New Life for Bomberger

News release from the City of Dayton....

"The City of Dayton has agreed to sell the Bomberger Center (1306 E. Fifth St.) to the Ahiska Turkish American Community Center of Dayton, following the signing of a purchase agreement on Wednesday, April 25.

The 22,276-sq.-ft. structure, constructed in 1956, will be used as a multi-purpose community center for education, recreation and community services for the Ahiska Turkish community and others. Some of the services to be offered will include English as Second Language (ESL) and citizenship classes.

 

The Ahiska Turkish American Community Center of Dayton is a non-profit organization serving Dayton’s Ahiska Turkish community, an immigrant community estimated to include 350 families. The community began settling in Dayton in 2005.

Under the terms of the agreement, the Ahiska Turkish American Community Center agrees to a purchase price of $831,000, an amount that will be forgiven over a 10-year period if the organization continues to operate and maintain the building as agreed. Under the agreement, the facility will remain as a community center.

The Ahiska Center, through the grants it received from the Turkish Government, is committing $45,000 to short-term repairs of the building’s entrance walkways and stairs, and will set aside an additional $50,000 for possible future major repairs. The Turkish Government has also expressed its continued commitment to the operation and upkeep of the Center. The group is expected to begin moving into the facility shortly."

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1913 Flood

Thanks to the Dayton Metro Library, we have access to this incredible collection of photographs from the Great Dayton Flood of 1913, which is estimated to have caused billions of dollars in damages in today's dollar.   

On our holiday home tours, we often note that Daytonians found refuge in St. Anne's Hill, due to its advantageous location overlooking Downtown, which was underwater at that time.    Here now are some amazing images of the St. Anne's Hill neighborhood during that fateful time....

Photo 1 - Fifth Street near Bomberger Park and Stivers High School

Photo 2 - Dutoit Street near Third Street

Note the Dayton Paper Novelty Company building, which relocated to this facility on 1220 E. Third Street in 1908.   Although this may seem like an ill-fated move, they probably would've been even worse off if they had stayed in their original location on First Street...  

Photo 3 - militiamen on Fifth Street near Wayne Avenue

Photo 4 - View of the Flood from St. Anne's Hill

Photo 5 - Bomberger Park after the Flood

Photo 6 - Stivers High School after the Flood

PS.   Thanks to association member Denny G. for finding these photographs online!

Festival

FYI.... announcement from the City:

City of Dayton Recreation and YOUth Services
Summer's End Teen Festival
August 21, 2010
4 p.m. - 8 p.m.
Bomberger Park
East Fifth & Keowee
Ages 13-17

Garden Tour

We are only days away from the 2010 Garden & Art Tour in St. Anne's Hill! The flowers are blooming, the grass is neatly trimmed, and everyone will be wearing their Sunday best.

Please join us this Saturday, June 26 as we celebrate Dayton's history with this unique event. It's so special, it won't happen again until 2012, so don't miss out!

Tickets are available online at stanneshill.org now.
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Tour Tickets

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St. Anne's Hill Garden & Art Tour
Saturday, June 26, 2010
10 am - 5 pm

Presented by St. Anne's Hill Historic Society

Tickets online at www.stanneshill.org or
http://stanneshill-2010.eventbrite.com/


The St. Anne’s Hill Garden & Art Tour will make its biennial return Saturday, June 26, 2010, offering self-guided tours of some of Dayton’s most beautiful historic gardens and a unique selection of regional art, including the neighborhood’s two fine art galleries.


The self-guided tours will begin at the High Street Gallery located at 48 High Street in Dayton, Ohio. The tour will include a variety of unique gardens, galleries, local art vendors, and parks along our charming neighborhood streets. Visitors will pick up a program and then stroll through the gardens and galleries at their leisure. Enjoy the fresh air while perusing local art!


For a true old-fashioned treat, visit our Victorian Tea Garden for refreshments and enjoy a relaxing moment on the front lawn of the landmark Bossler Mansion overlooking downtown Dayton. This magnificent home is a landmark structure built in 1869, and it is considered Dayton’s best example of Second Empire architecture.


Tickets this year are $10 each for the tour alone, or $15 for the tour and a visit to the Victorian Tea Garden. Tickets may be ordered online at www.stanneshill.org. Ample parking is available at the Bomberger Center and Stivers School for the Arts.


