Home of the Herrings designed by Miller. photo by Boris Ladwig
artists such as Adolph and Ada Shulz, and Marie Goth and V. J. Cariani.
Miller said spending time with the artists ingrained in him an appreciation for nature, wildlife, music, and poetry.
He also spent a lot of time with his father, Maurice( Pods) Miller, who had taken over his father’ s pharmacy in the building that houses the Hobnob Corner Restaurant.
“ I think that’ s the blend of the art and science that led me to be an architect,” he said.
His architecture studies at the University of Cincinnati awakened in him a fascination with internationally known architects as well as the era’ s writers, artists, and jazz musicians.
After he moved back to Nashville, his connections quickly got him jobs. He worked on a local bank building, the courthouse, a downtown church, the Calvin Place shopping area, and the Brown County Art Guild.
Miller said he was inundated by a flood of work as Nashville went through a growth phase that brought prominent arts and crafts artisans, including blacksmiths and wood workers, who inspired one another.
“ That was fun and creative,” Miller recalled.
His public works prompted people to ask him to design homes for them in Brown County, and he developed a reputation for residences that he designed to blend into their beautiful Brown County surroundings. Word of mouth spread, and clients came knocking from Bloomington and Columbus.“ I was just in heaven as a young architect,” he said. Eventually he got so busy he had to expand and hire draughts people and other architects. He moved into his current office, South Jefferson, in the early 1990s.
Miller said the favorite of his designs is the Brown County Art Gallery expansion, in part because of its sound mechanical and structural integrity, but also because of its purpose: education and art. Miller said he also has a personal connection to the project. His grandfather and other artists were still showing at the gallery when Miller was growing up.
“ So here they are, on display in an environment that I helped create,” he said.“ I feel good being in that space.”
Letsinger-Miller said Steve’ s design boosted the gallery’ s square footage from 7,000 to near 15,000. The
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