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

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Sanborn 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

James H McGee Boulevard History: Road Widenings, 35 West, and Neighborhoods

January 11, 2024 By Andrew Walsh Leave a Comment

In my last article on the Bowers Building on West Third Street, I mentioned how James H McGee Boulevard was originally created as a widening of what had been Western Ave. As it turns out, that is an interesting story in its own right which I'll dig into today. James H. … [Read more...] about James H McGee Boulevard History: Road Widenings, 35 West, and Neighborhoods

Filed Under: Historical Dayton Tagged With: Features, Highways, James H McGee, Paul Laurence Dunbar, Salem Mall, Sanborn Maps, Urban Planning, US-35, 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

History of the Oscar Gottschall House

October 2, 2023 By Andrew Walsh Leave a Comment

oscar gottschall house

The beautiful building at 20 Livingston Ave, just off of Huffman Ave, is known as the Oscar M. Gottschall house. It was built c. 1870 for Gottschall, a prominent Dayton attorney, and his wife Octavia Soule who were married in 1869. It's an unusual building which … [Read more...] about History of the Oscar Gottschall House

Filed Under: Historical Dayton Tagged With: Architecture, Civil War, Dayton Bar Association, East Dayton, House Histories, Huffman, Oscar Gottschall, Sanborn Maps

History of the United Business Services (UBS) Building

July 5, 2023 By Andrew Walsh Leave a Comment

I recently published an article about Woodard Development's foray into the Oregon District. Today I'll cover the history of another building they purchased just on the edge of the historic neighborhood. The former United Business Services (UBS) Building is located at … [Read more...] about History of the United Business Services (UBS) Building

Filed Under: Historical Dayton Tagged With: Downtown, Miami and Erie Canal, Sanborn Maps, United Business Services, Woodard

The Lost Calvert Apartments on Wilkinson St

April 22, 2023 By Andrew Walsh 1 Comment

Downtown Dayton west of Wilkinson Street is an area that's lost many beautiful buildings over the years. In fact, its transformation from dense residential neighborhood to large complexes for government and educational institutions was so complete that I wrote an article … [Read more...] about The Lost Calvert Apartments on Wilkinson St

Filed Under: Historical Dayton Tagged With: Alfred W. Rothenberg, Calvert Apartments, Curt Randolph, Downtown, Fire, Lily M. Sharp, Nicoletta Karas, Preservation, Sanborn Maps

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

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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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