In this article we’ll take a “Then and Now”-style look at the the east side of Jefferson Street between 4th and 3rd Streets. This view of the corner of 4th and Jefferson looks north.
Compared to other parts of downtown which were completely cleared out for urban renewal projects or parking lots, this block still has two landmark structures remaining on each corner: the former Price Stores building which is currently being redeveloped, and the Elks Building which was converted to apartments a few years ago.
The middle of the block, on the other hand, has been lost.
The Romanesque Revival Price Stores Building was built in 1915. It was originally the Home Telephone Building for a company which later became Ohio Bell. In 1972 the facade was covered over in orange aluminum siding, which was removed for the current redevelopment.
History of the Elks Building
At the other end of the block on the SE corner of 3rd and Jefferson is the Elks Building, which was built just a year later. It was designed by prominent architect Albert Pretzinger for the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and dedicated by James M. Cox in November 1916. It is Georgian Revival in style and is the most distinctive on the block that was rebuilt just after the Great Flood of 1913.
It then became the Sam Hall Apartments in 1960 when it was purchased by Dave Hall who would later become mayor of Dayton. In the 1980s it was converted to offices. Today it serves as the gateway to the Fire Blocks District which has added apartments, restaurants, and retail to a formerly underutilized block.
And next to the Elks Building on Jefferson is another 1916 historic structure that survives, the terra-cotta former Dayton Power & Light building which later became Bernie’s Music Center. The ground floor now houses the popular Century Bar which moved from a smaller space just a door down in the Elks Building.
Historic Images Courtesy of Dayton Metro Library
Leave a Reply