Lauer, Martin P. Scholarship in Engineering
The Martin P. Lauer Scholarship in Engineering was established in 1999 in memory of Martin P. Lauer, an architect and building leader in Akron, by his widow, Miriam Lauer, and her sister, Geraldine Spiggle. It was their hope that the Lauer Scholarship would encourage young people to achieve the degree of professionalism and community service that guided Mr. Lauer’s career.
Mr. Lauer came to Akron from Cleveland in 1913. His early reputation was established by his work on the Summit County Home, a number of schools, and other public buildings. When Congress passed the Wagner-Steagall Housing Act providing matching funds for communities to build low-income family housing, Mr. Lauer spearheaded the creation of the Akron Metropolitan Housing Authority. Mr. Lauer became the Authority’s first director and oversaw its operations until his retirement in 1961. His service was recognized with the naming of the Akron Metropolitan Senior Housing Martin P. Lauer Apartment Building. An Akron Beacon Journal editorial noted Mr. Lauer as a “man of vision” stating “his years as director [of the AMHA] encompassed the building of Elizabeth Park and other public housing projects, valiant efforts to cope with the housing shortage during World War II, the unusual experience of managing day-care centers for the children of war workers, and finally the initiation of an imaginative program of housing especially designed for elderly retired persons. In the years since 1937, poor families without number have had decent housing because Mr. Lauer was alert to the benefits of the Wagner-Steagall Act.”