William K Dickey

Joe Blake, I first heard that the quote was  "you can take the boy out of Shaker but cannot take Shaker out of the boy". It came from Joanne Woodward referring to her husband, Mr Newman.  Not sure if that was the origin of it. 

Joseph G Blake

Bill

I am confident that my niece stole the line from Joanne Woodward. I am flalttered that she associated us with our most illustrious alumnus. Newman did so much good and even now I buy his salad dressing. He was also a Kenyon alumnus. He was very generous to the school as well. 

Hope you are well. Still at the Greenbriar on Van Aken?

Maybe we could establish a fund at the Shaker Schools Foundation to honor class mates and call it the Burnett Randall Fund.

Thanks

Joe

Margery Lynn Perlberg (Rapport)

Well, Dana, it's amazing how many people I can recognize in your first grade class.  It's pretty weird for sure!  I never had Mr. Burnett, so I can't speak to his teaching.  I think I only lasted a few weeks in his class.  

Margie Perlberg Rapport

William K Dickey

Yes, Joe we remain at the the Greenbriar near Avalon. I do think of you whenever we pass your old house on our occasional neighborly walks.
I also never had the pleasure of learning from Mr Burnett. From all the comments on here it is obvious he was remarkable. My most memorable teachers were Fred Holzhauser (Math), James Bresnicky (Latin), and Earl Seidman (English).  Tho older I get the more thankful and impressed by our good fortune to be at Shaker. 
Bill

Lesley Dormen

Well, here I was feeling cheated that I never "had" Mr. Burnett for English.  I turned out to be a writer anyway.  Thank you, Bill, for reminding me of Earle Seidman (Semanteme? Wasn't that the name of our literary magazine?) and my favorite of all teachers, James Bresnsicky.  Love to you all, Dr. Dormen.

Betsy Dennis (Frank)

Dr. Dorman, I find it very interesting that many of us have publised works and creative works that have been displayed. I think this is a testament to he solid education we received in the Shaker schools.  Dr. Frank :)

Joseph G Blake

There was a deep commitment to education in Shaker from early days..The Vans planners decided where all the schools would be and of course also recruited three private schools as well. The buildings and the and land available to them are generous even today. There was a commitment to excellence from the beginning. There is still that commitment today albeit it faces new challenges today. Laura Meckler is a Shaker grad circa 1980s who writes for the Washington Post. She did a long piece not too long ago about imtefration in Shaker. 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2019/10/11/this-trail-blazing-suburb-has-tried-years-tackle-race-what-if-trying-isnt-enough/?arc404=true

I have talked with her several times. She is planning a book about Shaker. I helped her with sources etc. 

The article mentions John and Dorothy Pegg who were the first black couple to buy a home in Ludlow in the late 50s. They later lived on South Park. and we as a young married couple rented the apartment over their garage. It was really a small house in terms of space. Dorothy lived to be 104 and was still n the board of the Cleveland Institute of Music when she died.

There is an FB page called Growing UP in Shaker where many reminisce  about their Shaker memories. Some of you may find of interest. 

Bill, I hope our old home is OK. It got bought to rent back during the housng crisis 2010. The then owner took a big loss based on the price paid in 2005 and the sale price then. 

Don't forget the Shaker Schools Foundation. 

Joe

Cheryl Kushner (Lane)

Joe, did I tell you that I visited my homesite at Menlo and Hampstead when I was in Cleveland, and my house along with 2 neighbors' houses were demolished and the site turned into a park?  There were many of these mini-parks in the neighborhood.  I felt devastated.  Terri Gelb Kline: your house was untouched!

Betsy Dennis (Frank)

I just read a 2019 article about Shaker by Laura Meckler in the Washington Post. It went into detail about problems with Greg Hutchins, a former superintendent, and problems with racial equity in the schools. Really an interesting article. 

