If you’ve ever wondered about the loneliest historic home in Dayton, we’ve found a candidate for your consideration:
The house at 2201 East First Street (the NE corner of First and Sachs near Findlay Ave) is a sole survivor in an area that has turned almost exclusively industrial.
A current aerial view shows just how isolated it is today alongside multiple manufacturing companies and their parking lots:
But what was it like in the past?
County property records list the construction date of the house as 1920 but this is surely incorrect and it is older.
A look at the structure also suggests a past commercial use.
Indeed, in 1911 the property was advertised as a “combined storeroom and dwelling” located “right on the Kammer E. First Street car line” and was sold to Albert Sieg at auction for the sum of $2,605.
As of 1918, the area looked like the following map.
You can see that not every lot has been built on yet but a definite residential neighborhood can be seen in the surrounding streets. Just to north of this view is the Erie Railroad Round House and a major business a couple of blocks to the west was the Maxwell Motor Company‘s Plant No. 4.
By 1950, one can see the significant presence of industry in the area, but a pocket of residences still survives.
In the ensuing years, all the rest of the homes would meet the wrecking ball for expansion of the surrounding businesses.
The latest recorded transaction of the remaining home is a sale for $15,000 in 1987 and its current status is unknown.
Sadly, with isolated structures like this one the end result is usually neglect followed by an eventual demolition. (A recent example of such a storefront is the Becker’s Market building at 860 Brown St. near the ever-expanding Miami Valley Hospital which was razed in 2020.)
Only time will tell what fate will meet this lonely historic remnant.
Sources
Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps
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