• 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

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • TikTok
  • YouTube
  • Home
  • Contact Me
  • Hire Me
    • Dayton History Presentations
    • Walking Tours
    • House and Building Histories
  • Browse Articles
    • Historic Homes
    • Commercial Buildings
    • Industrial Buildings
  • Historic Dayton Building Catalog
  • My Dayton Book
  • Events

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)
Enjoy Dayton History?
I'm Andrew Walsh, a librarian and author. I wrote the book Lost Dayton, Ohio and on this site I've written over 230 articles. 

Explore articles by topic or neighborhood

In addition to my writing, I have a YouTube Channel and I also give talks and walking tours locally.

You can sign up to my Dayton Newsletter below to keep up with all of my work.

Filed Under: Historical Dayton Tagged With: Aerial, Downtown Dayton, 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

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

Get New Articles via Email


Browse Historic Dayton

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

  • Historic Dayton Homes
  • Dayton Commercial Buildings
  • Dayton Industrial Buildings

 

Browse Our Article Archives

Search the Dayton Vistas Archives

Latest Posts

The Wise Building Downtown: Dragon’s Lair Books, Vintage Shops, and More

first house ever built in dayton

The Journey That Founded Dayton, Ohio in 1796

parking downtown dayton

Why Parking Is the Key to Downtown Dayton’s Rebirth

Sinclair Then and Now: Dayton’s Candy & Popcorn King, Maud Muller Apartments

Dayton’s Interurban Rail History: How the City Became Ohio’s Hub

Dulahan Song Has Dayton History, Flood Connection

Recent Comments

  • Dayton Triangles: Team History and the First NFL Game on NCR: A Then and Now History in Dayton
  • The Wise Building Downtown: Dragon’s Lair Books, Vintage Shops, and More on The Commercial Building: Before and During Construction
  • The Wise Building Downtown: Dragon’s Lair Books, Vintage Shops, and More on Vacant Building on East Third in the Fire Blocks Waiting for Its Next Chapter
  • Andrew Walsh on Dayton’s Interurban Rail History: How the City Became Ohio’s Hub

Articles By Topic

Architecture Auto Industry Churches Clubs and Societies Commercial Buildings Dayton Arcade Dayton Culture Dayton Daily News Delco Demolition Downtown Dayton East Dayton Features Fire Blocks District Great Flood of 1913 Historic House Histories Hotels Huffman Industrial Buildings John H Patterson Museums NCR Old Dayton Maps Old North Dayton Oregon District Preservation Rare Dayton Photos Restaurants Retail Rike's Sanborn Maps South Park Sports Theaters Then and Now Transportation History University of Dayton University Park Urban Planning Urban Renewal Wayne Avenue West Dayton Windsor Companies Wright-Dunbar Wright Brothers

Copyright © 2026 · News Pro On Genesis Framework · Affiliate Disclosure and Privacy Policy · WordPress · Log in