Wright Dunbar District: Dayton’s Next Great Street?

Can we take a moment to appreciate the hidden-gem that is the Wright-Dunbar Business District? With its mix of Romanesque Revival, Italianate, and Neoclassical Revival architecture, outside of Fifth Street in the Oregon District there is not a better example of an uninterrupted and intact historic neighborhood business district in the city of Dayton.

While it currently lacks the density of restaurants and nightlife options that the Oregon District has, the Wright-Dunbar District has the potential to be Dayton’s next great street. Situated along West Third Street just across the Third Street Bridge from Downtown Dayton, the corridor has a number of businesses and services that even Fifth Street in the Oregon District cannot claim, including a pharmacy, a couple of banks, and a physician’s office.

It’s also home to the Wright-Dunbar Interpretive Center of the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historic Park, which includes the only Wright bicycle shop still standing in Dayton, as well as the Dayton Walk of Fame.

Slideshow: Wright Dunbar Commercial District

The historic corridor has been making positive news lately, as Wright Dunbar Inc— a nonprofit tasked with the management of nine buildings within the corridor, announced that all leasable space is occupied.

Future public investments are also on the way, including a County led $21-million rebuild of the Third Street Bridge set to begin construction in 2020 connecting Wright Dunbar into downtown. Historically known as the Peace Bridge, the new 5-span structure will be 86’ wide and include a 17’ multi-use path on the south side of the bridge, which will provide stronger and safer connections for cyclists and pedestrians into Wright-Dunbar.

The City also plans to continue the connectivity with cycling infrastructure along West Third Street with plans to install the city’s first protected two-way cycle track, connecting the bridge’s multi-use path to the existing Link Bike Share station located near the Williams Street intersection. The bridge will include new overlook spots on the river as well as a series of informational panels highlighting notable Daytonians.

While the construction will take an estimated two years and require a prolonged detour, the new bridge will be the jewel of the bridge rebuilds in the county.

Proposed Third Street Bridge Rebuild
Source: Montgomery County Engineer

And the corridor is in prime position for other investment and new development opportunities as well. While the majority of existing leasable space is currently occupied, there are still a number of vacant buildings waiting for adaptive reuse or infill development along West Third Street, including the long vacant Central Motors Building and the historic Gem City Ice Cream Building. While both would require significant subsidy and creative financing for restoration and reactivation, both buildings are vital pieces of the historic fabric of Wright-Dunbar whose redevelopment and preservation could spark new vitality to the corridor.

New-build infill opportunities exist along West Third as well, which present an opportunity to expand the district further to the east and west.  There are a number of vacant lots just beyond the existing historic building stock which could be re-positioned for future mixed-use development, including market rate residential atop of retail or commercial space.

New market rate housing would be not only a boon for existing businesses in the corridor, but also a signal that the area is on a positive trajectory. With an increase in a density of new residents, new businesses and commercial activity will likely follow.

And while no new development proposals are currently proposed, it appears the development community still has yet to fully take notice. In fact, in 2017 the City attempted to solicit prospective developers to build out a number of vacant City-owned lots in the residential area to no avail.

But as the development winds begin to expand beyond the hot downtown market into the inner-ring neighborhoods surrounding downtown, the appeal of Wright-Dunbar should not be overlooked.

Slideshow: Redevelopment opportunities including the Midget Theater building, the Gem City Ice Cream Co Building, and the Central Motors Building

And beyond the charm of the intact historic building-stock, the proximity to downtown and I-75 as well as access to the river are the neighborhood’s greatest assets.

While the river has been a historic dividing line in the city of Dayton, the City’s newly adopted Riverfront Master Plan calls for a number of improvements along the Great Miami as well as the nearby Wolf Creek to make the waterways more a gathering space for the community and less of a dividing line.

But given the history of disinvestment of the surrounding area through past redlining practices, manufacturing job loss and highway construction displacement, any new development may spur gentrification concerns.

And while new investment should certainly be a welcome sign in the community, any new development will require community outreach and public input to address any concerns the existing residents from the nearby Wolf Creek neighborhood and Wright Dunbar Historic Village may have.

But there are examples of community driven economic development already in Dayton, including right in the Wright Dunbar Business District, through the use of cooperatives (co-ops), which may be a model for future neighborhood development.

The community benefits of the traditional co-op business model is it allows prospective patrons from the local community to become “user-owners” by buying an upfront membership share.  In turn, these member shares can be used as equity investment or leverage to expand or grow the business.

Texas Beef and Cattle Company is an existing restaurant located in Wright Dunbar utilizing a co-op business model. The Texas style barbeque restaurant opened in 2016 and has been an anchor in the commercial district.

Similarly, across town in St. Anne’s Hill, the Fifth Street Brewpub was able to restore and revitalize an historic vacant building into a thriving brewpub. Opening in 2012, the restaurant and microbrewery has transformed the neighborhood and become an anchor in St. Anne’s burgeoning neighborhood business strip.

While many in the region may be currently unaware of the Wright Dunbar District, the corridor has potential to be a destination neighborhood.  West Third Street has the bones to be Dayton’s next great street.

And the proposed Gem City Market— a full service grocery store to be constructed less than a mile away- which will also be utilizing a co-op model- will only increase the livability and attractiveness to the area. While Wright Dunbar remains one of the Gem City’s hidden gems, perhaps it’s time for the development community to take notice.

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