Mattie Clark’s living room on the first floor (opposite), and Vicki and James Elder’s living room on the second floor.
Another personal touch in the living room is a painting of a Dutch city, gifted by a deceased brother,
who was stationed in the Netherlands during his military service, and whose daughter still lives there.
Among the extraordinary features of the Hildana property is a four-car garage, which had no electricity
until the Elders began their work. Now they project movies on the large, wide doors – complete with portable
speakers – in the summer. They had a privacy fence installed, created two patios, one of which is “the grilling
zone,” and are renovating the back porches. The back yard and driveway are framed by multiple and colorful
flower arrangements in a variety of planters. While the back is hardscaped, the front yard is planted with
several species of hydrangeas, hostas, a magnolia, and various perennials. It’s all kept green and lush by a
sprinkler system, and provides a verdant and shady frame for the front porch.
In addition to her work on her home and her job as a business analyst with Baker & Hostetler LLP,
Vicki has served as co-chair of the Moreland on the Move Community Association since 2008 and is
in her second term as a citizen member of the Shaker Heights Development Corporation. James is an
environmental paralegal employed by Signet Enterprises in Akron.
Regarding her home, she feels “we are making a positive impact on our community, by believing in
and embracing what’s unique about our part of Shaker.” She especially loves her porches, and spends many
late nights on the second story side porch. “We need that space. It’s just right for us.”
That said, she is keenly aware that many of the two-family houses in her neighborhood are not owneroccupied.
In fact, “some houses are owned by people in Dubai!” One of the Moreland Association’s projects is
to build relationships with the landlords abroad in an effort to help them see these houses as more than just
investments and to understand that they belong to a community.
WWW.SHAKER.LIFE | FALL 2018 37
/WWW.SHAKER.LIFE