Update: In July 2021 the project partners announced they would preserve the old church and incorporate it into the new medical building (as reported by the Dayton Daily News). The new rendering is below.
Original Article:
The University of Dayton played a major role in helping preserve the historic Dayton Arcade by becoming an anchor tenant in the rehabbed space. But closer to campus, another proposed development by UD and Premier Health has sparked a movement to save a historic structure which was slated to be demolished.
This April, the University of Dayton and Premier Health, in partnership with Woodard Development and Crawford Hoying, announced plans to construct a new medical building on Brown Street.
It would occupy the entire block between Sawmill and Stonemill Roads and the remaining structures on that block would be razed, including the former South Park United Methodist church built in 1926.
The development calls for a single-story, 30,000 square foot facility which would house medical offices for the community, a health clinic for University of Dayton employees, and an after-hours urgent care for UD students and staff.
However, multiple parties expressed concerns over details of the development at a May 10 Downtown Priority Land Use Meeting. As a result, UD and Premier are said to be interested in engaging in a dialogue and working with the community to explore different options for the site.
One of the groups that has advocated for a change in plans is Preservation Dayton.
On a webpage titled “Save South Park Methodist Church,” the organization urges for preservation of the historic structure, suggesting it could either be adapted to medical use and incorporated into the development, or used for other academic purposes with the medical facility being built on one of several nearby vacant lots already owned by UD or Premier.
The group explains how preservation of the church is important for protecting Dayton’s architectural heritage:
“The architecture of the church is unique to Dayton, defines the residential boundaries of the adjacent Rubicon Mill neighborhood, and is the most remarkable historic structure on this portion of the streetscape along Brown Street near the historic Patterson Homestead … The church and its signature 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, the other remarkable church on Brown Street.”
But the group also argues that adaptive reuse would help achieve other important goals. For one, irreplaceable architectural gems like the church contribute to Dayton’s unique identity as compared to other urban centers and help the city recruit and retain talent, a stated university and city-wide priority.
Also, preserving the church instead of demolishing and building new would result in significantly less energy consumption and waste, helping the university achieve its goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2050. And a variety of financing mechanisms including historic tax credits and PACE energy financing would help make the project more economically attractive to the partners.
Preservation Dayton encourages Daytonians to contact key decision makers to share their thoughts on the development.
Opened in 1926, the church cost $125,000 and was called “one of the most thoroughly equipped church structures in the Miami Valley.” So excited was the community for the construction of the new church that 2,000 people showed up for the laying of the cornerstone on June 21, 1925. Originally known as Patterson Memorial, the church later merged with Raper Methodist Episcopal before becoming a United Methodist church in 1968 and then undergoing another merger with Oak Street UMC in 1995. (Read more history of the church.)
The church was sold in 2016 and a developer proposed turning it into housing, but opposition from the university and neighborhood stalled those plans.
In addition to its role in helping save the Arcade, UD turned a former NCR factory building at Brown and Caldwell into academic offices. But its 2012 demolition of NCR Building 26 which was the site of a secret code breaking operation during World War II proved controversial. Premier Health has been active in acquiring and clearing sites near Miami Valley Hospital for years, including the demolition of the former Becker’s Market building at 860 Brown Street in 2020.
Woodard Development has completed several adaptive reuse projects that have preserved historic buildings, including the Delco Lofts, the Manhattan Building, and the Avant Garde Building.
When asked to comment, Jason Woodard shared the following statement:
Is there nothing that can stop the growing two-headed development monster that is UD and Premier Health?
I agree. Just how many medical facilities do we need, anyway? It’s no wonder healthcare costs so much. We’re having to foot the bills of all these new buildings.
Good story, Andrew. Thanks!
While they are sometimes an important historical preservation asset to the Dayton community, this latest proposal is a slap in the face to Dayton and its historic preservation efforts. UD already destroyed so much of the neighborhood surrounding their sprawling campus, they need to make amends by exploring adaptive reuse for this community treasure. No more donations to UD until they show TRUE commitment to historic preservation in Dayton (beyond the Arcade which was never going o be demolished anyway).
The student housing on Brown was not well thought out. Oversized is the shortest critique. On paper maybe the design could be tolerable but the thing is out of proportion. I walked the mile home from Holy Angels school daily and have a feel for the street. Although the church was getting water damaged and would be a piece of work it fits in better than to have “the monster” consume anything more..I’m glad they did away with the funeral homes. The house on the SW corner of Schantz and Oakwood Ave. was the one that most transformed the neighborhood. It got very old before they improved it and the blend of architecture was unique fulfilling and beautifying, at last.