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

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Wright-Dunbar

Where Was the Wright Brothers Bike Shop in Dayton?

November 6, 2024 By Andrew Walsh 1 Comment

Wright Brothers Bike Shop 1127 W Third

My last article covered where the Wright Brothers lived in Dayton. This one will highlight the places in town where they worked to turn their revolutionary ideas into the invention of powered flight. Because the brothers made and repaired bicycles before focusing on … [Read more...] about Where Was the Wright Brothers Bike Shop in Dayton?

Filed Under: Dayton Culture Tagged With: Aviation, Aviation Trail, Bicycles, Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historic Park, Gem City Ice Cream Building, Orville Wright, Paul Laurence Dunbar, Preservation, Wilbur Wright, Wright Brothers, Wright-Dunbar

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

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

A Lost Building at 1014/1016 W Third St

April 10, 2023 By Andrew Walsh Leave a Comment

Sometimes when I'm doing research on a particular Dayton site I come across something totally unrelated that piques my interest. And rather than consider it an unwelcome distraction or use it as an opportunity to go completely down a rabbit hole and forget what I was … [Read more...] about A Lost Building at 1014/1016 W Third St

Filed Under: Historical Dayton Tagged With: Wright-Dunbar

New Fund Can Boost Historic Business Districts

November 14, 2022 By Andrew Walsh Leave a Comment

In late September, the City of Dayton announced a new program to help activate vacant and underutilized commercial spaces impacted by the pandemic. The First Floor Fund, administered by CityWide Development, aims to provide low-interest and forgivable loans to small … [Read more...] about New Fund Can Boost Historic Business Districts

Filed Under: New Developments Tagged With: City of Dayton, CityWide Development, Preservation, Salem Ave, Santa Clara, Twin Towers, Walkability, Wright-Dunbar, Xenia Avenue

Dayton Looking for Developers for Gem City Ice Cream Property

February 8, 2022 By Andrew Walsh 1 Comment

gem city ice cream building

With the new Third Street Bridge once again connecting downtown to innerwest Dayton, several projects are underway on West Third in Wright Dunbar, most notably a food hall. But one historic property associated with the Wright Brothers is still languishing in limbo with … [Read more...] about Dayton Looking for Developers for Gem City Ice Cream Property

Filed Under: New Developments Tagged With: City of Dayton, Demolition, Demolition Watch, Gem City Ice Cream Building, Preservation, Preservation Dayton, Wright-Dunbar

The New Third Street Bridge and Projects in Wright-Dunbar

January 12, 2022 By Andrew Walsh Leave a Comment

wright dunbar food hall

At the end of 2021, a vital connection for Dayton was reestablished. And it may help give a boost to a variety of projects along a historic business corridor. The Third Street Bridge, which had closed at the end of 2019, reopened in early December. As we enter 2022, … [Read more...] about The New Third Street Bridge and Projects in Wright-Dunbar

Filed Under: New Developments Tagged With: Bridges, Gem City Ice Cream Building, Grind House Coffee, Third Street Bridge, W Social Tap and Table, Wright-Dunbar

Computer Group Interested in Endangered Building for Museum

December 15, 2021 By Andrew Walsh Leave a Comment

gem city ice cream building

Lately, the fate of the Gem City Ice Cream Building has been in flux. In recent months it was targeted for demolition by the city, given a reprieve by the Landmarks Commission which denied the request, then dealt another blow by a Board of Zoning Appeals decision that … [Read more...] about Computer Group Interested in Endangered Building for Museum

Filed Under: New Developments Tagged With: Dayton Microcomputer Association, Gem City Ice Cream Building, Longer, Wright-Dunbar

Gem City Ice Cream Building at Risk of Demolition

September 23, 2021 By Andrew Walsh 1 Comment

gem city ice cream building

A historic building in the Wright-Dunbar neighborhood is at risk of demolition after the City of Dayton asked the Landmarks Commission for permission to remove it. The Gem City Ice Cream Building, constructed in the late 1800s, has been listed on the National Register of … [Read more...] about Gem City Ice Cream Building at Risk of Demolition

Filed Under: Historical Dayton Tagged With: Preservation, Preservation Dayton, Wright Brothers, Wright-Dunbar

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

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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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