Welcome to Gates Mills, Ohio
A Greater Cleveland village with historic homes and scenic vistas
Gates Mills is a lovely village with a peaceful, private ambiance and a serene setting of wooded hills, sunny meadows, and dramatic ravines. The community was founded in the 1820s when water-powered mills were constructed on the Chagrin River.
Treasured buildings from past eras populate the Gates Mills Historic District, which encompasses a substantial portion of the village. Many of the oldest structures in the district, which are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, are Greek Revival designs. A prime example of this architectural style is St. Christopher by-the-River, a wood-frame church with a tall steeple, which was constructed in 1853 and enlarged in the 1920s.
At the beginning of the 20th century, Gates Mills developed into a summer retreat with the construction of elegant estates and the conversion of farmhouses into comfortable cottages. As automobile use became widespread in the 1920s, the village’s popularity as a year-round hometown grew. Architectural styles in surviving homes from these pre-World War II eras include Tudor Revival, Shingle Style, Colonial Revival, and Bungalow. An excellent example of Tudor Revival architecture is the estate constructed in the early 1930s for industrialist and philanthropist E.J. Kulas.
Spacious homes built in recent decades — whether inside or outside the historic district — are typically Colonial Revival, Georgian, French Normandy, or other classic styles.
Gates Mills residents enjoy easy access to north-south highways such as Interstate 271, which connects to Interstate 90 for travel to Downtown Cleveland just 23 miles away. And as an Ohio village, Gates Mills is centrally located within 600 miles of 60% of the U.S. population.
What to Love
- Historic homes and estates
- Scenic beauty protected by a local land conservancy
- Bucolic living at its best
Local Lifestyle
Protecting Gates Mills’ idyllic natural beauty is a priority for village residents. The Gates Mills Land Conservancy plays a role in this endeavor with land purchases and donations, conservation easements, and deed restrictions. Areas on which the conservancy focuses its preservation efforts include a Wilderness Corridor with ravines, mature forests, and a stream with native trout; a Chagrin River Corridor, where the riverbanks are subject to erosion; and a Village Heartland Corridor in the southern half of Gates Mills, with piney woods, meadows, and wetlands.
A conservation easement ensures the 25-acre Polo Field in the Village Heartland Corridor will remain in perpetuity as open space. The field, which belongs to the village, offers vistas of lush lawns, stone walls, and split-rail fences. Gates Mills events such as the Traditional Christmas Eve Bonfire take place at the Polo Field.
The Gates Mills Garden Club, founded in 1931, also plays a role in protecting the village’s natural beauty. The club restored and maintains the Gates Mills Arboretum. This park is situated on the Chagrin River at the foot of a picturesque pedestrian bridge that Cleveland and Eastern Interurban Railway trains used as a bridge from 1899 to 1925.
Dining, Entertainment, and Shopping
One excellent dining option for local residents is 56 Kitchen in nearby Mayfield Heights, which features New American cuisine. Meals are made from scratch with responsibly sourced ingredients such as Angus beef, albacore tuna, and Atlantic salmon. The produce is free of preservatives. The thin-crust pizza is made in a stone oven.
Another appealing dining option in Mayfield Heights is Piccolo Italian Restaurant, which won Cleveland Magazine’s 2019 Best of the East award for the best restaurant on the east side of Greater Cleveland. Owner-chef Chris Licht bases many of his dishes on recipes created by his grandmother in Sicily.
A third option is the fine-dining destination Cru Uncorked in nearby Moreland Hills, which offers French-New American cuisine. Antique furnishings, four fireplaces, and a wine list with more than 350 selections enhance the restaurant’s elegant ambiance.
Things to Do
Gates Mills is the home of the Chagrin Valley Hunt Club, established in 1909 by fox-hunting enthusiasts. It features riding stables, court and platform tennis, an outdoor swimming pool, and kennels for the Chagrin Valley Hunt’s foxhounds. The club leases the village Polo Field for equestrian events.
A fine spot for scenic strolls is Squire’s Castle in nearby Willoughby Hills. In the 1890s, Standard Oil executive Feargus Squire built this siltstone home, which was meant to be the gatekeeper’s residence for his estate. He never constructed the estate’s main house and instead sold the property in 1922. Today, the ruins of this castle look-alike are a prime attraction at Cleveland Metroparks’ North Chagrin Reservation.
In nearby Kirtland, Lake Metroparks Farmpark educates visitors about farming and hosts events such as sheep-shearing weekends and wine festivals. The 235-acre facility’s origins as a working farm date back to 1831.
Schools
Gates Mills is served by the Mayfield City School District, which has a reputation for excellence. And prestigious private schools are situated in or near the village: