor houses a servant’s quarters and ballroom. During prohibition, the ballroom was a speakeasy and fanciful murals were added.
On 20 January 1928, George Martin, the president of SHERWIN-WILLIAMS CO., and his wife Emma Regina Rehberg purchased the home from the estate of Seville Morse. Martin remained in the mansion until his death in November 1944. On 12 September 1947, Rand Development Co. President, James H. Rand III and his wife Mary acquired the property.
An episode of the CBS-TV program “Route 66” was filmed at the mansion in 1962. During the show's filming the mansion’s entry hall, living room, dining room, and Mrs. Rand’s bedroom were converted into game rooms. Antique Dealers John Belker and Michael Spack acquired the home on 12 November 1969
On 22 September 1972, Merriman Construction acquired the gardener’s cottage and land as part of the Oak Shore Green condominium development. The gardener’s cottage was saved from demolition because of Bratenahl's residential restrictions. Since 1976, three owners have resided in the three-bedroom cottage appropriately known as Bratenahl’s oldest condominium.
Dr. Kenneth Spano and his wife Christine acquired the house in 1985 and lived in it for the next 34 years. Christine Spano was instrumental in having the mansion registered in the Ohio Historic Inventory.
The Executive Director of CLEVELAND CLINIC Innovations, Peter O’Neill, and his wife Maureen acquired the home on 8 October 2019. The O’Neills kept the home’s historic interior intact, but the terraced, full-sized swimming pool was filled in.
Figurati Construction Group LLC purchased the home on 31 March 2023. During the sale, the home was profiled on Cleveland.com and Freshwater Cleveland. The current (2023) owners have restored much of the mansion’s interior for an upcoming profile in an architecture magazine.
Angelina Bair
Bair, Angelina & Tom Matowitz. Freshwater Cleveland: Moyenage: a grand lakefront home to many prominent Cleveland business founders throughout history. (2023).
Bratenahl Historical Society. 12720 Lake Shore Boulevard. (n.d.).
Bratenahl Historical Society. 12725 Lake Shore Boulevard "Moyenage." (n.d.).
Bratenahl Historical Society. 12727 Lake Shore Boulevard "Moyenage." file. (n.d.).
Beckenbach., William. Bygone Bratenahl. (2018).
Morona, Joey. Cleveland.com: Lakefront mansion in Bratenahl is straight out of a romance novel: House of the Week. (2023).