Today it’s a senior living community known as the Biltmore Towers, but for decades the magnificent building at the northeast corner of Main and 1st Streets was a prominent hotel that once welcomed Elvis Presley and John F. Kennedy as guests. The hotel was constructed in … [Read more...] about History of the Dayton Biltmore Hotel
Historical Dayton
Dayton’s Lost Architecture: Demolitions from 2007-2017 (Streetview)
Dayton has lost an almost unfathomable amount of its historic architecture over the years, ranging from once-grand downtown office buildings, stores, and hotels to neighborhood business districts and homes all over the city. Many people rightly think of the 1950s and 60s as … [Read more...] about Dayton’s Lost Architecture: Demolitions from 2007-2017 (Streetview)
What Can You Find at the Aviation Museum in Wright Dunbar?
Dayton has quite a few historic sites connected to the Wright Brothers and their early experiments with aviation. Today several of them are linked together under the name of the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park, which also commemorates the Wrights' earlier … [Read more...] about What Can You Find at the Aviation Museum in Wright Dunbar?
Then and Now: Fifth and Huffman (Pics)
On this date in 1900, the above picture was taken looking north from the corner of Fifth and Huffman Streets. The surrounding neighborhood is among the oldest in Dayton, and it picked up in development in the late 1800s largely due to its location on the streetcar line. For … [Read more...] about Then and Now: Fifth and Huffman (Pics)
A Trip from Dayton to Cincinnati (in 1818)
The section of the Miami and Erie canal connecting Dayton and Cincinnati opened in 1829 and the railroads started to arrive in the 1850s. But before then you could still travel between the Gem and Queen cities. The details are described by Dayton biographer Charlotte … [Read more...] about A Trip from Dayton to Cincinnati (in 1818)
McCrory’s: The Dayton Arcade Building That’s Already Been Redeveloped
Update: Since this article was written in 2018, the McCrory's Building is fully renovated and occupied and is being used by the Hub while the ground floor houses the UD-run coffee shop Startup Grounds. Read on for the history of this interesting building. With all the … [Read more...] about McCrory’s: The Dayton Arcade Building That’s Already Been Redeveloped
Schnitzel, Pierogi, and Ghosts? The Amber Rose in Old North Dayton
Old North Dayton was traditionally the most densely concentrated neighborhood of Eastern European immigrants in Dayton, and it was a self-sufficient, walkable area with schools, churches, shopping, and entertainment all in close proximity. The intersection of Troy and … [Read more...] about Schnitzel, Pierogi, and Ghosts? The Amber Rose in Old North Dayton
From Hardware to Texas Beef & Cattle: The History of the Gunkel Building
Today this building's main tenant is the Texas Beef and Cattle Company, and in the early 1900s the place was known for hamburger. But not the kind you're probably thinking. Hamburger’s Hardware Store, named for owner Frank Hamburger, was a longtime fixture on the northwest … [Read more...] about From Hardware to Texas Beef & Cattle: The History of the Gunkel Building
The Fate of the Ecki Building
Most debates over historic preservation versus demolition in Dayton center around its larger and most important structures: the downtown Arcade with its iconic rotunda, the Centre City Building, and the like. But sometimes, battles over less significant buildings that aren't … [Read more...] about The Fate of the Ecki Building
A Short History of the Old Montgomery County Jail
The current Montgomery County Jail complex was completed in 1993, incorporating the county jail building at 330 West Second Street which had been built in 1965. But in Dayton’s earlier days, its jail occupied several other locations around town, most notably next to the … [Read more...] about A Short History of the Old Montgomery County Jail