Chapter 7
In the heart of a country still newly enamored with the suburban lifestyle, the towers were not an immediate success. They sat, mostly unsold and vacant, for years. Everyone panicked: the architects sued the contractors and vice versa, the BDC imploded, the shopkeepers went bust.
You might argue that a donation to the Salvation Army would have been more charitable, or maybe the sponsorship of an inner-city school, but I disagree.
If you can get past the god-awful exteriors of the Bratenahl Place towers and focus on the majestic lobbies and the airy apartments looking down over tennis courts and landscaped grounds, you will appreciate the true nobility of Gertrude Britton’s contribution.
She was nurturing that most American of sensibilities: Dream it, build it, worry later about how much it costs.
Or, from Gertie’s perspective: Keep the money flowing, and eventually they will come.
That’s my plan too.