by Lauren C. Ostberg

Briarfeld Boulevard off US 20A now offers drivers an aesthetic look at the past.

The Miller Diversified Development Group, a third-generation family company at 3355 Briarfeld Blvd., displays a turn-of-the-century street scene on the back of its building.

“We got the idea from a retaining wall in Plymouth, Ohio,” Jerry Miller, vice president of the company, said, “And then we kind of tailored it to suit our needs here.”

The Millers commissioned Murals and More, a husband-wife team of artists.

“Kurt and Jerry Miller, along with David Spalding, were looking into ways to camouflage the electrical workings on the back of this otherwise plain building.” said Mariangela Smith, one of the two muralists.

Mariangela and her husband Dave drove to Plymouth for inspiration and returned, eager to depict a lovely town in the early 1900s.

Originally, they’d hoped to recreate Monclova, but soon realized that historical information about the town was very limited.

“I wanted to make Monclova; I thought it would be appropriate, but there was almost nothing there when I researched Monclova,” Mariangela said.

The Smiths found plenty of historical architecture in nearby communities as well as the more distant Saratoga, N.Y.

“The buildings (in the mural) all have remnants of buildings from Grand Rapids, Maumee, Perrysburg and Ohio,” Mariangela said.

The 11 depicted buildings include a post office, beauty salon, grain and feed shop, barber shop, ice cream parlor, produce store, hardware store, town hall and three financial buildings.

Oliver’s Grain and Feed and Miller Produce represent businesses that were actually operating in this area during the early 1900s.

Most notable is the Monclova Town Hall, whose brickwork and door were modeled after the existing building on Monclova road.

The architecture of the savings and loan is borrowed from an old Monclova schoolhouse.

Some of the brickwork was taken from a flower shop in Maumee, and storefronts from Grand Rapids restaurants and Waterville barber shops also appear.

“Since I couldn’t make Monclova,” Mariangela said, “I decided to make an area town.”

Of course, mere buildings do not define an era. The muralists also created a small community of townspeople, dressed in period fashion.

The citizens are a clever mix of the historic and contemporary. The Smiths painted clothing from costume books, but found many of the faces in real life.

Members of the Miller family and current members of the surrounding community, notable Glenn Torrence and his wife, Gene, appearing on a bench in front of the barbershop, are immortalized for a time.

Three generations of Millers appear on the mural. Norman Miller, who took over the company in 1946, is pictured conversing with an old time banker.

Given the family’s ties to and history in the area, it’s not unlikely that such a scene occurred.

“We’re an old family company – I’m actually third generation – so we’ve been in the Toledo area for a long time,” Jerry Miller said.

In fact, the company was founded in Toledo in 1920. In 1956, Norman Miller changed the company’s focus to residential and commercial real estate development.

“Our company is a developer, and we were there early in the development of Monclova Township,” explained Jerry Miller.

Miller Diversified president Kurt Miller, vice president Jerry Miller and administrator Dave Spalding are pictured, as well as their children.

Mariangela, however, seems most excited about the inclusion of community members initially uninvolved in the project.

“People would drive by, then actually stop to tell us they liked the mural, to ask what we were painting.” Dave Smith said.

“That kind of appreciation and recognition as an artist is amazing.” Mariangela agreed.

Tony Barroni, a local resident who has been particularly interested and encouraging, was awarded by appearing, along with his dig Cleo, in front of the post office.

“There’s a little boy who keeps coming by here,” Mariangela said. “I’ll have to paint him in.”

“People were pleasantly surprised to see color in an industrial park and thanked us for painting something on an otherwise ugly wall,” Mariangela said.

A few stopped by just to see if the painted ivy vines, concealing gas lines and meters, were real.

“They told us that they were uplifted to see art where it’s not normally found,” Mariangela said. “And it uplifted me; if I can do something like that, then my day’s work is worth it.”

Hopefully, this mural, now a monument to the beauty, community, appreciation and inspiration that emerged on Briarfeld as it was painted, will endure many years.

“I want a face like yours,” Mariangela told a friend who appears on the mural, “aged, weathered, and full of history.”