In my posts on the Dayton Arcade I’ve written about the Commercial Building, the 10-story structure designed by Albert Pretzinger for Adam Schantz Jr. which anchors the southern edge of the complex at the NE corner of 4th and Ludlow.
It connects to the adjacent Ludlow Street and Fourth Street Buildings, but that wasn’t always the case. The Arcade opened in 1904 with those two buildings as well as the Third Street Building and the central rotunda, while the Commercial Building was constructed 4 years later in 1908.
Below we see a rare photo in that in-between period where we can see the adjacent buildings, but the corner still has the earlier structures that were removed for the Commercial Building’s construction:
These structures included the single-story Bieser Saloon which occupied the corner.
The single-family home was occupied by a Burt Morrison and the double home by a Dr. Humphreys and a Mr. Dearborn.
Next we have another fascinating photo were we can see the Commercial Building actually under construction:
The Arcade sign is on the top of the Fourth Street Building, and to the left in the foreground on the NW corner of 4th and Ludlow we see the structure that stood there before the Dayton Daily News Building.
It was the home of David Morrison (possible relation to Burt unknown), who worked as a bridge builder.
The completed Commercial Building gave the corner its current look, and it was part of the first phase of the Arcade which opened in 2021.
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