Proceeds from the tour will benefit the St. Anne’s Hill Neighborhood Association, and are used to maintain the neighborhood’s historic character. Since it became a registered historic district in 1974, the St. Anne's Hill Historic District neighborhood has relied on the efforts of the volunteers in St. Anne's Hill Historic Society to insure its continued success and growth.


Spread the word!

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Fun for Kids

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The City is putting on some fun events for teens at the Bomberger Center in St. Anne's Hill....

• Teen Open Mic Jam - Feb. 12 & 26, March 12 & 26
• Video Game Playoff - Feb. 5 & 19, March 5 & 19
• Jr. Chess Club, Wednesdays beginning Feb. 3
• Comic Art & Animation, Thursdays, beginning Feb. 4

Got kids? Check it out and let us know what you think!


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Bomberger

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Let's start the new year with a look back. Most residents of St. Anne's Hill travel past Bomberger Park every day, but how many know it's history?

First, who was this Bomberger? According to DaytonHistoryBooks.com, there were at least two notable Bombergers...

William Bomberger was born in Philadelphia, April 7, 1779. His parents were Quakers, and in that faith he was reared and lived until his death. When eighteen years of age he was shot by the accidental discharge of his gun while hunting, and from the effects of the wound was always a delicate man, although he lived to be seventy-seven years of age.

He came to Dayton about 1806 or 1807. He was a quiet, peaceable citizen, upright, honest, and conscientious in all things. He held the office of treasurer of Montgomery County for fourteen years. He brought some means with him and bought a good deal of property in the eastern and southeastern part of Dayton, to which he retired in 1842 and spent the remainder of his life, which ended December 19,1855.

In 1810 he married Sarah George, daughter of William George, and had three children: [one of whom was] George Wilson [Bomberger], who died, while Mayor of Dayton, June 6, 1848, in the thirty-sixth year of his age;

Today's Dayton Daily News offered a profile of our new Mayor (who will take office on Monday), and a look back at our past Mayors over the years, including Mayor Bomberger.


Now, let's see how the park has evolved over the years. Here's a Sanborn Insurance Company map from 1913, which is a great resource available from DaytonMetroLibrary.org:



It may have looked something like this:




Here is what the park looks like today, thanks to Google Maps...



... or as seen during one of our many tours!



Eagle Street and some of the surrounding homes were lost to urban renewal, but the result was a larger, more accessible park just seconds away from Route 35. So it is easy to see how times have changed and the park has grown over the years.

For more information about our community, stop by our meeting this Tuesday at 7 pm in the Liederkranz building on High Street. Happy New Year!

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So you think you can Dance?

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More art on the Hill!

DAYTON — The city’s department of recreation and youth services has teamed with Culture Works to launch a series of arts programs for children, teens and adults.....

SMAG Dance Collaborative: A bi-weekly teen urban dance program for teens 13 to 17, which will meet for six to eight weeks at the Dayton Bomberger Teen Center, 1306 E. Fifth St. The program, with up to 25 participants, will expose youth to the fundamentals, history, and forms of contemporary dance....

The story was reported in the Dayton Daily News.

Dance, dance, dance!
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In the News

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Thanks to all who attended the meeting last night. We had a great turnout to hear Deputy Julie from the County Sheriff's office talk about the Montgomery County sex offender programs.

The most interesting thing I learned was that there are over 1,000 sex offenders but only 5 not accounted for in Montgomery County (and 2 of them are believed to have left the State). Other Ohio counties have hundreds of people they can't find. Kudos to Montgomery County for making sure we know where all these offenders live.

Speaking of the County, the Montgomery County Auditor will be sending out a mailing to let property owners know the results of the tri-ennial property tax appraisal process. We should get them later this week. After that, you have the opportunity to appeal. This number will determine your property taxes for the next three years. The Auditor reported that residential rates are only going up 0.5% county-wide, compared to 11 or 12% in past years.

Finally in City news, the Bomberger Teen Center will be celebrating the grand opening of the "Snack Attack Kafe" on Monday, September 8 at 5:30 p.m. at 1306 E. Fifth Street in Dayton. According to their announcement, they are "a new business venture for the City-Wide Teen Council" and they will be "serving light and healthy snacks." It is not yet clear if it is only for teens, or if it is open to the general public as well. Operating hours are also unknown, but presumably they will close early since the Kafe will be operated by teens.

Got news that impacts our neighborhood? Post it here!

Ps. Don't forget to sign up for the 1st Annual Neighborhood Conference!
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