Who: Elicia Keebler Gibbon, principal and partner, leads GIBBON Architecture along with
her husband Jeff Gibbon, who is co-principal and partner
Where: Onaway Neighborhood
Business: GIBBON Architecture
Mission: GIBBON Architecture is a small and growing Shaker-based practice. We offer a
balanced approach to value-oriented services and strive for contextual design, rooted in
creative problem-solving. We enjoy working closely with our clients and believe beautiful
projects can be realized on even the most limited budgets. We believe in the power of
relationships, trust, communication, and common vision.
What I Love About My Work: We enjoy creating spaces for people that reflect their
identity and goals. Every project is a new puzzle, presenting unique opportunities and
challenges. After living and working in Ohio, we’ve become enamored with the depth and
beauty of the architecture of this so-called Rust Belt region.
Personal Background: I grew up surrounded by cornfields in Nebraska. I got my start in
architecture by shadowing my farmer-turned-developer grandfather at job sites as a young
girl. I fell in love with the bustle and complexity of construction and the built environment.
I’d often rush home after school to build my Barbies a new apartment building in the built-in
bookcase and sneak out of bed at night to tinker with Legos.
I studied architecture and anthropology at Washington University in St. Louis, where I
met my husband and business partner, Jeff. His grandparents raised six boys on Huntington
Road and then Sedgewick Road in Shaker Heights. Jeff grew up in Cleveland Heights. After
I completed my master’s at Yale and Jeff completed his at the University of Pennsylvania, we
got married and moved to Chicago.
After having our first child, we made the decision to move back to Cleveland to be
closer to family. Jeff’s parents still live in Cleveland Heights. Our realtor, Jackie Collesi,
found us the perfect home in Onaway, with fantastic neighbors, block parties, and amazing
neighborhood pizza parties every two weeks in the summer. I love our block’s commitment
to holiday decorations and festivities. Our children love the trick-or-treating here. Daniel is
14 and attends Shaker Middle School; Isabella is 9 and attends Onaway. It’s amazing to think
that their grandfather, John Gibbon, sat in the same classrooms they did at Onaway.
On Working and Living in Shaker Heights: A couple of years ago, Jeff started our Shaker
practice with a focus on multi-family housing, adaptive reuse, and historic tax-credit projects.
I joined him and added market sectors in business, retail, and single-family residential.
We’ve been the design specialists for the City of Shaker Heights Storefront Renovation
Program over the last couple years – a great program offering design assistance and rebates
for exterior work. We’ve worked with a number of other Shaker businesses on their projects,
including Master Marr’s Taekwon-do, The Gentlemen’s Cave Luxury Barber Lounge, Picnic
Hill Market Cafe, LaunchArts Media, and the Shaker Heights Development Corporation.
We love walking our Labra-bull Nala (a rescue from City Dogs) around Southerly Park
and to the Shaker Lakes. The homes in Shaker are a wonderful visual treat for two architects.
You can often find us grabbing take-out from Pearl Asian Kitchen (we love their gluten-free
options for Izzy), an ice cream at Mitchell’s in the Van Aken District, or a pastry at EDWINS
Bakery on Buckeye, which is another one of our clients. Loganberry Books on Larchmere is
a favorite for finding our next bedside book; nothing beats the sense of discovery at finding
that hidden gem among the layers of rooms and tomes.
Contact:
GIBBON Architecture
Website: gibbonarchitecture.com
Instagram: gibbonarchitecture
Email: info@gibbonarchitecture.com SL
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