Joseph G Blake

Cheryl,

Yes there have been over 100 houses torn down largely as a consequence of the housing collpase in 2008 and following. Most of them have been south of Van Aken.

The problem is a combination of vandalism and economics. Many houses were foreclosed and then left empty. The longer they are empty the more vulnerable to vandalism and neglect. Of course half the houses in Shaker were built before 1930 and therefore 90 plus years and more. All owners do not neessarily modenize as they should. My mother was a perfectionist when it came to maintenance. In 50 years in one house she had three new kitchens. But no mink coat. My father understood well- happy wife happy life.

So there is a moment when the cost of restoring the house to acceptable condition must face the expected market value. I think Dana Shepherd Triester had a similar experience. She was raised in a two family in Lomond and it too was torn down for the same reason.

MItt Romney was raised in a lovely home in the Palmer Woods section of Detroit. My aunt and uncle lived there before 1960. It's still well kept but Mitt's home too was torn down. In the housing bubble many houses got bid up to prices that were too high.

Here is a link to the story,

https://www.deseret.com/2010/6/8/20120108/mitt-romney-s-childhood-home-in-detroit-razed

There have been other homes in Shaker that have suffered terribly and been saved. Some in more affluent areas. There is a house at Courtland and Shaker which is a masterpiece in many ways. The architects were Howell and Thomas and the house was built in 1924 for the GC of the Nickel Plate RR. But someone owned it and looted the house of interior  features and the plumbing. There is a magnificent two story library that was left untouched. Somoe of you have known Gretchen and Harvey Oppman who lived their as children in the 50s and 60s. Nonetheless, there was a possibility that it was going to be pulled down but luckily some investor bought the house and restored it. 

So Shaker faces the challenge of aging in an urban area that has declined significantly like Detroit and so many other old industrial cities. Cleveland was also corporate HQ hub with major professional services like law firms etc. That too has changed. I wish I knew the formula for reviving these cities and reducing the economic decline and inequality that have characterized these cities.

Shaker has been tough on inspections and requiring buyers to have the money to meet inspection requirements. But as many of you know, if you could take your former home in Shaker and move it to Wellesley, Scarsdale,the Mainline, Winnetka and so on the value would double or tripe or even more quickly. The Midwest is a housing bargain for sure. 

Most of my family left Cleveland before 1980. I joke we have a lot of graveyard space there. The last big family gathering there was for my older sister's funeral ten years ago. At a reception held after the funeral at the Shaker Heights CC several of the younger generation were amazed to see the beauty of Shaker and the large number of large homes and they asked me how did this all happen. Needless to say I referred them to my paper. I even bore my relatives. Haha. 

Sorry to digress.

Joe

Alaina Weisman (Zachary)

I believe we were aware of the exceptional education we were receiving.  My parents always pointed to that  most important factor in locating a community in which to build.  Burnett was high on my list and also top of the most feared!  I appreciate increasingly the cultural richness we inherited. And the geography.  I am always grateful.

Dana Shepard (Treister)

To CHERYL KUSHNER LANE:
Regarding your house now part of a park, I was shocked to take a nostalgic drive past my childhood home at 3674 Avalon Road about 15 years ago  to find to my horror only SOD where my house had stood.  (and this was a good 4-5 yrs BEFORE the 2008 housing market crash, Joe)

> Attached photo of me in front of MY house at age 7 1/2 ! <

To make matters worse, I later learned from one of the old-timers still living on the block that allegedly the absentee owners of "my" house had been unresponsive to Shaker Heights authorities, eventually leading to the property being condemned and then leveled.  Rumor has it that drugs were being dealt from the house, at all hours of the day and night…

For decades I had harbored this fantasy of walking up and ringing the doorbell and sweetly explaining that I had grown up there -and imagining being invited in - and taking a nostalgic walk back through time...  Well, I guess that might not have gone so well...  but now even the fantasy is gone - I guess you CAN'T go home again!

