The Eagle Cliff is an example of a hotel built specifically to serve the late-19th-century tourism business at Ohio’s first lakefront resort, Geneva-on-the-Lake.
The hotel was built by Bert Warner. A 1913 newspaper article noted that “Eagle Cliff Cottage” was operated by Mrs. Amelia Warner.
The proprietor in 1935 was F.H. Cannon. The next owner was Giles Cook, who also owned the Waffle House across the street. Hank and Mary Jayne Dreier owned it after Cook.
It was purchased in 1990 by Jerry, LuAnn, and Lyndsey Busch, who renovated it for modern-day tourists and renamed it the Eagle Cliff Inn in 1995. It has also been known as The Beach Club.
The Eagle Cliff was added to the National Register of Historic Places on Oct. 20, 1995. Its significance lies in entertainment and recreation.
The name “Eagle Cliff” comes from a large eagle’s nest located in a tree on a lot next to where the hotel would be built in 1880. The Warner family was very influential in the development of the resort town, and they also built Warner’s Colonial, which still stands.
The Eagle Cliff was actually a cluster of accommodations. The Hotel itself had 18 rooms in 1935. There were cottages, as well. The Hideout, at the rear of the court; Siesta and Fiesta, twin cottages each offering 2.5 rooms; the Manor, a paneled cottage that accommodated eight persons; and the Villa. The Hideout, Siesta, and Fiesta are part of the National Register of Historic Places listing. These buildings were moved to the property in the 1930s.
Today, the Eagle Cliff has nine guest rooms on the second story and two on the third. The first story is used for year-round apartments.
Address
5254 Lake Rd. E.
Geneva-on-the-Lake, OH 44041
