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

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Historic Preservation in Dayton, Ohio

Dayton has lost a staggering portion of its historic built environment through a variety of circumstances from large-scale urban renewal to "demolition by neglect."

Nevertheless, a number of exciting adaptive reuse and restoration projects in recent years, from historic homes to the massive Dayton Arcade, are helping to revive many previously vacant and endangered properties.

To see all of the articles we've published that relate to the preservation of historic Dayton buildings, click the links below.

Dayton Demolition Watch: St. Joseph School

November 19, 2019 By Andrew Walsh Leave a Comment

st joseph school dayton

The Webster Station area is currently booming with new construction as well as the redevelopment of historic structures. But according to multiple sources, one of the oldest buildings in the neighborhood is in danger of being demolished. Historic preservationist Andrew … [Read more...] about Dayton Demolition Watch: St. Joseph School

Filed Under: New Developments Tagged With: Demolition, Demolition Watch, Miami-Jacobs College, Preservation, Schools, St. Joseph's Church, Webster Station

Dayton Arcade: A Historical Timeline (New Photos)

May 2, 2019 By Andrew Walsh 5 Comments

Last week, Daytonians nervously awaited good news on the Arcade project as the development team and city faced a critical deadline. If the financial closing wasn’t completed by April 25th, vital tax credits would be lost and according to Mayor Nan Whaley “this won’t … [Read more...] about Dayton Arcade: A Historical Timeline (New Photos)

Filed Under: Historical Dayton Tagged With: Commercial Building, Dayton Arcade, Downtown, Features, Great Flood of 1913, Kuhns Building, Lindsey Building, McCrory's, Preservation

Dayton Motor Car Company District: Good and Bad News

July 17, 2018 By Andrew Walsh Leave a Comment

101 bainbridge burned

One of the sites in Lost Dayton, Ohio, the Dayton Motor Car Company Historic District, has been in the news a couple of times recently, for very different reasons. The good news is that a property in the area, 15 McDonough St (right), was recently awarded $1.8 million … [Read more...] about Dayton Motor Car Company District: Good and Bad News

Filed Under: New Developments Tagged With: Auto Industry, Dayton Motor Car Company, Fire, Industrial Buildings, Oregon East, Preservation, Stoddard Manufacturing Company, Stoddard-Dayton

More Dayton Demolitions: East Side as Seen via Streetview

May 9, 2018 By Andrew Walsh 1 Comment

odd fellows hall st annes hill dayton

We've already looked at before and after shots of demolitions that have taken place in the Streetview era (2007-2018), focusing on some downtown buildings, Old North Dayton's former commercial center, and few others scattered throughout various Dayton neighborhoods. But … [Read more...] about More Dayton Demolitions: East Side as Seen via Streetview

Filed Under: Historical Dayton Tagged With: Anticoli's, Demolition, East Dayton, Franklin School, Gem City Catfe, Harry's Collection, Huffman, IOOF, Odd Fellows, Preservation, St. Anne the Tart, St. Anne's Hill, Walnut Hills, Wyoming Theater

What Can You Find at the Aviation Museum in Wright Dunbar?

February 27, 2018 By Andrew Walsh Leave a Comment

Dayton has quite a few historic sites connected to the Wright Brothers and their early experiments with aviation. Today several of them are linked together under the name of the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park, which also commemorates the Wrights' earlier … [Read more...] about What Can You Find at the Aviation Museum in Wright Dunbar?

Filed Under: Dayton Culture Tagged With: Aviation Trail, Dayton Tourism, Paul Laurence Dunbar, Preservation, Printing, West Dayton, Wright Brothers, Wright-Dunbar

McCrory’s: The Dayton Arcade Building That’s Already Been Redeveloped

January 29, 2018 By Andrew Walsh 2 Comments

lindsey mccrory buildings dayton

Update: Since this article was written in 2018, the McCrory's Building is fully renovated and occupied and is being used by the Hub while the ground floor houses the UD-run coffee shop Startup Grounds. Read on for the history of this interesting building. With all the … [Read more...] about McCrory’s: The Dayton Arcade Building That’s Already Been Redeveloped

Filed Under: Historical Dayton Tagged With: Dayton Arcade, Downtown, Features, McCrory's, Preservation, Retail, University of Dayton

Dayton Arcade Redevelopment: Will It Happen? (With Pics)

January 11, 2018 By Andrew Walsh 1 Comment

No development project has gotten Daytonians more excited recently than the proposed restoration of the Dayton Arcade. The seven building complex*, with its rich history, architectural flourishes, and central downtown location, has no match in the region. But at the same … [Read more...] about Dayton Arcade Redevelopment: Will It Happen? (With Pics)

Filed Under: New Developments Tagged With: Commercial Building, Dayton Arcade, Downtown, Features, Miller-Valentine, Nan Whaley, Preservation, What's Going On With?

From Hardware to Texas Beef & Cattle: The History of the Gunkel Building

December 20, 2017 By Andrew Walsh Leave a Comment

texas beef and cattle gunkel building hamburger's hardware

Today this building's main tenant is the Texas Beef and Cattle Company, and in the early 1900s the place was known for hamburger. But not the kind you're probably thinking. Hamburger’s Hardware Store, named for owner Frank Hamburger, was a longtime fixture on the northwest … [Read more...] about From Hardware to Texas Beef & Cattle: The History of the Gunkel Building

Filed Under: Historical Dayton Tagged With: Features, Frank Hamburger, Hardware Stores, Preservation, Restaurants, Retail, West Dayton, Wright Brothers, Wright-Dunbar

The Fate of the Ecki Building

December 11, 2017 By Andrew Walsh 2 Comments

Most debates over historic preservation versus demolition in Dayton center around its larger and most important structures: the downtown Arcade with its iconic rotunda, the Centre City Building, and the like. But sometimes, battles over less significant buildings that aren't … [Read more...] about The Fate of the Ecki Building

Filed Under: Historical Dayton Tagged With: Features, Kroger, Preservation, South Park, Streetview, Twin Towers

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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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About Dayton Vistas

I'm Andrew Walsh, a writer and academic librarian. I research Dayton history, architecture, preservation, and urban redevelopment.

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