• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Dayton Vistas

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

Connect with Dayton Vistas

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • TikTok
  • YouTube
  • Home
  • Contact Me
  • Hire Me
    • Dayton History Presentations
    • Walking Tours
    • House and Building Histories
  • Browse Articles
    • Historic Homes
    • Commercial Buildings
    • Industrial Buildings
  • Historic Dayton Building Catalog
  • My Dayton Book
  • Events

Sports

Dayton Gym-Cadets and the Dayton Gymnastic Club

February 16, 2026 By Andrew Walsh Leave a Comment

I've recently been publishing history on the Dayton Triangles football team, including an article, YouTube video, and a presentation on the team for Centerville-Washington History. It's been especially interesting not only for the significant sports history (the first NFL … [Read more...] about Dayton Gym-Cadets and the Dayton Gymnastic Club

Filed Under: Historical Dayton Tagged With: Boxing, Clubs and Societies, Dayton Theatre Guild, Dayton Triangles, Sports, Wayne Avenue

History of the McCook Theater and Bowling Alley

January 4, 2026 By Andrew Walsh Leave a Comment

former mccook theater north keowee street

In a recent article I dug into some history of the McCook shopping center, the first suburban-style commercial strip in Dayton. In that piece I mentioned that two major tenants were a theater and a bowling alley, and here I will share their histories in more detail. The … [Read more...] about History of the McCook Theater and Bowling Alley

Filed Under: Historical Dayton Tagged With: Bowling, Demolition, Jim Zavakos, Louie Zavakos, Shopping Malls, Sports, Suburbs, Theaters

Dayton Triangles: History of the Team and the First NFL Game

November 10, 2025 By Andrew Walsh Leave a Comment

dayton triangles nfl 1920 team photo

Today, Dayton is a great sports town for college basketball, minor league baseball, and much more. But despite the many passionate fans in the Gem City, establishing a team in one of the major professional leagues isn't a realistic possibility. But Dayton will always … [Read more...] about Dayton Triangles: History of the Team and the First NFL Game

Filed Under: Historical Dayton Tagged With: Basketball, Carillon Park, Carl Storck, Charles Kettering, Dayton Culture, Dayton Triangles, Delco, Edward Deeds, Football, Sports, Triangle Park, University of Dayton

Lesser-Known Historic Buildings of the University of Dayton

May 5, 2025 By Andrew Walsh Leave a Comment

heritage coffeeshop university of dayton built 1903

I've written about the oldest buildings remaining on the historic University of Dayton campus, but that article focused primarily on the more well-known structures. There are a few others dating to the late 19th and early 20th century that don't typically get as much … [Read more...] about Lesser-Known Historic Buildings of the University of Dayton

Filed Under: Historical Dayton Tagged With: Colleges, Rike's, Schools, Sports, University of Dayton, University Park, Women

History of the Dayton Turngemeinde (Turners, Liederkranz-Turner) German Club

June 18, 2024 By Andrew Walsh 1 Comment

When I write a history article like this, I typically start by choosing the subject because I have some reason for wanting to delve into a particular organization or company. For this one, however, I simply stumbled upon the following image and was so intrigued by the … [Read more...] about History of the Dayton Turngemeinde (Turners, Liederkranz-Turner) German Club

Filed Under: Historical Dayton Tagged With: Clubs and Societies, German, Haymarket, Liederkranz-Turner, Sports, Turners

Congress Lanes, a Relic of Dayton Bowling History, Is Razed

February 27, 2024 By Andrew Walsh 2 Comments

A former bowling alley on Troy Street in Old North Dayton was recently demolished. Congress Lanes, built in 1946, was a small, old-school neighborhood alley. It was built out to the street instead of set back in a sea of parking lots like most of the larger, modern alleys … [Read more...] about Congress Lanes, a Relic of Dayton Bowling History, Is Razed

Filed Under: Historical Dayton Tagged With: Bowling, Commercial Buildings, Congress Lanes, Demolition, Old North Dayton, Sports, Steve Vargo, Troy Street

