• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Dayton Vistas

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

Connect with Dayton Vistas

  • Bluesky
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • RSS
  • TikTok
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Hire Me
  • Categories
    • Historical Dayton
    • New Developments
    • Dayton Culture
  • Article Archives
  • Catalog of Historic Dayton Buildings
  • My Dayton Book

Then and Now: Urban Renewal at 3rd St and Wilkinson

October 5, 2023 By Andrew Walsh 1 Comment


In my book Lost Dayton Ohio I talk about the once-luxurious Robert Boulevard near the Great Miami River on the western edge of downtown. The surrounding area was largely residential, with West Third Street serving as a major thoroughfare with businesses and even some industry (including an ice cream factory!)

This is one of the areas of Dayton that has transformed the most since the middle of the 20th century, both from the major urban renewal projects that gave us Sinclair College, the County Administration Building, and the current jail and court buildings, as well as more piecemeal demolitions over the years for parking lots to serve the new, increasingly more isolated structures.

I written about this near-total transformation a few times, including my article about the few historic buildings left on the west side of downtown, and I also showcased a nice lost residential block at 4th and Perry. Also, another prominent structure in the area was the Calvert Apartments.

Today I share an old aerial looking west from the intersection of Third and Wilkinson Streets:

Photos courtesy of Dayton Metro Library

Compare that to the modern day view:

Related Posts:

  • dayton robert boulevard
    Sinclair Helps Bring Back Lost Park Feel in Former…
  • old fourth and perry dayton
    Then and Now: Downtown Homes Long Demolished at 4th…
  • lutzenberge_170_full
    West First Street - Dayton's Old Park Avenue
  • Dayton Bicycle Club Edwin Smith House
    History of the Edwin Smith House (Dayton Bicycle Club)
Enjoying Dayton Vistas?
Take a look at Andrew's book Lost Dayton, Ohio. You can also subscribe to our newsletter for periodic updates of new articles.

Filed Under: Historical Dayton Tagged With: Aerial, Downtown, Robert Boulevard, Then and Now, Urban Renewal

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Mollie E Hauser says

    October 24, 2023 at 7:02 pm

    Andrew, I enjoy every one of your articles. Also learning so much history. Thank you from a fellow historian.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Search the Dayton Vistas Archives

My book explores a diverse selection of retail, industrial, entertainment and residential sites from Dayton's disappearing legacy.
Read More

About Dayton Vistas

I'm Andrew Walsh, a writer and academic librarian. I research Dayton history, architecture, preservation, and urban redevelopment.

Read More

Get New Posts via Email


Latest Posts

historic view of east side of main street, downtown dayton

Urban Renewal and Lost Buildings at Main and 3rd

heritage coffeeshop university of dayton built 1903

Lesser-Known Historic Buildings of the University of Dayton

dayton masonic temple

Masonic Temple (Dayton Masonic Center) History

dayton commercial building during construction 1900s

The Commercial Building: Before and During Construction

deneau tower views

The Deneau Tower: History and Redevelopment

st. joseph hall rear university of dayton

Historic Buildings on the University of Dayton Campus

Browse Historic Dayton

newcom tavern daytonA Catalog of Historic Dayton Buildings (with years, pics, type, area, status, etc.)

Recent Comments

  • Mollie Hauser on The Last Old Buildings on the West Side of Downtown
  • William "Rusty" Pietrzak on The Diner on St. Clair: a History and an Uncertain Future
  • Laura J Merrell on Historic Buildings on the University of Dayton Campus
  • Накрутка мобильными on Lost Commercial Buildings at Main and Franklin

Articles By Topic

Architecture Banking Brown Street Churches Commercial Building Dayton Arcade Dayton Daily News Delco Demolition Downtown East Dayton Features Fidelity Building Fire Blocks District Great Flood of 1913 Haymarket Historic Homes House Histories Huffman Industrial Buildings John H Patterson NCR Old Dayton Maps Oregon District Paul Laurence Dunbar Preservation Rare Dayton Photos Restaurants Retail Rike's Sanborn Maps Santa Clara South Park Sports St. Anne's Hill Then and Now Twin Towers University of Dayton Urban Planning Urban Renewal Wayne Avenue West Dayton Windsor Companies Wright-Dunbar Wright Brothers

Copyright © 2025 · News Pro On Genesis Framework · Affiliate Disclosure and Privacy Policy · WordPress · Log in