Miller Ice House

On the grounds of First Community Village stands the oldest structure known in Upper Arlington - the Miller Ice House. Owned by Henry Miller then his son, James T. Miller (UA’s first mayor 1918-1919), the Ice House stood a few yards from the once gracious white brick family home. Every winter the Ice House was filled with large ice blocks cut from the Scioto River, bought up the steep hill on sleds by teams of oxen, placed in a recessed floor and packed in sawdust. In the age before refrigerators and freezers, this allowed the ice to last all summer long, providing for food storage, lemonade parties, and churning ice cream. The stone structure and the latticed veranda also provided a cool area to sit in those warmer months.

On July 12, 2022, the Miller Ice House dedication ceremony was held to celebrate the latest renovation funded by Elford Inc.’s Elford Foundation. The newly refurbished structure is to be an event hub and gathering place for First Community Village residents and perhaps a future event rental space.

This effort stands on the shoulders of previous renovations. By the mid-1900s, over a century of weathering had caused significant deterioration in the stone building. A new roof donated by a Miller family member in 1981 slowed the decay but still could not prevent continued cracking and gaping.

Past Upper Arlington Historical Society president, Lynne C. Brown, led an effort for a massive restoration of the Ice House in 1997-1998. As she recalls:

“In 1997 while visiting folks at First Community Village, Jeff and I took a stroll over to the ice house. Jeff pointed out to me that the wall on one side was sagging and needed to be shored up, so at our next society meeting I brought up that the society should really make an effort to correct that. Bob Defenbaugh, who also served on our board co-chaired the effort with me. Bob’s background was in construction so he was a natural to spearhead this effort. John Schooley, also a member, made the architectural drawings at no cost to the society. With donations from First Community Village, the City of Upper Arlington, the Upper Arlington Historical Society and individuals, the project became a reality in 1998.

Those of you who remember the ice house in 1997-98 was simply the four stone walls; the veranda was no longer present. Bob and I discussed adding back the gracious veranda so that was one of our goals for the renovation. Another goal was to make it a destination spot for residents of the Village and visitors. Bob ran the construction and the ice house became a lovely replica of the original with a wide covered veranda on all four sides for rocking chairs as it was when the “the Aunties” served lemonade to their guests.

I remember the turnout of the community for the 1998 dedication of the renovated Miller Ice House. I was so pleased with the number of folks who showed up to celebrate the oldest structure in Upper Arlington.

I was very happy to learn of Mike Fitzpatrick’s and the Elford Co.’s contribution for the renovation of the Ice House. The addition of a restroom will be very much appreciated. I hope everyone enjoys spending time at the Ice House for many years to come. I am so proud of the strong participation of the Upper Arlington community for the historical society and those who unselfishly serve.”