History of MacGregor Golf in Dayton

September 29, 2020 By Andrew Walsh 1 Comment

The Crawford, McGregor & Canby macgregor golf dayton

It's no secret that Dayton was a manufacturing powerhouse in the early 1900s, but some may not know that the most dominant manufacturer of golf clubs for decades, MacGregor, operated right here in the Gem City. Golf was not the original business, however. (And a pivot to … [Read more...] about History of MacGregor Golf in Dayton

Filed Under: Historical Dayton Tagged With: Archibald Crawford, Crawford, Edward Canby, Golf, John McGregor, MacGregor Golf, Manufacturing, McGregor and Canby, Sports, William Havelock Crawford, Ziba Crawford

Dayton’s Baseball History: Ducks, Marcos and More

June 28, 2019 By Andrew Walsh Leave a Comment

Much of the recent interest in Dayton sports history has related to the Dayton Triangles football team, and rightly so given the upcoming 100th anniversary of the first ever NFL game which was played right here at Triangle Park. But Dayton also has a strong legacy as a … [Read more...] about Dayton’s Baseball History: Ducks, Marcos and More

Filed Under: Historical Dayton Tagged With: Baseball, Bill Armour, Bill Sloan, Dayton Dragons, Dayton Ducks, Dayton Marcos, Ducky Holmes, Frank McCormick, Great Flood of 1913, Rube Foster, Sports

The Gem City Polo Club and the First Roller Polo League

April 2, 2018 By Andrew Walsh 2 Comments

gem city polo club 1880s

Early Dayton sports teams have seen a resurgence of interest in recent years, especially football's Dayton Triangles who hosted the very first NFL game right here in the Gem City on October 3, 1920 at Triangle Park. There are plenty of other examples of early Dayton teams … [Read more...] about The Gem City Polo Club and the First Roller Polo League

Filed Under: Historical Dayton Tagged With: Clubs and Societies, Gem City Polo Club, Hockey, Roller Polo, Sports

Primary Sidebar

My book explores a diverse selection of retail, industrial, entertainment and residential sites from Dayton's disappearing legacy.
Read More

Get New Articles via Email


Browse Historic Dayton

newcom tavern daytonA Catalog of Historic Dayton Buildings (with years, pics, type, area, etc.)

  • Historic Dayton Homes
  • Dayton Commercial Buildings
  • Dayton Industrial Buildings

 

Browse Our Article Archives

Search the Dayton Vistas Archives

Latest Posts

digital-transformation-center-dayton-construction-pic

Dayton Fairgrounds Redevelopment: The Historic Roundhouse and the OnMain Development

dayton arcade retail marketplace

New Retail Shops Now Open in the Dayton Arcade’s North Arcade

dayton ohio demolition

Three Historic Buildings Lost in Dayton in 2025

santa clara dayton

The Santa Clara Business District: History, Preservation, and Recent Fire

national cash register aerial during its heyday

Appalachian Migration to Dayton, Ohio: Where Families Lived and Worked

notre dame academy chaminade high school

History of Chaminade Julienne Catholic High School in Dayton (Notre Dame Academy)

Recent Comments

  • Andrew Walsh on History of 2200 East Fifth St
  • Andrew Walsh on The History and Architecture of 1922 and 1918 Brown Street
  • Andrew Walsh on History of a Dayton Church Tucked Away (Sadly Demolished)
  • Dan on The Santa Clara Business District: History, Preservation, and Recent Fire

Articles By Topic

Architecture Bars Churches Clubs and Societies Commercial Buildings Dayton Arcade Dayton Culture Delco Demolition Downtown Dayton East Dayton Features Fire Blocks District Great Flood of 1913 Historic House Histories Hotels Huffman Industrial Buildings John H Patterson Museums NCR Old Dayton Maps Old North Dayton Oregon District Preservation Rare Dayton Photos Restaurants Retail Rike's Sanborn Maps Schools South Park Sports Suburbs Then and Now Transportation History University of Dayton University Park Urban Planning Urban Renewal Wayne Avenue West Dayton Windsor Companies Wright-Dunbar Wright Brothers

Copyright © 2026 · News Pro On Genesis Framework · Affiliate Disclosure and Privacy Policy · WordPress · Log in