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A Look at the Past, Present, and Future of the Gem City

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Old Dayton Maps

Lost Commercial Buildings at Main and Franklin

March 26, 2025 By Andrew Walsh 1 Comment

demolished commercial buildings at south main street and franklin downtown dayton

In a recent article I showed a Then and Now of South Main and Franklin where a 1920s auto building has been transformed into a medical facility. On the other side of Franklin at the SW corner of the intersection, unfortunately, we have a different story with a great block … [Read more...] about Lost Commercial Buildings at Main and Franklin

Filed Under: Historical Dayton Tagged With: Auto Industry, Auto Shops, Commercial Building, Demolition, Downtown, Highways, Miami and Erie Canal, Midtown, Old Dayton Maps, Pharmacy, Sanborn Maps, US-35

Bommy’s Bar, Dayton’s First Apartments, and Riverview Park

January 24, 2025 By Andrew Walsh 1 Comment

bommy's bar, salem ave and riverview

The image above depicts a popular saloon known as "Bommy's Place" that once stood off of Salem Ave just across the Great Miami River in Dayton View. It was owned by Fred Bomhard who opened it in 1896. The establishment was known as "one of the best-known and most popular … [Read more...] about Bommy’s Bar, Dayton’s First Apartments, and Riverview Park

Filed Under: Historical Dayton Tagged With: Apartment Buildings, Bars, Bommy's Place, Dayton View, Five Rivers Metroparks, Fred Bomhard, Old Dayton Maps, Parks, Rare Dayton Photos, Restaurants, Riverside Park, Sanborn Maps

Canal at 2nd Street Then and Now

August 16, 2024 By Andrew Walsh 1 Comment

I've previously written a history of the Miami and Erie canal in Dayton that included a then and now photo of an 1899 celebration that included two elephants bathing in the canal. In that post I used a visible business and map to determine where that location is … [Read more...] about Canal at 2nd Street Then and Now

Filed Under: Historical Dayton Tagged With: Canal St Arcade and Deli, Cooper Park, Delco, George J. Roberts Co, Industrial Buildings, Miami and Erie Canal, Old Dayton Maps, Sanborn Maps

The Todd Art (Sigma) Theater and a Lost Brown Street Business District

April 15, 2024 By Andrew Walsh 3 Comments

The old firehouse currently home to Jimmy's Ladder 11 restaurant on Brown Street is a beautiful but isolated survivor of what was once a thriving neighborhood business district. One of its most significant neighbors was an old theater located at 924 Brown Street. Built … [Read more...] about The Todd Art (Sigma) Theater and a Lost Brown Street Business District

Filed Under: Historical Dayton Tagged With: Brown Street, Demolition, Jimmy's Ladder 11, Miami Valley Hospital, Old Dayton Maps, Rare Dayton Photos, Retail, Sanborn Maps, Sigma Theater, South Park, Theaters, Todd Art Theater

History of the Bowers Building from Bank to Lounge

January 3, 2024 By Andrew Walsh Leave a Comment

West Third Street is seeing a surge in new commercial investment in the Wright Dunbar neighborhood near downtown, but there hasn't been as much activity on the blocks west of Broadway. But now at West Third and James H. McGee Boulevard, a husband and wife team is … [Read more...] about History of the Bowers Building from Bank to Lounge

Filed Under: New Developments Tagged With: Banking, City National Bank, Old Dayton Maps, West Dayton

The Steamboat House in St. Anne’s Hill (Rare Photo)

December 21, 2023 By Andrew Walsh Leave a Comment

Today's article came about rather serendipitously, as I was researching something unrelated only to come across a striking image of a home for sale in the Dayton Daily News on April 21, 1918. After only a quick glance it was obvious which house it was, as it is one of the … [Read more...] about The Steamboat House in St. Anne’s Hill (Rare Photo)

Filed Under: Historical Dayton Tagged With: Albert McClure, Alice Woodward, East Dayton, Great Flood of 1913, Historic Homes, House Histories, Old Dayton Maps, Rare Dayton Photos, Sanborn Maps, St. Anne's Hill

The Stone Barn at Holt and Easton (Dayton View History)

March 4, 2023 By Andrew Walsh 1 Comment

A Dayton Vistas reader wrote in to ask about the history of a stone barn on the property at 441 Holt Street. It's referred to by some locals as the "old barn" and it was also noted that there was a school on the property in the past. This article will dig into what we could … [Read more...] about The Stone Barn at Holt and Easton (Dayton View History)

Filed Under: Historical Dayton Tagged With: Auto Shops, Barns, Carriage Houses, Charles Kettering, Dayton View, Dayton View Nazarene Church, Deeds Barn, Delco, Edward Deeds, John Steele, Old Dayton Maps, Rosalie Ritty, Sanborn Maps, Stables, W. J. Klinger, Wilhelm Engineering Company

The History of the Dayton Motor Car Building at 15 McDonough Street

February 19, 2023 By Andrew Walsh 3 Comments

dayton motor car building

Update: the renovation was completed in 2020 and machine tool manufacturer Gosiger Industries moved into two of the six floors. The building's other tenant is coworking space Genuine Work which opened in 2021. According to its leasing website, three spaces are still … [Read more...] about The History of the Dayton Motor Car Building at 15 McDonough Street

Filed Under: Historical Dayton Tagged With: 15 Bacon, 15 McDonough, Bicycles, Dayton Motor Car Building, Dayton Motor Car Company, Industrial Buildings, John Dodds, John W Stoddard, MD Larkin Building, National Biscuit Company, Old Dayton Maps, Oregon East, Sanborn Maps, Stoddard Manufacturing Company

The Loneliest Historic Home in Dayton?

January 23, 2023 By Andrew Walsh Leave a Comment

2201-first-street-aerial lonely historic home

If you've ever wondered about the loneliest historic home in Dayton, we've found a candidate for your consideration: The house at 2201 East First Street (the NE corner of First and Sachs near Findlay Ave) is a sole survivor in an area that has turned almost exclusively … [Read more...] about The Loneliest Historic Home in Dayton?

Filed Under: Historical Dayton Tagged With: Albert Sieg, East Dayton, Maxwell Motor Company, Miami River and Lake Erie Railroad, Old Dayton Maps, Sanborn Maps

The History of 1922 and 1918 Brown Street

August 30, 2022 By Andrew Walsh 1 Comment

brown street pine club

A pair of interesting buildings on Brown Street form part of one of the more intact blocks of neighborhood commercial structures in Dayton, and also help tell the story of the surrounding area. 1922 Brown Street is a two story structure built in 1928. It was originally … [Read more...] about The History of 1922 and 1918 Brown Street

Filed Under: Historical Dayton Tagged With: Bockrath Carpet Shop, Brown Street, Drug Stores, Federation Realty Company, Gallagher Drug Store, Grocery Stores, Kroger, Old Dayton Maps, Pine Club, Rare Dayton Photos, Restaurants, Retail, Rubicon Farm, Sanborn Maps, South Park Market, University of Dayton

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My book explores a diverse selection of retail, industrial, entertainment and residential sites from Dayton's disappearing legacy.
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I'm Andrew Walsh, a writer and academic librarian. I research Dayton history, architecture, preservation, and urban redevelopment.

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