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

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Retail

The Decline of Downtown Retail post-1950: Suburbanization, Urban Renewal, and More

February 3, 2025 By Andrew Walsh 2 Comments

Recently I reflected on the golden age of retail in downtown Dayton, tracing the history of Rike's, Elder-Beerman, and other popular downtown department and specialty stores. Today the environment is much different, with many local businesses struggling to survive and only a … [Read more...] about The Decline of Downtown Retail post-1950: Suburbanization, Urban Renewal, and More

Filed Under: Historical Dayton Tagged With: Architecture, Arthur Beerman, Cesar Pelli, Cincinnati, Dayton Mall, Downtown, Elder-Beerman, J.C. Penney, Kettering, Retail, Rike's, Salem Mall, Suburbs, Urban Planning, Urban Renewal

History of Rike’s, Elder-Beerman, and Downtown Dayton Department Stores

December 4, 2024 By Andrew Walsh 5 Comments

rike's downtown dayton

The Golden Age of Main Street Shopping The last few years have been a difficult time for many downtown small businesses. Retail stores especially face a combination of challenges ranging from lingering pandemic effects and economic struggles to competition from … [Read more...] about History of Rike’s, Elder-Beerman, and Downtown Dayton Department Stores

Filed Under: Historical Dayton Tagged With: Adler and Child's, Arthur Beerman, Centre City Building, David L. Rike, Downtown, Elder and Johnson, Elder-Beerman, Frederick Rike, Home Store, Reibold Building, Retail, Rike's

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

Courthouse Square’s Resilience: Challenges and Possibilities for Tomorrow

September 27, 2023 By Andrew Walsh 2 Comments

In my last article, I retraced the history of Dayton's Courthouse Square. Now I'll take us from its opening in 1974 to the present day, as well as reflect on possibilities for the future. The Square: From the 1970s to Today Courthouse Square has had a rocky 50 years of … [Read more...] about Courthouse Square’s Resilience: Challenges and Possibilities for Tomorrow

Filed Under: New Developments Tagged With: Cincinnati, Courthouse Square, Dayton Arcade, Downtown, Features, Keybank Tower, Levitt Pavilion, Mead, Retail, Rike's, RTA

Renovation Will Add Commercial Space to Historic Salem and Grand

March 13, 2023 By Andrew Walsh 3 Comments

The Salem Ave Corridor has seen some activity in recent years, with the Gem City Market opening in 2021 and the upcoming redevelopment of the Longfellow School site. Now a new $14 million project will upgrade housing at Salem and Grand Avenues and also reestablish 6,300 … [Read more...] about Renovation Will Add Commercial Space to Historic Salem and Grand

Filed Under: New Developments Tagged With: Drug Stores, Gem City Market, Longfellow School, Miller-Valentine, Preservation, Retail, Salem Ave, Salem Ave Peace Corridor, St. Mary Development Corp

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

History of the Third and Linden Market Building

May 27, 2020 By Andrew Walsh 2 Comments

Dayton lost a staggering amount of its historic architecture in the latter half of the 20th century, and one of the greatest casualties has been the “neighborhood business district,” once ubiquitous throughout town but today limited to only a couple of surviving examples. … [Read more...] about History of the Third and Linden Market Building

Filed Under: Historical Dayton Tagged With: Barber Shops, Bunny Arden-Boyd, Charles Sigel, Commercial Building, Corner Stores, Esther's Midnight Market, Grocery Stores, Huffman, Midnight Market, Murals, Noah Garlough, Retail, Samantha Williamson, Third and Linden Market

History of Sears and Roebuck in Downtown Dayton

February 5, 2020 By Andrew Walsh 1 Comment

sears dayton 1953

In its heyday, downtown Dayton bustled with retail activity, from small shops to massive department stores with so many amenities that they almost served as mini cities of their own. I tell the story of Rike’s in my book Lost Dayton, but today’s article will be about … [Read more...] about History of Sears and Roebuck in Downtown Dayton

Filed Under: Historical Dayton Tagged With: Ballpark, Ballpark Village, Day Air Field, Department Stores, Elder-Beerman, Fairfield Commons mall, Lazarus, Retail, Rike's, Riverscape, Salem Mall, Sears, Sears Roebuck and Co, Trotwood

Uncovering Old Buildings in Downtown Dayton

April 17, 2018 By Andrew Walsh 1 Comment

price stores old building

Dayton can't magically bring back any of its old buildings that have been demolished, but it can uncover the few that survive hidden under more modern coverings or cladding systems. One such example that was in the news recently is the Price Stores building (below), a … [Read more...] about Uncovering Old Buildings in Downtown Dayton

Filed Under: Historical Dayton Tagged With: Bookstores, Dayton Daily News, Downtown, Fire Blocks District, Metropolitan Clothing Company, Price Stores, Retail, Reynolds and Reynolds, Wilkie's Bookstore

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

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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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