Millers Helped Shape City by Homing In On Construction By June Scharf S heldon (Shelly) Miller, a Beachwood resident for more than 50 years, has a long legacy of development in this community, transforming its streets and helping to populate its neighborhoods. His company, Miller Homes, continues that tradition with his sons, Beachwood residents Ron and Scott, who are now in charge and breaking ground on new properties in nearby cities. about frequently and affectionately by Howard Hanna realtor and Beachwood resident Adam Kaufman). Jews poured in from the Heights area, back when Richmond Road was two lanes with drainage ditches on both sides. “There was no diversity here, it (Beachwood) was about 90% Jewish,” says Miller. Ultimately, Miller built about 250 houses in Beachwood, including many of those in the Village, which began as an apple orchard. Actually, much of Beachwood was covered by apple orchards, he reports. Choosing to build four-unit homes here in the mid-1980s on the Village property, however, was a semi speculative pursuit. “I was hesitant because it was a new idea for this area. Previously, I had only built single-family homes,” Miller explains. Other Village developers included companies owned by Earl Lefton and Norby Malin. Currently, Shelly, 84, and his wife Florene, 81, live in the Village in a home they built on Hampshire Court. Prior to this residence, they built a home on Meldon, where they raised their sons Scott and Ron and daughter Cheryl, and where they built the neighboring homes. Before that, they lived on Deptford, representing the first home they’d built in Beachwood. Miller’s introduction to the home construction business came at the hands of his father, The company, however, met a disturbing challenge here early in its history, around the mid-1950s. When Miller sought approval on a contract to buy a lot on Halworth in Beachwood, a major roadblock immediately presented itself. A 99-year restrictive standard on properties owned by the estate of the Van Sweringen brothers, Oris Paxton and Mantis James, who died in the mid1930s, prevented land from being developed in ways contrary to their intentions. According to the Teaching Cleveland website (teachingcleveland.org), while it wasn’t officially documented, it was clear that among those intentions was the preclusion of purchases made by blacks, Italians, Catholics and those of the “Hebrew persuasion.” Some of the Beachwood streets bound by this deed restriction included Shaker Boulevard, Hazelmere, Wimbledon and Duffield roads, according to Miller who had attempted to buy land in those areas. Ultimately, the Federal Fair Housing Act, also known as Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act, was passed in 1968, eliminating the practice of writing racial covenants into deeds. Miller eventually prevailed with his purchases and construction began. This time period marked the beginning of a tidal shift, when builders opened the floodgates to the “promised land of Beachwood” (a term tossed Sam (no relation to the Forest City Realty Trust executive of the same name), a Chicago builder who moved to Cleveland after the Great Depression. Sam began building homes during the boom that followed World War II, locating his projects in Euclid, University Heights, Mayfield Heights and Lyndhurst. While growing up, Miller did carpentry work over the summers for his father at homes under construction. After graduating from Cleveland Heights High School, he majored in business at Ohio State University. There he met Florene, whose father, Max Ackerman, was a contractor and carpenter in the residential construction business. They’ve been married for 62 years, and are grandparents of seven. As Beachwood development progressed in the ‘70s, Miller Homes found new construction sites on the streets north of Fairmount Boulevard, in what was designed by land owners Forest City to offer the flavor of an English village with street names likes Tunbridge, Sittingbourne, Cardington, Bridgeton and Maidstone. In the late ‘70s, though, the home-building business tanked, according to Miller. Therefore, he shifted his focus and built the Akron Tennis Club, followed by the Park East Racquet Club, in 1976, in Beachwood. “There never really was a dry time for us,” he notes. And he never needed to go far to reach the office since it’s always been based in their home. “We had no secretary; it was a bare bones business,” he adds. Since their home was often the model for showing to pro- 42 Beachwood Buzz n April 2016