While doing Dayton history research I often stumble upon interesting references and images that lead me to take on completely new topics. In this case I was researching the Gibbons Building in the Dayton Arcade and an article happened to reference a banker who worked there. But I was struck by the beautiful home that was given a whole-page spread to promote its opening to the public. And a quick search revealed that it still stands today looking quite the same.
The home is located on Philadelphia Drive in the College Hill neighborhood that was also historically known as Upper Dayton View, adjacent to today’s Dayton View Triangle just off of Salem Ave.
When the home was built in the late 1920s this was a hot place to be.
A Dayton Daily News article announced that “College Hill is Delighting Home Builders” and that “stability is shown in tract” and “safe and sound investment assured in that section of Dayton.”
Development was led by the College Hill Improvement Company, which was located at 815 Mutual Home Building downtown (the Liberty Tower). The house-furnishing committee consisted of Frank Newman, Max Frankel, and A. E. Binkley.
The firm ensured that “the natural beauty of this section is being accented rather than destroyed by the improvements now under way. The many old forest trees are being preserved and augmented by carefully placed elms and maples. The avenues were laid out to conform with the topography of the land, deviating enough to relieve the monotony of straight streets, yet carefully planned so as to give no “freak” lots.”
1731 Philadelphia was one of the very first homes constructed there in order to represent “the type of house that may be expected to grace the College Hill section.” It was given the moniker of “Home Beautiful,” which was common in the 1920s.
Advertisements and coverage of the development repeatedly extolled the pristine natural setting that was a major selling point of new suburban developments in contrast to their gritty urban counterparts of the day.
One article wrote that the home “presents a delightful picture situated on a hilltop, with gently rolling meadows and woodlands in the distance. Looking over the countryside from its elevated position, one would never imagine this home is on the outskirts of a thriving city.”
Its location was “far enough out to get away from the noise and bad air of the city, yet near enough to be accessible.”
Property records suggest the home at 1731 Philadelphia was built in 1927, but we learn from another article that it was actually built in 1925.
It was revealed to the public at 1 o’clock on a Sunday in September of 1925, with Dayton’s Mayor Frank B. Hale there to hand the key over to Newman, “in the presence of the throng which was awaiting admittance to the home.”
According to the newspaper, that throng enjoyed what they saw, as “no visitor could resist the charm of its well arranged room and the beauty of its furnishings.”
Its exterior design was described as “the Old English style of the Tudor period,” with “a projecting casement window at the front of the house and a massive wrought iron door with a spider web glass insert (which) reflect(s) the spirit of the sixteenth century.”
The article went into great detail about how the design harmonized with the home’s natural setting:
“The rusty-shaded brick, rough chestnut beams, and low-set, graceful architectural lines blend the home with its woodland setting. The house is quaintly fashioned to convey a sense of sturdy old age, in keeping with the surrounding countryside. The dully colored bricks appear as if they have been shaded by wind and weather over the years, and the garden gate, set in the brick side wall, is reminiscent of a bygone era. The rough chestnut beams placed in the corners of the house evoke an era when homes were solidly built to last forever.”
And the interior received a comparable level of description:
“The rooms are lofty, generously proportioned, and exquisitely finished. The stairway, made of hammered wrought iron, provides distinction to the hall. The walls are finished with a molding of the Tudor rose, whose graceful lines recall memories of the War of the Roses.
A broad, open fireplace made of mottled stone in the living room creates an atmosphere of old-time hospitality, enhanced by numerous windows. French doors open onto a tiled veranda in the rear, which features a red tile floor and a brown striped awning supported by graceful Egyptian spear heads. In front of the veranda is a marble pool, banked by flower beds, forming an ideal lounging spot for lazy summer afternoons. The view from the veranda reveals a magnificent vista of sunlit hills in the distance.”
Even the home’s basement “proved alluring to the men” who were “seen examining the various electrical mechanisms, washer, Frigidaire, etc. which had been placed in the home by the thoughtfulness of the builders.”
Many well-respected companies helped to furnish the home, including electrical work by Fred Roth of Roth’s Electric Shop, plastering and stucco work by Ezra C. Heck, International British Cottage Casement Windows by G. H. Condit, art glass by The Dayton Art Glass & Beveling Co, ornamental iron by Ornamental Iron & Wire Works, and an oil burner by Dayton Oilomatic Burner Co.
The home also featured “fine pianos, constructed in period designs.”
The surrounding neighborhood has changed significantly since 1925, but this grand home on Philadelphia Drive is one of the finest that remains to help tell the story of its early days.
Sources
Dayton Daily News and Dayton Herald archives (9/21/1925, 4/28/1929, etc.)
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