History of a Dayton Church Tucked Away (Sadly Demolished)

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Update 8/2024: Sadly the First Christian Science Church is no more. In early July, a Dayton Daily News article reported that the city had issued demolition and residential permits for the former church site. As for its ownership, the property sold back in April in a two-parcel transaction for which the buyer and seller both had addresses matching the University of Dayton. A spokesperson had said that UD no longer owned the property, but the DDN’s Thomas Gnau reported that a UD vice president had signed the incorporation papers for the purchasing LLC in March, and the transaction showed the no money was exchanged for the property, because “the seller and the buyer are owned by the same parent entity.”

Preservation Dayton created a new page for the church with the intention of saving it, but knew it was an uphill battle. The organization wrote that “Because neither the historic church nor the Rubicon neighborhood is protected by local historic zoning, there is no regulatory recourse that Preservation Dayton can take. But the lack of zoning protections does not diminish the historic significance of the church or justify its destruction. In addition to creating a stunning residential property, renovating the historic First Church of Christ, Scientist would:
—preserve Dayton’s irreplaceable cultural history for generations to come
—sustain the unique character of the Rubicon Mill neighborhood,
—greatly reduce carbon emissions and massive landfill waste from new construction”

Then on August 6, when the bulldozer descended on the former church, Preservation Dayton wrote “We can’t say we didn’t try. We’re sorry to announce the demolition of the First Church of Christ, Scientist at 105 Sawmill today. In talking with some neighbors on site, it seems that the pews from the church were salvaged years ago and now reside in the UD Chapel, and the front doors were salvaged just before demolition. If you hate seeing history demolished, please contribute at www.preservationdayton.com/endangered. We are working hard to create a revolving fund to save Dayton’s architectural legacies, one building at a time, so we don’t have to watch demolitions like this anymore.”

The following is the church history I wrote on February 25, 2022:

Last year we reported on a development by the University of Dayton and Premier Health that planned to demolish the historic South Park Methodist Church at Brown and Stonemill. But after some back and forth between developers and advocates for saving the church, the plan was revised to incorporate it into the new medical facility now under construction.

That church isn’t the only historic one in the area. Its more visible neighbor is the Holy Angels Catholic Church just a couple of blocks north on Brown Street. But tucked away into the Rubicon residential neighborhood is another grand old religious building: Dayton’s First Christian Science Church.

Located at Sawmill and Rubicon Roads, the church was built in 1924. It was designed by the architectural firm of Schaeffer & Gebhart and construction costs totaled $150,000.

Newspaper articles from the 1920s describe the significance of the structure and its architecture. The church is made of light brick trimmed with stone and one review commented that “the building is classic in its lines, simplicity being its keynote.”

The first floor contained a vestibule, foyer, checkrooms and the Sunday School auditorium. The second floor was occupied entirely by the main auditorium which seated more than 800 people.

The newspaper review also praised the building’s attractive entrance featuring a stone paved portico that leads to the vestibule, calling it “a most agreeable interior arrangement, which is enhanced by five massive doors which open upon the main auditorium.”

The stately columns of the front entry give the church its signature look, and also represent a key architectural feature of the neighborhood. Writing about South Park Methodist, Preservation Dayton noted that its “classical columns are echoed in the columns of the fraternity houses along Brown Street and connect the UD campus from Stonemill to Caldwell and L Streets near Holy Angles.”

According to the Dayton Daily News, another impressive feature was the stairway in the new church: “As far as the local builders can ascertain, these stairs are the first erected in Dayton since similar ones were installed in the old courthouse about 1854. They are called ‘hanging stairs,’ with one block of stone resting on the edge of the other and forming a spiral column.”

The article also commented on how the church was “situated in one of the most picturesque sites in this vicinity. Being away from the rush of the city and in a quiet spot, every appointment seems to have been designed for further religious reflection and thought.”

At the time of its construction, the church location was still easily accessible from two streetcar lines.

And today it is a block away from the RTA’s free Flyer bus.

Due to the customs of the church, “ostentation or pomp” were not allowed for its opening, but it was reported that “public worship directors of the church believe they have one of the most beautiful churches in the state.”

Also known as First Church of Christ, Scientist (but not with the article The which is reserved for The Mother Church located in Boston), the building regularly held lectures open to the public.

A December 1936 talk was titled “Is the Universe, Including Man, Evolved by Atomic Force?” Another later on had the more concise title of “Life.”

As of the 1950s, Wednesday evening meetings including testimonies of Christian Science healing, an important aspect of the church’s theology, were held at 8:00pm. A radio show about Christian Science and the Bible was broadcast on WING radio on Sundays at 9:00am. In addition, Sunday school was held at 11:00am for pupils up to 20 years old.

Many services over the years were also held at Dayton’s Second Church of Christ, Scientist located at 720 Belmonte Park N at Grand Ave.

Advertisements for meetings at the Rubicon church appear to have stopped in 2008. In 2013, the building was sold to an LLC connected to the University of Dayton.

While there have been no firm plans announced for the property, lovers of Dayton history and architecture will want to stay tuned to updates in order to ensure this neighborhood landmark remains a part of the area.

Sources

Opening New Era in Christian Science History, Dayton Daily News, 8/9/25

New Scientist Church Will Open Sunday, Dayton Daily News, 8/7/25

Additional newspaper research