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51 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, November 25, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend November 25, 2004 Historic car repair shop sold to MURA By MEG LANDERS Mail Tribune When Miller Motors opened, the downtown Medford auto repair shop serviced Model T Fords, Model A Fords and Packards. But after 73 years and three generations at the same location, the family business will be packing up its bays and moving down the road. "It’s for the better," said Dick Miller, 73, whose civic-minded father, Judge Earl Miller, started the business in 1931. His son, Gary, now owns it. The Millers’ 1927 Davis-Cornwall building, at 127 Bartlett St., is being purchased by the Medford Urban Renewal Agency. The board on Tuesday approved the purchase price of $340,000. The agency doesn’t have immediate plans for the structure, said MURA Director Kurt Olsen. "We are going to land-bank it," Olsen said. Advertisement The 4,245-square-foot building is sandwiched between the former Oak Merchant, which the agency purchased in July, and one of Rogue Community College’s buildings. RCC and Southern Oregon University have been talking of teaming up to build a shared classroom building in downtown Medford, and the Miller structure is among the sites under consideration. Another possibility for the property is a MURA parking lot. "There is no project yet," said Olsen. The automotive repair business will lease the property from MURA until it builds a new shop behind Lava Lanes off Crater Lake Highway. That move is six or eight months away, said Dick Miller. Recalling the family’s history, Miller said January 1931 was an important time for his father. "He took on two obligations at once, me and that building," he said. Miller remembers in the ’30s and ’40s working with his father on the city’s garbage trucks — both of them — and on delivery trucks for Snyder’s Dairy in Medford. In post-Depression days, times were hard and services were often bartered. Miller said his father would work on someone’s truck, and in exchange, the customer would dump off a load of wood. Earl Miller devoted a quarter-century to public service. He served on the city’s budget committee and the planning commission before he was appointed to the Medford City Council in 1950. He won two more elections to the council, and was elected mayor in 1954. In 1958 he was elected county judge (the equivalent of today’s county commissioner), and resigned in 1973. Dick Miller took over the automotive business in 1959, and his son took over in 1993. Earl Miller died in 1996. Dick Miller said customers are not opposed to the move because there will be more space. "Some of them are glad — it’s real hard to park (downtown)," he said. "It’ll be more convenient." Miller said his son has the computerized equipment necessary to work on modern cars. The computerization has changed the job of auto repair, he said. "I don’t like to look under the hood anymore," he said. Reach reporter Meg Landers at 776-4481 or e-mail [email protected] . Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities