Downtown Dayton west of Wilkinson Street is an area that’s lost many beautiful buildings over the years. In fact, its transformation from dense residential neighborhood to large complexes for government and educational institutions was so complete that I wrote an article about the very few old buildings that survive in the area.
Today we’ll look at one of the structures that didn’t make it, the Calvert Apartments. It was located on the west side of Wilkinson in the middle of the block between Third and Fourth Streets (address 19-23 South Wilkinson Street).
Sacred Heart Church survives a few lots to its south, but the rest of the block has been lost and converted to surface parking lots.
The five-story building was constructed in 1902 by Miss Lily M. Sharp. Also known as “The Calvert” or the “Calvert Flats,” it opened with 18 apartments each containing between two and five rooms, as well as “two complete offices for doctors.” All the interior woodwork was oak, “giving the interior a bright and attractive appearance.”
Among the first residents were Rev. and Mrs. D. M. Brookman, who held a series of informal receptions at their Calvert apartment for parishioners of the Christ Episcopal Church.
(image credit: https://digital-collections.columbuslibrary.org/digital/collection/postcard/id/13927/)
Here’s a map showing the location of the building. Surviving landmarks visible are Sacred Heart at the bottom of the image, and the Post Office building in the top-right which is now the US Bankruptcy Court (and itself a major win for historic preservation decades ago).
In September 1948, it was reported that the Calvert building’s 24 tenants were given eviction notices because of a fire department order requiring repairs and new installations, while owner William Disbro announced he would be converting the building to a hotel.
He claimed he could not make the required repairs with the tenants in the building, but a judge rejected that argument and dismissed the evictions. Meanwhile, the city brought suit against Disbro for failing to comply with the fire department order.
He was eventually convicted despite “the strenuous objections” of Disbro’s lawyer, Alfred W. Rothenberg. After the court overruled Rothenberg’s demand that his client receive a jury hearing, the attorney “walked out of the courtroom and declined to participate further.” It appears that this legal saga prevented the building from ever becoming a hotel and it remained apartments.
On the morning of March 3 1977, however, a major fire did break out in the building, tragically killing two residents. It significantly damaged the structure and in the aftermath, owner Nicoletta Karas grappled with the decision of having it demolished or selling it and possibly having it converted to office use.
Karas chose to sell the furnishings and interior items that remained, which were described as “an outstanding selection of fireplaces, marble sinks, old porcelain, claw foot tubs, used furniture, some antique, all woodworks including outstanding staircases, tools and hardware.”
Soon it was decided that the building would meet the wrecking ball.
In March 1978, while the building was being demolished, 19-year-old historical preservationist Curt Randolph made a valiant effort at salvaging a hand-carved pillar. He rented a concrete saw and arrived at noon to try to separate the carved portion, which featured two cherub faces, from the rest of the pillar. “I am interested because old buildings are being torn down and soon there won’t be anything like this left,” he said at the time.
After working for over four hours, Randolph was still unsuccessful because his saw could not cut through the concrete. The construction crew told him “if I don’t take this (pillar) away today, they’d throw it away.”
He also tried lifting the entire pillar and taking it to his car, but “one attempt told him that the hunk “must weigh 200 or 300 pounds.” Sadly, his quest ended unsuccessfully just before 5pm. “I have to return the saw by 5,” he explained.
Randolph lamented that he’d “wasted nearly a whole tank of gas, money, five hours out of a day” with nothing to show for it. And to make things worse, “when he returned to his car he found a $10 parking violation ticket on it.”
If more Daytonians cared as much about the fate of the Calvert Apartments as Randolph did, perhaps it would still be standing on Wilkinson Street today.
Sources
Ruling Awaited on Landlord Ignoring Order, Dayton Daily News, 11/6/1948
Calvert building owner to offer contents for sale, Dayton Daily News, 9/16/1977
Youth’s try to rescue pillar ends in frustration, Dayton Daily News, 3/29/1978
Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps
I did photograph this building, probably a year or so before its demise. I was barely a teenager but I had come to value historic buildings of interest. The stone work was captivating. If only, if only, if only.