My parents purchased 3674 Avalon Road in the early months of 1947 (it had been built in the early 1930s), and my mother sold it in the fall of 1974, when my she moved to an apartment in Beachwood.  I lived in that house from shortly after I was born, until I left for Washington University.  I could draw a floor plan to this day of the interior, complete with furniture arrangements and wall/carpet colors!  Interestingly, I could not do that for anywhere I have lived since then...  Ah, those early memories!

T Stenson White, Jr

As a long retired management consultant, I would suggest that the "city fathers" test the following hypothesis....Shaker's housing "situation" has been driven by three primary factors over recent years:

1) Very different demographics

2) Insanely high real estate taxes

3) A less than "outstanding" school system

Very disappointing....even sad, for those of us that benefitted from the 60's and 70's! 

Cheryl Kushner (Lane)

Thank you, Dana.  Reading your words meant a lot to me. I saw the sod, too. It was just awful. We thought about the basement, the driveway, the sidewalk, the tree lawn. Our daughters said they did get to see the                  house once many years ago.  That's good. They will never experience the screened in front porch. I loved it.

Joseph G Blake

Dana

I checked the building card for the house. The permit was granted in Auguist 1929. The house had an estimated cost then of $12,500. That does not include the cost of the lot. The architect was WJ Wefel and the builder was Nelson Cann. Both did around 15 houses in Shaker over a 20 year period.

Cann is shown as the onwer. That suggests that he built the house as an investment to rent or for speculative opportunities. Given the timing in 1929, we may hope he did not get caught in the trap of the depression.

Sometimes owners moved and rented to someone else until a buyer could be found. The house next to ours was designed by Chester Lowe who did over 100 houses in Shaker. The builder had ten houses in Fernway built in 1928 and 1929. The house next to ours was rented until 1940. But the tenants were not short term. The first one was a doctor who lived there until 1936 when they built a house on Winthrop. He would serve in the Navy during WW 2 and received the silver star for doing surgery on the deck of a ship while it was under attack. He removed a live shell from the sailor. The sailor and the MD lived to tell the story. 

The second tenant rented from 1936 to 1940. They were relocating from Philadelphia where their houe was rented until 1940. They then bought the house at 3392 and lived there until 1977. The second tenant was DF Meier who was a senior A&P executive who headed the Clecveland region. Around 1939 Kate Smith came to dinner. She then was sponsored on the radio by A&P and was visiting stores and warehouses on a national tour. 

So much for small bits of trivia about a world now gone.

William H Gerak

Two friedns and I whent to a realestate auction about 12 years ago. A property on Scottsdale came up that looked interesting (150 properties sold in about 3 hours), we bid (because I told them about the area), we won the bid @ $32,000. We went to the property, good bones, extra side lot (in ground pool had been filled in) and  not a bad location but the copper and other stuff gone. And then, and then along came the Shaker building restrictions.... All contractors had to be on the approved Shaker contractor list, and all building and improvements authorized and approved by the city. Garage, which was very salvagablie had to be torn down and replaced, etc. etc. etc.  Could have been a good rehab but not with the city in the way.  Too bad, would have - could have - should have been a good rehab but thankfully we were able to get out of it. Never followed it but it may be one of the good old homees demolioshed. Very sad, a great neighborhood back in the day. 

Joseph G Blake

Dear Classmates,

In recent weeks we have discussed some issues related to current life in Shaker Heights versus what we may have known. For sure much has changed.

I wanted to offer some facts and observations about taxes, demographics and regulation of renovations. I hope will read along. It was heard to be briefer.

It is very true that residents in Shaker Heights do pay among the highest real estate millage rates and local income tax rates in Ohio (2.25% versus 2.5% in Cleveland and 2.75%  in Youngstown).

The tax rate paid $100,000 of home value is $4135 for Garfield Heights, $4058 for the Shaker Square area in Cleveland and a section of South Euclid in the Cleveland Heights/University Heights School District, $3972 for Shaker Heights and $3824 for University Heights for the combined school district with Cleveland Heights.

