Shaker Heights Homes: As Developed by the Van Sweringen Company

View the interactive map here

In this map, you can look through pictures of homes taken from real estate catalogs that advertised the different styles of homes in Shaker Heights during the 1920s. These catalogs were produced and distributed by the Van Sweringen Company. The homes featured in this map are from The Heritage of the Shakers, Shaker Village Standards 1928, and Shaker Village Standards 1925, which are available online via Cleveland Memory or in the Shaker Historical Society's Elizabeth Nord Library.

Each slide features the address of a historic home pinned at its location, the date of its building permit or the date construction was finished, the original owner, the architect, a link to a corresponding building card with more information about each house, and the historic image of the house and the image's source.

This map was researched and created in 2023 by Rafiq Sadki, an intern from Case Western Reserve University, with mentorship provided by Shaker Historical Society staff, Brianna Treleven and Krista Albertins. 

Archiving Horseshoe Lake

View the digital exhibition here

The story of Horseshoe Lake has been at the forefront of local history and community discussions over the past year. During summer 2022, Digital Exhibition Assistant Austen Walker completed an SHS archives collections survey related to Horseshoe Lake, digitized priority items, and curated a digital exhibit based on archival findings.

The result is Archiving Horseshoe Lake, a digital exhibit sharing the history of the Horseshoe Lake area from pre-colonization to present that encourages residents to consider the current situation in a broader context.

The Archiving Horseshoe Lake project was made possible through an Ohio Humanities grant matched by a generous donation from SHS member John Barber.

Fashion and Femininity: The Rise of Women’s Power at the Turn of the Century 

June 2 - August 27, 2023 | First Floor Gallery

For thousands of years, our outfits have represented our wealth, status, and power. For centuries, our fashion has been a representation of who we are. Through our clothes, we can tell stories about our lives, our values and the way the world affects us. 

The suffragists of the Edwardian Era (1890-1920) are now known as well dressed, upstanding members of society, and that was in no way unintentional. By taking feminine ideals of the time, such as the Gibson Girl, and associating them with a new kind of woman, the suffragists brought their ideas to life. Through fabric and thread, an entirely new pathway has been paved for the modern woman.

Join the Shaker Historical Society and Shaker Heights High School Senior Project student Elliot Rendall as we explore the fashion of the turn of the nineteenth century woman—and the politics behind her choices.

About the Curator: Elliot Rendall is a graduating 2023 Senior of Shaker Heights High School. They have a longstanding love of historical fashion, and the politics that come with it. They have been sewing since they were young, but started making skirts, dresses, and historical pieces during quarantine. Elliot is incredibly passionate about women's rights, and has been for a long time. They are planning on a career in computer science and was a student in Shaker’s Career Technical Education program for robotics. In their free time, they love reading, crocheting, and making jewelry.

Arte y cultura Boruca: Boruca Masks from Costa Rica

 June 16 - September 17, 2023 | Lissauer Gallery, Second Floor

The  Lissauer Gallery exhibition Arte y cultura Boruca features colorful masks from the indigenous Boruca people of Costa Rica and showcases the remarkable craftsmanship and cultural heritage of the Boruca community. The masks on display are a testament to their rich artistic traditions, reflecting their unique worldview and ancestral stories.

At the heart of this exhibition is the journey of Christian Romero, the founder of Beyán. After losing his job due to the pandemic, Christian returned to his homeland of Costa Rica and had the privilege of connecting with Santos Lazaro, one of the master wood carvers of traditional Boruca masks. Immersed in their culture, Christian learned about the adverse impact of the pandemic on the Boruca community's livelihoods and founded Beyán to bring traditional Boruca masks to Northeast Ohio.

Arte y cultura Boruca: Boruca Masks from Costa Rica is on view in the second floor Lissauer Gallery from June 16 to September 17, 2023. All masks are available for sale with proceeds supporting the Boruca people in Costa Rica. Learn more about Beyán and the Boruca community at beyanllc.godaddysites.com. 

Arte y cultura Boruca is supported in part by the residents of Cuyahoga County through a public grant from Cuyahoga Arts & Culture.