BY JANET C. WETZEL
The Cincinnati Enquirer
MADEIRA -- Elizabeth Miller walked around her early 1920s home recently, pointing out the distinctive woodwork, the design in the glossy hardwood floors, and the sun streaming into the solarium.
The beautifully maintained house, nestled on a large city lot surrounded by massive trees and an amazing array of landscaping, is special to Mrs. Miller, who has lived there since 1948.
And the petite, spry 90-year-old is taking steps to ensure that others will someday have a chance to enjoy the place. Mrs. Miller is donating the property to the Madeira Historical Society. She'll continue living there the rest of her life, then the house is to become a home for the historical society and a historical museum.
"Too many old homes have been destroyed in Madeira and across the country," said Mrs. Miller, who earned her law degree and passed the bar long before it was common for women. She never practiced law, choosing to marry and raise her four children.
The gift will be treasured by the society, which has been looking for a home for more than two decades, said Doug Oppenheimer, former president and charter member of the society, founded in 1971.
"This is wonderful, amazing," said Mr. Oppenheimer, a neighbor of Mrs. Miller's who takes care of her yardwork. "There's just no way of describing what this gift means. I can't think of a community gift that quite matches this one."
The family declined to reveal the value of the eight-room, 1,650-square-foot house and the nearly 1.5-acre lot on Miami Avenue, but there is no question it's a "very generous gift," Mr. Oppenheimer said. The seeds for the gift were planted about six years ago after the death of Mrs. Miller's husband, Bruce Ervin Miller. Upon having the property appraised, she learned its greatest value was the potential to raze the house and build several others on the large lot.
"I didn't want that to happen," Mrs. Miller said. "Giving it to the historical society just seemed like a logical thing to do. The society needs a place and I was not willing to have it destroyed. It's just worked out so well . . ."
Bruce Miller, now of Mount Lookout, was just 4 when his parents moved into the Madeira home, in what was then a rural, wooded area. He recalls how the family used to pick wild blackberries and sold vegetables raised in the garden.
He and a sister, Dorothy Murray, of Canton, Conn., say they fully support their mother's plan.
"It makes me feel good because I'll be able to bring my grandchildren here someday and show them where I was raised," Mr. Miller said. "I like the idea of history being preserved," Mrs. Murray said. "I hope this inspires others to give gifts to organizations." Mrs. Miller has two other children, a daughter, Ruth Rucker, of Mount Nebo, and a son, David Miller, of Spotsylvania, Va.
The house was one of about 50,000 Sears Roebuck & Co. kit homes sold in the United States between 1908 and 1940, including at least 500 in the Greater Cincinnati area.
"This is absolutely the biggest thing that's ever happened to the organization," said Bob Miller, historical society president. "It will allow us, for the first time, to have a home and to have a place where we can share the historical items that have been donated by . . . the community."
The society has "thousands of items. So we're well prepared to open a museum when the time comes." Mr. Miller said. "This is wonderful, amazing. There's just no way of describing what this gift means. I can't think of a community gift that quite matches this one.' -- Doug Oppenheimer, neighbor and former president of Madeira Historical Society