Unlike many other states, Ohio voters can vote for millage increases. As late as 2019 they voted to continue a tax for the Shaker Public Library. That year there was a proposal to transfer the library to the county system and no longer pay the tax. The city government supported the transfer but the library organized a ballot initiative to keep the tax and the independence of the library. It won.

One should also recall that voters in Shaker have wanted a high level of services and been willing to pay for it. The classic example would be that Shaker residents have never taken trash to the street for removal. The city workers come to the back of the house and get it. Given that at least a third of houses are very large to mansions (3500 to 7000 sq feet) and often more than 100 feet from the street, the service is essential but obviously not cheap.

Also Shaker has sidewalk plow service in the winters which many communities do not.

The bond credit rating for Shaker Heights is AA+. That is better than most major corporations.

One has to admit readily that Shaker has a tax base that reflects the bias of the Vans who did not like commercial development very much. It was largely concentrated to essential services. In their day, it had a certain logic. My mother was a resident of Shaker for 61 years but her shopping habits reflected habits developed in the circa 1930s. She shopped at Heinen’s beginning in 1928 (or placed an order pre 1950 and it was delivered), took the rapid to Higbee’s, or a few shops at Shaker Square. Of course Christmas meant a visit to Sterling’s to see their giant tree in the five story atrium in the store. It was over 75 feet and then the largest inside decorated tree in the USA.  I doubt she ever went to Severance or other shopping malls. There are of course many apartments which to some degree offset the lack of commercial property.

This stands in sharp contrast with Beachwood that has long had an enviable commercial tax base for its size along Chagrin Boulevard and expands to Beachwood Place along Richmond. Next time you exit from 271 and Chagrin you will see what I mean. Beachwood taxes are lower for sure because of this base. It is also smaller in terms of size and population around 12,000.Pepper Pike is 6,000. It has very little commercial base. Woodmere has relatively more on Chagrin but it’s a village of 850. .

Until the late 1950s, students from Beachwood attended SHHS, at the time sparsely populated. There was some discussion about continuing that arrangement. One can only speculate how that might have changed the tax base for the school district.

In terms of demographics, they have changed considerably in the last 50 years. In 1970 Shaker had 37,000 residents. Today there are about 28,000 residents. That is a 25% decline in population. Meanwhile, Cleveland has lost half of its population and Cuyahoga County about 1/3.

The city today is racially mixed. Shaker was just starting to integrate when we were in high school. Ludlow and Lomond led the way and formed associations to make the process friendly. Steve Alfred who helped found the Lomond Community Association would later be mayor of the city. Today, white families often choose to live in Shaker because of its racial diversity.

The city and the school district have different demographics because the school district includes a section of Cleveland around Shaker Square which is in Cleveland. Also many Shaker residents send their children to private or parochial schools. Shaker has three private schools prominently located north of Shaker Boulevard. So today as in 1964 the demographics of the city versus the school district are different. Note the details below.

“Although the population of Shaker Heights is 55% White, 37% African American and 8% Asian or other, The Shaker Heights City School District's approximate enrollment is 48% African American, 40% White and 12% Asian, Hispanic, multiracial or other.^”

In many ways, the school district must offer a wider range of services to provide for the needs of students from different socioeconomic backgrounds. But the district also offers wider opportunities than in our day. We were a much more homogenous group for sure. See comments below.

 “Shaker Heights High School is an International Baccalaureate World School, the only public high school in Cuyahoga County to hold this accreditation and offer rigorous IB classes. It is consistently ranked among the top districts in the state for National Merit semifinalists”

Many would use National Merit Semifinalists as an important benchmark for success. Note the number for 2020.

“September 23, 2020—Thirteen members of the Shaker Heights High School Class of 2021 were named National Merit Semifinalists in the 2021 National Merit Scholarship Program and additional nine students were named National Merit Commended Students.”

