Dayton's Webster Station neighborhood can boast a number of new construction projects in the last few years, and it also has many former industrial buildings that have been converted to new uses. Delco's first two factory buildings are among the most prominent, but a … [Read more...] about The Gem City Elevator Works Building
Historical Dayton
The Hoover Block and the Wright Brothers’ Printing Business
The historic West Third Street business district in Wright-Dunbar has a BBQ restaurant and a few small independent retail businesses catering primarily to neighborhood residents. But the best-known attractions in the area are the sites connected to the men who gave the … [Read more...] about The Hoover Block and the Wright Brothers’ Printing Business
From Stockert Saloon to St. Anne the Tart: A St. Anne’s Hill Commercial Building
St. Anne's Hill is a well-preserved historic neighborhood on the near east side of Dayton, which was initially platted in 1845. Its homes, most of which were constructed from the 1860s to the 1890s, include "high style" Second Empire, Romanesque, and Victorian Eclectic … [Read more...] about From Stockert Saloon to St. Anne the Tart: A St. Anne’s Hill Commercial Building
Downtown Dayton’s YMCA Buildings
Today you can go for a workout at the downtown Dayton YMCA, a building which has stood since 1929. But this was far from the first place in Dayton that the YMCA called home, as it previously occupied four other locations, only one of which survives today. The first effort … [Read more...] about Downtown Dayton’s YMCA Buildings
The Swaynie House and Building Substitution
In my book Lost Dayton I chronicle not only sites that have been demolished, but also historic landmarks that are still with us, albeit transformed into something completely different from their original use. But in just about all of those cases, today's historic … [Read more...] about The Swaynie House and Building Substitution
A First Ice-Making Plant and an Alligator in the Great Miami
When the above structure was built in 1892, it was the first ice-making plant "in this section of the country." Located at the corner of Harries and Spratt Streets, the Dayton Ice Manufacturing and Cold Storage Co. was likely the reason that Spratt would soon be renamed Ice … [Read more...] about A First Ice-Making Plant and an Alligator in the Great Miami
The Graphic Arts Building in Downtown Dayton
Some of Dayton's buildings on the National Register of Historic Places are well-known to its residents: the Arcade, the Old Courthouse, and the like. But others are a bit more under the radar. Most people likely don't give much thought to this building sitting alone on … [Read more...] about The Graphic Arts Building in Downtown Dayton
The William McHose House at 53 Green St.
A recent post detailed candidates for the oldest house still standing in Dayton. In this new article series, we'll take a closer look at the histories of other interesting Dayton homes. The house at 53 Green Street in the Oregon District was built in 1873 by William … [Read more...] about The William McHose House at 53 Green St.
Early Buildings: What’s the Oldest House in Dayton? (Newcom Tavern and More)
What’s the oldest house in Dayton? As with many questions like this, the answer is “it depends.” It turns that out we need to add some qualifications to our question in order to arrive at an answer. The first thing we need to ask is whether the house needs to remain at its … [Read more...] about Early Buildings: What’s the Oldest House in Dayton? (Newcom Tavern and More)
Dayton’s Carnegie Library Branches
Much has been written about Dayton's beautiful lost library in Cooper Park, as well as the expansive modern downtown library that opened in 2017 and has been a big hit with the community since. But many of the branch libraries in various Dayton neighborhoods have interesting … [Read more...] about Dayton’s Carnegie Library Branches