Dayton’s tallest buildings were built in the 1970s and 80s, but the stories of the earlier “modern” office towers in the late 50s and 60s, when the city was steadily growing but also beginning to decentralize significantly, are interesting as well.
The history of the Talbott Tower at First and Ludlow begins earlier than many assume, as the original three-story building was built back in 1938.
At first it consisted of the Ludlow Street side and a small portion on First, before the First Street side was significantly expanded in 1948 and a garage was also added.
The 14-story tower we see today followed that in 1958, and at 203 feet it was the fourth tallest building in the city at that time (today it is in 12th place).
The original building is of a late art deco/Art Moderne style, built of Indiana limestone with a black marble molding at the base.
A publication by the current owner of the building digs into its early history:
“Talbott Tower bears the family name of the first mayor of Oakwood, Harold E. Talbott and affectionately known as ‘Harry,’ and his son, the third Secretary of the Air Force, Harold E. Talbott, Jr. Its early history was one that could be described as a transformation. Built on a disaster site, the land was bought after the Great Flood of 1913 by the Talbott family. The next years were difficult for Dayton and the Talbott family, with other Dayton leaders, looked to transform Dayton, still reeling from the flood, and pummeled by the Great Depression, into a monumental powerhouse of industry.”
One of the most popular early tenants was the Billy Lewis Women’s Dress Shop, which had an entrance right at the corner of Ludlow and First. That store declared bankruptcy and closed in 1963 (note: see comments for a correction – the business name continued).
The addition on the First Street side was proposed in the mid 1940s. In the model below you can see the original building to the left and the new section on the right.
The following decade was a time “when businesses, residents, and city officials viewed downtown’s economic prospects with optimism, anticipating continued future growth,” and the construction of the tower here “signaled the modernist expansion of the core commercial and business functions of downtown westwards” (NHRP nomination form).
The immediate motivation for the building of the tower was to house the headquarters of the Mead Corporation, as the Mead family was closely connected to the Talbotts.
And the building’s occupancy remained at 98% for the 15 years after the tower construction. But in 1976, Mead moved to a new tower on Courthouse Square (more recently known as the Keybank Tower), vacating some 85,000 square feet of space in the Talbott Tower.
But a variety of new tenants moved in, and renovations were completed to the building in 1988 and 1996. It was still about 75 percent occupied as of 2005.
In 2018, the Talbott Tower was purchased by a new local ownership and management team, who have taken on a variety of improvements including “interior remodeling, environmental updates and a new roof” as well as “extensive lobby renovations.”
Today the building maintains a variety of tenants and a comparatively high occupancy rate for downtown office buildings while more spaces are available for lease.
In 2023, it welcomed Gem City Primary Care, the only primary care practice located downtown.
Andrew, Billy Lewis was even an important tenant in the 1980s. I had family members that shopped there. Gone as of 1963? Hardly. The name continued.
Thanks for the correction. I was aiming just to give a little slice of tenant history so did not dig into the later years, but I’m glad the name continues and your family members were able to shop there.