“Shaker Heights High School had the second-highest number of National Merit Semifinalists among Northeast Ohio public high schools and the seventh-highest among all of Ohio’s public high schools. This Semifinalist group represents the largest number of Semifinalists from Shaker Heights High School since 2016. 

There is certainly reason to argue that there is considerable return to the taxpayer in Shaker Heights.

One should note that a class at SHHS is around 400 students today versus 600 when we graduated in 1964.

It’s interesting to look at income and related data

The median household income in Ohio is $56,502 versus $83, 420 for Shaker Heights. The median value of a house in Ohio is $142,600 versus $222,700 in Shaker Heights. The percentage of households that are classified as high income (more than $200,000) is 4.9% for Ohio, 20.4% for Shaker Heights, and 48.4% for Pepper Pike. Shaker today has a wider range of economic groups than 50 years ago ranging from very wealthy to families that require food assistance, especially during the pandemic.

In some ways Shaker Heights can be compared to the Chestnut Hills section in the city of Philadelphia.  It too is affluent, large beautiful homes, several prominent private schools, and easy access to Center City Philadelphia but also lower/middle income groups. It also is home to the Philadelphia Cricket Club, the oldest country club in the USA.

But Philadelphia still has a very vibrant professional and business community in Center City. It is also the 8^th largest population statistical area in the USA. Cleveland was the 7^th largest city in 1960. Today the vast Union Trust/Union Commerce, Huntington Bank Building stands empty awaiting a major restoration. Built in 1924 it once had the largest space on one floor of any privately owned commercial office structure. Only the Pentagon had more. But it symbolizes the challenge that faces Cleveland and other old cities like Rochester, Buffalo, Toledo or Detroit. If we could reverse that trend and revive the local economies, housing prices in Shaker would increase well above their replacement value.  

Shaker faces a major challenge partially due to the pandemic. A few weeks ago the lenders for Shaker Square foreclosed on the property.. The square now is dominated by restaurants which have been devastated by the lockdowns and limits on seating etc. Some of you may know Edwin’s which is regarded as the best French restaurant in Cleveland. It also has an outreach to train ex convicts to be chefs after they return to normal life. It’s a good example of the quality of some of these places. See link to news item.

 https://www.news5cleveland.com/news/local-news/cleveland-metro/historic-shaker-square-is-in-foreclosure-a-victim-of-the-pandemic-management-company-says

But there is good news as well. Many will know that Shaker has rebuilt CLA and Van Aken Center. Van Aken Center was rebuilt by RMS Realty (the Ratner, Miller and Shafran families). They are now proposing a new 225 apartment there overlooking the SHCC golf course. At 183 feet it would be the tallest building in Shaker. That has to be a big plus for the tax duplicate and also positive economic multiplier for the community.

Occasionally there is criticism of the regulation of housing renovation in Shaker. We should recall a few factors. Shaker Heights has always had strict standards to meet for new construction, additions and the like. I still have the form approving our house in 1930 plus the building card which shows approvals granted including a new garage floor in 1977. Attention to detail has deep roots in Shaker.

Around 80% of Shaker Heights is part of the Shaker Village Historic District which reflects the planning and architecture of this area mostly prior to 1940. By implication, the city has been very careful to preserve the character of houses. The median age of a house there is now 90 years.

I have included a link below to a recent article in Shaker Life which discusses the renovation of a home on Van Aken built in 1924.The house was built by the Vans to promote building in Shaker and also to establish the Van Sweringen architectural standards. In this case the architect was Bloodgood Tuttle whose houses usually had superb interior details and some unusual features. Jeff Chokel lived in one of houses on Coventry for over 35 years. It was typical of his style. In 1924 the Vans hired also Small and Rowley and Howell and Thomas to build these demonstration houses. There were 440 building permits granted that year, only exceeded by 477 in 1925.

https://shaker.life/great-shaker-homes/the-art-of-restoration/

Closing thought. Capitalism is said to be a process of creative destruction. In many ways we see technologies rise and fall and with that we find many opportunities to grow if we are imaginative and resourceful enough to seize the moment.  In the 1920, the age of the Vans, it was autos, radios and refrigerators that were the opportunities as the rapid electrification of America happened. In our time it’s been computers, software, the internet and all those odd sounding high technology companies like Google and so many others. I sometimes regret that mortality means I won’t see how that evolves.

