Anniversary Gala

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In case you haven't heard by now, the St. Anne's Hill Historic Society is celebrating its 35th anniversary since the neighborhood was established as an official historic district in 1974.

There is a weekend of fun events scheduled for September 18-20, 2009. Neighbors both past and present are invited to join the festivities! We are expecting guests from near and far.

On Friday, there will be a special cocktail reception for the neighborhood. Then on Saturday, there will be a formal Gala Event and dinner at the one-and-only Bossler Mansion. Both events begin at 6:30 p.m. Space is limited and both events require an RSVP.

If you are a current or former member of the neighborhood and would like to attend these events, please contact the historic society for more information or stop by our next meeting on Tuesday, September 1 at 7 p.m. in the lower level of the Liederkranz building on High Street. -

Theater Guild

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St. Anne's Hill is an important part of the arts community in Dayton. The Dayton Theater Guild has relocated to a new location just a few blocks away from our neighborhood. Not only can we walk to art galleries and Stivers School for the Arts, but we will soon have great community theater as well.

Here's some background from the Dayton Business Journal:

The Theatre Guild is moving from its location on Salem Avenue into the former Dayton Gym Club at 430 Wayne Ave. — an increase of space from 2,700 square feet to 30,000 square feet.

The all-volunteer theatre guild has produced more than 400 plays with volunteer casts, crews and administration since 1945. The organization was located for more than 45 years on Salem Avenue.

So please consider supporting our local arts district and check out the Guild's opening act!

The guild’s first show of the season “Les Liaisons Dangereuses,” compared to the Real Housewives of Paris, France, will debut at 8 p.m. Friday. Tickets are $17 for adults, $15 for seniors and $10 for students.

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Give Peace a Chance!

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Friday's Dayton Daily News had another nice article that highlighted a new neighbor in St. Anne's Hill. Check it out!

The Missing Peace Art Space opens Sept. 4 at 234 S. Dutoit St. in a 1900 carriage-house building that stood vacant and trashed for years. Near Fifth Street and across from Stivers School for the Arts, the two-story structure has been beautifully renovated by Steve Fryburg and Gabriela Pickett and their friends.

Now here is the best part....

Next, there is the possibility of bringing a fresh new perspective to the St. Anne’s Hill district, with the addition of a new art gallery. With Stivers and the High Street gallery nearby, and the Front Street artists’ colony a stone’s throw away, it would be neat to see this neighborhood emerge as a livelier, busier Dayton art spot.

“St. Anne’s Hill wants to become more of a culturally active area with the arts,” Pickett said. “We think we’re part of that.”

Keep your eyes here for more great things happening on the Hill!
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Still a Beacon

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St. Mary Catholic Church is just 'round the corner from our St. Anne's Hill neighborhood on Xenia Avenue. This weekend, they are celebrating their 150th anniversary. The Dayton Daily News just published a great piece about the church.

Here are a few lines about it's place in Dayton's history:

A century and a half ago, Xenia Avenue was known as “Dutch Boulevard” for the German Catholic immigrants who settled in near East Dayton and founded its brand-new parish, St. Mary.In 1906, they built a magnificent Romanesque church that 70 years later would grace the National Register of Historic Places.

St. Mary was built in 1906 by Dayton’s Requarth Lumber Co. for $127,951.60 — less than the average suburban home of today. Its current replacement value is about $30 million...

Like many churches, they are facing financial challenges...

Deeper cleaning, like refinishing the bronze communion gates and resurfacing the marble holy water basins, will have to wait until the parish can raise more money. The congregation already has spent $60,000 over the last two years, and will spend that much again, for repairs needed prior to repainting the interior and original frescoes, a project estimated at between $350,000 and $500,000.

Please read the article and take a moment to learn more about our shared history. There is no doubt that many of the residents of St. Anne's Hill have taken refuge in this church over the last 150 years.


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