In 1987, the Shaker Heights Library published a book entitled 75 YEARS AN INFORMAL HISTORY OF SHAKER HEIGHTS. Following are some highlights of that publication that relate to the Sussex area. Copyright permission from both Shaker Library and the photographer Mr. Herb Ascherman, Jr. have been obtained. Click on the book or the title and read this remarkable book on our beginnings.
Our Early History
In the first decade of the 1900's, before the city of Shaker Heights was incorporated, Ms. Katherine Burger Dempsey moved into a home at the corner of now Warrensville Center Road and Chagrin Blvd. Hard to believe a red barn occupied the land that now houses Wendy's Restaurant. Next to it was a home with outdoor plumbing. That was the beginning of Shaker Heights, Ohio. The Sussex Community had the very first Shaker home.
On February 13, 1912, Shaker Heights was officially recognized as an incorpoated village. The VanSweringen development of Shaker began shortly thereafter and then eight years later the city map took on a completely new look.
The late teens and early 1920's were an explosion of development in our city. The Shaker Rapid ran her first cars on December 17, 1913, and in 1916 the VanSweringen adjunct company,Green-Cadwallander-Long opened the Shaker Heights allotment for public sale. You may have seen one of the VanSweringen signs at the Shaker Historical Society.
A Developing City
The VanSwerigen brothers carefully developed their plans for our city, and were shortsighted only in the fact that they tore down all the buildings of the Shakers. 
"They had fallen into disrepair. It was the vision of the Vans to build new, not to look back and restore. They wanted to start fresh".
"Shaker Village building standards were strict. Only conservative architectural designs such as Colonial, English and French were allowed.
During that 12 year span over 2,600 homes were built in Shaker."
"The philosophy of the city's planners in the 20's derived much of its inspiration from the ideas of the English social reformer, Ebenezer Howard. In 1898 he wrote Garden cities of Tomorrow, arguing for the carefully controlled development of new cities in agricultural districts as an alternative to the haphazard evolution of sprawling suburbs." He went so far as to determine the size in square miles as well as population to further define the ideal city. And, Shaker Heights followed that model.
Lot sizes for the neighborhoods of Sussex, Lomond, Moreland and Fernway were designed to be an average of 45 x 120 feet.
The Rapid was always a part of their consideration. Stations were built during the 1920's including the Lynnfield station and the end of the line station that never became a station. The current Starbucks location at the corner of Warrensville and Chagrin was intended to be the last stop. Early plans actually promoted extending the entire line from downtown Cleveland to Youngstown Ohio.
Shaker Schools were a part of the design of the city. Sussex School was built in 1923. Sussex school, along with all Shaker schools were hit by the Depression in 1930-31. "One-fourth of the teachers were not rehired, and the
salaries of the remaining faculty members were reduced by 25%." The shortage of money resulted in the teachers being paid in script. The Clerk-Treasurer of the Shaker schools, J. W. Main, made good on all the script and was credited with keeping the schools financially sound. An interesting side note is that as the population grew a second floor was added to Sussex school.
A Developing Community
Much of the history of Shaker and the Sussex Community relates to the Architecture or the design. The 1950's caused the City to become more than just a serious of very impressive buildings.
"After a time of pain and upheavel, the city's reaction to integration became creative and practical. So successful was Shaker's response to integration that cities throughout the country used aspects of it as their models.
The times caused the development of community associations to respond to the needs of the ever changing Shaker Heights. The Ludlow Community Association was the first to set the example for the rest of us.
In the fall of 1965 the Shaker Heights Housing Office was formed. It was not a realty office, instead it was part of the Department of Community Services.
During 1960, The Sussex Community Association was formed with much of the same approach as the other Community Associations, to develop a sense of COMMUNITY among the residents. Each Association was defined as the boundaries for each of the schools in Shaker. Below is the final full city design which has endured in mostly the same design today.
We celebrate our diversity and pride ourselves on the future that we create for our children.