Thanks for your time and attention. Happy Presidents Day

Joe Blake

Ruth Ann Shehan (Rinto Gilliss)

Hi Joe,

Thank you for writing a well researched and thoughtful article.

RuthAnn (Shehan) Gilliss

Joseph G Blake

Thanks much.

How are you and Dave doing in snowy Ohio in a pandemic?

All the best,

Joe

Phyllis Hammer (Gubanc)

Joe, I second what RuthAnn said. Very well written, and adds to my love for Shaker, respect for Shaker...gratitude to have grown up in this community.

Phyllis Hammer (Gubanc)

Slogging through the crusty snow to fill my bird feeders is the *worst* I've experienced so far. And the snow is starting to melt. Growing up in Cleveland has more than prepared us both for snow that covered our heads when we were kids. ;-)

Life is good! Of course, it would be better if I lived in a lovely Tudor mansion on South Park Blvd. abutting Shaker Lakes.... ;-)

Take care!! And thanks for asking.

PS: Just noticed that RuthAnn has a "Dave," too! The Dave! Oooops!

Betsy Dennis (Frank)

And yes we walked to school when it was below zero! We had to take finals, of course. 

Joseph G Blake

Phyllis,

The most notable Tudor on South Park was the Van Sweringen residence at 17400. If you follow the loop to Parkland, the next most notable is the Horowitz mansion on Parkland overlooking Green Lake. Its the one with a two story leaded glass bay window- arguably the most impressive window in Shaker. THere aare others but those two came to mind. 

In some ways The South Park and Parkland loop - easily three miles long has to be one of the most beautiful stretech of residences in the USA. It combines architecture, scale, and trees and landscaping with 4 "lakes" to create open space and there is small park or forest between Shaker and South Woodland that may still have a 19th century bridge. The park is part of the Doan Brook Watershed.

People like the glamour of Beverly Hills or Palm Beach but I still think this stretch of roads is really so much more appealing. It is affluent but its not as in your face.  And all in all Shaker is on a scale with comprehensive planning that you do not see on the Main Line, North Shore, Scarsdale or Brookline or Wellesley. That explains why 80% of the city is an historic district. Most of the area excluded was built after WW2 and is adjacent to Byron and east of Warrensville.

Back to more mindane topics. 

Judi Bachman (Holtze)

.

Enjoyed the srticle and comments,  i remember how impressed my husband was when seeing shaker....so well planned....thatvwas in 1969!  And he still mentions it...Too bad i cant buy one of my grandfsthers houses.  Prices are sooo low compared to here.  Would get a 2 or 3 room ( not  bedroom) apt for the same here.  Kitchen counts as a room if seperate...

2 of the most famous blacks to move into shaker...mid 60's. avalon area..were jim brown and ernie green.  They trained every night on the lomond baseball fields.  Could watch from our driveway!  No one bothered them either...wouldnt happen today.

Hope everyone survived snow and cold.  We had snow and freezing temps for first time in years.  But sunny, crisp and beautiful.

stay healthy.  One day this horrible pandemic will pass.  Miss traveling the most..  but god bless technology..only way to see family...has been 13 months since we saw them face to face.

Joseph G Blake

I was hoping Dick Halle might comment about Shaker Square. I believe he is an investor in Edwin's.

And I understand Heights Chrisitan Church at Avalon and Van Aken is for sale. If anyone knows anything please comment. 

Or maybe we could all chip in and buy it  and start our own religion. Just kidding.