LOUDONVILLE — When Cameron Miller shows up to a private property with measuring tools, he wants the owners to know he's not trying to rob them.
"(I'm not) trying to case the place," said the Ashland County-West Holmes Career Center senior.Â
He's there to gather measurements for his recreation of the building as it was in the 20th century: Miniaturized, designed, 3D-printed and painted all by Miller himself.
Miller has always been interested in architecture from an artistic point of view. So, one day when he stopped into the Cleo Redd Fisher Museum, he decided it would be "interesting" to model the Ullman Hotel in downtown Loudonville.
That idea spawned into a game where players could explore all of downtown Loudonville as it was in the early 20th century. But after some thinking, Miller decided to scale down his project into just making models.
Miller was originally born in Bakersfield, California, and lived there for the first few years of his life before California became "an awful place to live," he said. His family spent a little time in Utah before deciding to follow a family friend to Loudonville.Â
Now, 12 or 13 years later, Loudonville is the only place Miller has memories of.
"I love Loudonville -- almost more than anything really," he said.
Miller's model of Loudonville's old Citizens Savings Bank.
The first step in Miller's modeling process is research. He measures the property and consults historical pictures provided by the museum.Â
Next, he models the building using 3D modeling software, a process that takes hours. Once he's done with that, he uses a 3D printer to print the building, a 10- to 15-hour process that Miller described as a "hassle."
"AÂ lot of times it'll mess up or the print will stop, or the details look awful or something," he said.
From there, the models might sit on Miller's shelf for months, waiting to be painted, while he balances life, school and relationships, he said.
So far, Miller has recreated The Citizens Savings Bank, the Workman Cabin, and a sign for the Farmers and Savings Bank. He currently has plans for at least three more models, including the Heffelfinger Gas Station and the old flour mill.Â
Miller's model of a sign for The Farmers and Savings Bank.
Miller chose early 20th century versions of the buildings because he wanted a nice middle point between the 1950s and 60s, which some residents remember, and the 1800s, when many of the buildings were first constructed.
"I like older architecture because it has a lot more craftsmanship in personality and simplicity as opposed to the more modernized way people look at things," he said.
His end goal is to have multiple displays and dioramas in the museum and to start taking modeling requests from other institutions in Ashland or another local area.
After he's done with high school, he wants to hopefully start turning a profit with his models, he said.
When a community member comes in to see Miller's displays, Kenny Libben, the Cleo Redd Fisher Museum's curator, hopes it sparks a sense of stewardship for the town's old buildings.
"A lot of people like to like to just tear (a building) down if it's old, and build a new one. So hopefully this is a way to show how nice the town used to look and it can look like that again," Libben said.
