More Construction!

In St. Anne's Hill, we tend to take a longer view of history than most folks.  Living in a 150-year old home will change your perspective a little bit.    So a recent blast from the past was all the more surprising when we realized it only went back a handful of years.

Back in 2009 we reported in another blog post that the owner of a vacant lot on High Street had plans to re-build his childhood home, which was lost to a fire in the 1970's.    He announced his intentions to the neighborhood after he was already working with the City of Dayton and an architect to design the structure and apply for building permits.

Then, nothing.   Nada.  Zip.   Maybe it was just a dream.   He seemed to have vanished, and we heard nothing more about it.   

Until now!

All of sudden, there was a big hole in the ground!   And bricks!   And mortar!   And men working!    Much to our surprise, the house is now under construction.    We verified that he finally pulled a building permit earlier this year and the house is literally rising up from the dirt, like a phoenix rising from the ashes.

This is the first new construction in St. Anne's Hill in many years, perhaps even since it became a registered historic district and "modern" architecture was essentially banned from the neighborhood.   Let me tell you, recreating a historic structure from scratch is probably the most difficult way someone could possibly choose to build a house - and it looks like he might just pull it off.

Stay tuned for more news as this project unfolds!    With the new Fifth Street Brewpub, and the Terry Street Park project both under construction, there is a lot of excitement in St. Anne's Hill again.    Come be a part of it!