GROUND BROKEN FOR EVENT BARN

Tall Oaks facility in Kirtland to offer 5 wedding ceremony settings, view of valley

Tom Christopher is pleased as wedding punch with the progress of his latest project in Kirtland.

The local businessman and Kirtland Creamery founder held a groundbreaking ceremony for Tall Oaks Event Complex March 4.

The project is to include an 8,000-square-foot event “barn,” two lakes and five ceremonial settings on the 14-acre site at 9199 Chillicothe Road.

Settings will involve a covered bridge, a gazebo island in the middle of a lake, a grand staircase inside the building, a secondstory loft on the outside porch and a gazebo overlooking the Kirtland valley, he said.

The site will accommodate 300-plus people.

“We’ll have four bars, a full kitchen, a man cave/ whiskey room for the groom and his party, and a champagne and lady lounge for the bride and her party to get ready,” he said.

The barn will be situated on a bluff

"We’ll have four bars, a full kitchen, a man cave/whiskey room for the groom and his party, and a champagne and lady lounge for the bride and her party to get ready." — Tom Christopher, Owner of Tall Oaks Event Complex

overlooking the valley and feature a 2,000-square-foot covered, heated porch on the back. Post-and-beam construction on the interior will provide a rustic feel.

Fourteen 100-year-old oak trees are being preserved as part of the project.

Christopher noted that brides can select their own caterers and provide their own alcohol, allowing for more affordable rates.

“We’re catering to weddings, parties, special events, etc.,” he said, adding that reservations are being taken.

Tall Oaks is scheduled to open Dec. 1.

“We have spent two years studying every offering east of the Mississippi, and we are so proud

to bring this amazing complex to Northeast Ohio,” he said.

Kirtland-based Loncar Quality Construction is building the facility.

Access is planned from Route 306 via an easement in the Dollar General shopping center parking lot.

The project received city Planning & Zoning Commission approval in October.

“The city of Kirtland is fortunate to have a Kirtland resident developing in Kirtland,” Commission Chairman Mike Denk said.

Christopher has estimated that the project will create more than 25 jobs, add $100,000-plus in payroll and real estate taxes to the city, and lead to more than $2 million being invested in the community.

SUBMITTED Local businessman Tom Christopher tells Kirtland officials and others about his vision for his new event barn, for which ground was broken March 4.

SUBMITTED This is the design for an event “barn” coming to Kirtland.