It was commissioned by the Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority's first director Ernest J. Bohn in 1935 to supplement the declining availability of low-cost housing in the metropolitan area of Cleveland, the complex would include a community center to engage residents in issues relating to neighborhood safety and education.

[3] It is also worthy of mention that Lakeview was one of the first attempts to offer lower cost housing for poorer residents in the urban center.

The residential tower (the second tallest public housing structure in the city after the Willson Tower on East 55th and Chester) stands as a symbol to Cleveland's commitment to safe, clean, and affordable public housing in generally under served urban communities.

Its mass dominates the skyline in Ohio City and the Flats as it sits on a hill that overlooks downtown Cleveland.

In 2015, the Northeast Ohio Apartment Association gave the tower its Silver Award due to its promotion of safe and high professional standards.