William Van Aken, ca. 1911
The boundary separating Shaker Heights from Cleveland sat at the west lot lines of the houses on East 128th Street, putting the Van Aken house right at the edge of Shaker. Earlier plans had this boundary at East 130th Street, which would have placed Van Aken (then a member of the Shaker VIllage Council) in Cleveland. The Van Sweringens ensured that this did not come to pass, and their loyal ally Van Aken remained a resident of Shaker, while in 1915 the area to the west of East 128th Street was annexed by Cleveland.
Image courtesy of the Shaker Historical Society