Travis Kelce made a major move back toward his Ohio roots months before marrying Taylor Swift, quietly buying a sprawling Lake Erie estate near the Cleveland suburb where he grew up.
The Kansas City Chiefs tight end paid $5.35 million for the Bratenahl property in a deal that closed March 2, according to The Wall Street Journal. The roughly 21,000-square-foot residence occupies 3.5 waterfront acres and had most recently been listed for $5.99 million.
The purchase came about four months before Kelce and Swift married at Madison Square Garden on July 3. It also gave Kelce another base near Cleveland Heights, where he and his brother Jason grew up before their NFL careers took them elsewhere.
There is no public indication that Kelce bought the property because of the wedding or that it will become the couple’s primary residence. Kelce Closed on the Lakefront Estate for $5.35 Million
The transaction officially closed March 2. TMZ subsequently identified Kelce as the buyer, while listing agents David Ayers and Nick Zawitz of The Agency Cleveland described the estate as combining Gilded Age craftsmanship with a yearlong modern renovation.
The MLS record lists 21,140 square feet, eight bedrooms, eight full bathrooms, three half bathrooms, seven fireplaces and a five-car garage. The property also has a heated in-ground pool and direct Lake Erie frontage.
Its price had already come down considerably before Kelce arrived. The Wall Street Journal reports that the renovated estate initially hit the market for $6.99 million before being reduced to $5.99 million. The construction group behind the restoration had acquired it for $1.95 million in 2023.
A Former Ballroom Became a Game Room and Home Theater
The renovation preserved many of the home’s older decorative details while adding spaces designed for modern entertaining. Listing materials describe restored original hardware, imported walnut and oak carvings and leaded-glass windows alongside a smart-home system.
The original ballroom was converted into a game room and home theater. The lower level includes a billiards room, poker area, bar, temperature-controlled wine cellar and tasting room, fitness center and sauna.
Outside, a stone terrace leads to a bluestone patio and heated pool overlooking the lake. A former gatehouse was restored as a separate two-bedroom guest cottage, giving the estate another living space away from the main residence.
The Historic Estate Is Known as ‘Moyenage’
The property’s history predates its newest celebrity owner by more than a century. The Bratenahl Historical Society identifies the estate as “Moyenage” and says Jay and Seville Morse acquired the property in 1902 before commissioning a Tudor residence modeled on their Chicago home.
Architect Jarvis Hunt developed the design, and Cleveland architect Charles Schweinfurth completed the work after Hunt’s death. Historical records place completion of the house and associated buildings in 1904, even though modern MLS records carry an 1895 construction date.
That history survives in features including the carved woodwork, leaded windows, imposing staircase and lake-facing grounds. The recent renovation restored many of those elements.
The Purchase Adds to Kelce’s Renewed Cleveland Ties
Bratenahl sits near Cleveland Heights, where Travis and Jason Kelce were raised and attended Cleveland Heights High School. Travis later followed Jason to the University of Cincinnati before the Chiefs selected him in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft.
The house is not Kelce’s only recent investment back home. On May 27, less than three months after the Bratenahl closing, the Cleveland Guardians announced that he had joined the Major League Baseball club’s ownership group as a minority investor.
Kelce said at the time that he had always looked for ways to support his hometown and described joining the Guardians as an opportunity to “plant my roots in Cleveland forever.” The house purchase had already given that sentiment a literal counterpart along Lake Erie. Kelce still owns the gated Kansas City-area mansion he purchased for roughly $6 million in 2023.