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

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West Dayton

Wright Company Factory History

February 24, 2025 By Andrew Walsh Leave a Comment

I've written a couple of articles and recorded a video about the Wright Brothers including where in Dayton they lived and where they had their print and bike shops. Sadly there are very few locations that still stand in their original location. But there is another … [Read more...] about Wright Company Factory History

Filed Under: Historical Dayton Tagged With: Edgemont, Industrial Buildings, Preservation, Speedwell Motor Car Co, West Dayton, Wright Brothers, Wright Company Factory

The Wright Brothers’ House in Dayton: A History

October 17, 2024 By Andrew Walsh Leave a Comment

wright brothers house 7 hawthorn

Dayton has a rich history of innovation spanning key inventions in a wide variety of industries, but the most famous is of course the Wright Brothers and their quest to achieve powered flight. Wilbur and Orville lived and worked in a few different places around the Gem … [Read more...] about The Wright Brothers’ House in Dayton: A History

Filed Under: Historical Dayton Tagged With: Hawthorn Hill, Milton Wright, Oakwood, Preservation, West Dayton, Wright Brothers, Wright-Dunbar

Dayton’s Fire House #13 at Third and Euclid

September 16, 2024 By Andrew Walsh 1 Comment

A Dayton Vistas reader recently wrote in to share that the building at 1500 W Third Street (the SW corner of 3rd and Euclid) was listed for sale for $55,000. The listing indicated that a complete rehab is needed, but that it "will be a beautiful building once back to its … [Read more...] about Dayton’s Fire House #13 at Third and Euclid

Filed Under: New Developments Tagged With: Fire Houses, Preservation, United Brethren Church, West Dayton

History of The Ark Restaurant on West 3rd St

May 13, 2024 By Andrew Walsh Leave a Comment

Enterprise Block Pekin Theater Dayton

Featuring Research By Sue Montesano I've previously written about the commercial district on West Third Street in Wright-Dunbar, and one of the most interesting structures there is the 3-story Enterprise Building built in 1890 and originally home to the Pekin … [Read more...] about History of The Ark Restaurant on West 3rd St

Filed Under: Historical Dayton Tagged With: Restaurants, West Dayton, Wright-Dunbar

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

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

Dayton’s Lost Palace and Classic Theaters (Rare Photos)

April 17, 2019 By Andrew Walsh 2 Comments

Classic Theater Dayton

In our last article about Wright-Dunbar, we showed the buildings that once housed the Pekin and Midget Theaters on West Third Street. But the premier entertainment district on the West Side of Dayton was found just a few blocks south. The business district on West Fifth … [Read more...] about Dayton’s Lost Palace and Classic Theaters (Rare Photos)

Filed Under: Historical Dayton Tagged With: Carl Anderson, Classic Theater, Goodrich Giles, Palace Theaters, The Nickel, West Dayton

History of West Third Street Buildings in Wright-Dunbar

April 8, 2019 By Andrew Walsh 6 Comments

Our last article looked into the history of the West Third Business District in Wright-Dunbar, including some old maps of the area. Today we'll take it a step further by digging into the stories of many of the individual commercial buildings. 1000 Block The Hoover Block, … [Read more...] about History of West Third Street Buildings in Wright-Dunbar

Filed Under: Historical Dayton Tagged With: Banking, Gem City Ice Cream Building, Gunkel Building, Hoersting-Holtman Building, Hoover Block, Marietta Flats, Midget Theater, Mystic Chain Hall, Pekin Theater, W. A. Lincoln's, Walter's Block, West Dayton, Wright Cycle Company, Wright-Dunbar, Zik's Pharmacy

History of the West Third Street Business District in Wright-Dunbar

March 24, 2019 By Andrew Walsh Leave a Comment

west third street and south williams 1919

Columnist Jon White recently wrote about the potential of the Wright Dunbar Business District, so we thought it would be a good time to take a historical tour through the area and learn a little more about it. This first article will look at a general history of the corridor … [Read more...] about History of the West Third Street Business District in Wright-Dunbar

Filed Under: Historical Dayton Tagged With: Dayton Street Railway, Harbert S. Williams, Public Transit, Transportation, West Dayton, William P. Huffman, Wright-Dunbar

Wright Dunbar District: Dayton’s Next Great Street?

March 14, 2019 By Jon White 3 Comments

Can we take a moment to appreciate the hidden-gem that is the Wright-Dunbar Business District? With its mix of Romanesque Revival, Italianate, and Neoclassical Revival architecture, outside of Fifth Street in the Oregon District there is not a better example of an … [Read more...] about Wright Dunbar District: Dayton’s Next Great Street?

Filed Under: New Developments Tagged With: Co-ops, Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historic Park, Fifth St Brewpub, Riverfront Master Plan, Texas Beef and Cattle Co, Third Street Bridge, Walkability, West Dayton, Wright-Dunbar

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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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