The End of the Hall

Editor's Note: We're returning to our blog so that we can share this story for the record. To learn more about the Oddfellows Hall, check out our previous stories on this topic here and here.   While we mourn the loss of such a historic treasure, it reminds us exactly why it is so important that we join together in preserving the structures that represent the rich architecture, culture, and history of our community.

* * * *

For Immediate Release
July 29, 2014

St. Anne's Hill Historic Society Marks Demolition of Historic Oddfellows Hall

Dayton, Ohio - The St. Anne's Hill Historic Society regretfully announces that the historic Oddfellows Hall, located at 6 La Belle Street, is being demolished.   The three-story building has contributed to the unique Victorian-era architecture of the St. Anne's Hill Historic District since the Hall was built in the late 1800's.

Although the building has been abandoned for nearly a decade, the fate of the structure was sealed when one of the main roof trusses collapsed and threatened the integrity and stability of the structure.  The local Landmarks Commission approved the demolition in 2012.  The City of Dayton hired a contractor to demolish the building as part of their Nuisance Abatement program, which is now underway.

The St. Anne's Hill Historic Society is extremely disappointed that the building could not be saved, despite the efforts of many people over the years, but nevertheless supports the City's effort to protect the health and safety of the community.  The adjacent property owners were facing considerable danger from falling bricks and portions of the roof, as well as an unknown quantity of asbestos.

Historically, the Oddfellows are groups dedicated to charity and volunteer work in their community, similar to Masons or Rotary Clubs.  They were first established in Victorian England, and later created their first American organization in 1819.  The first known Dayton lodge was created in 1833, and for a time they were a very successful organization.  By 1861, there were reportedly over 200,000 Oddfellows across the county.   They remain active around the world, including several surviving lodges in Ohio.

However in 1982, the remaining Dayton Oddfellows sold their historic LaBelle Street building.   Although it changed hands several times in the last thirty years, no one was able to restore the building to the grandeur it once knew.  Today, the property taxes stand over $65,000 in arrears.   After demolition, the land will mostly likely be foreclosed and sold to the highest bidder for a new development opportunity.

Meanwhile, the St. Anne's Hill community has recently seen a rebirth of new investment and growth.   The Fifth Street Brew Pub has been a major success, thanks to a dedicated group of neighborhood leaders.   The Turkish-American Cultural Center acquired the former Bomberger Teen Center, and several small businesses have moved in as well.  There is currently a new home under construction, which recreates the original structure that once stood there, and many more homes being renovated throughout the neighborhood.

The St. Anne's Hill Historic Society has also undertaken several projects over the years, including the revitalization of Terry Street Park, and decorative signage and artwork throughout the neighborhood.  Last year's "Dickens of a Christmas" holiday tour broke a new record, drawing over 1,000 visitors to downtown Dayton.  The Historic Society has offered programs and services to the neighborhood for nearly 40 years.

For more information about the community or development opportunities, please visit our website at www.stanneshill.org, visit our page on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/StAnnesHill, or contact news(at)stanneshill.org.

* * * * *

The following media reports were published as a result of our press release:
WDTN - "Odd" Piece of History Meets Common Fate
WHIO - Remembering Oddfellows Hall in Dayton

This photo was taken just days before the demolition began...


By the end of the week, this was all that was left standing...

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!

Construction News

More good news for St. Anne's Hill this week!   The City of Dayton is investing thousands of dollars to replace the sewer lines on Henry Street.    This represents a significant infrastructure project for our community.   

Please note that portions of Henry Street will be closed at various times during the construction period.   The project is estimated to take 60 days or less.

We also appreciate that McLain Street was re-surfaced last year, and that Fifth Street is scheduled for a major repaving project in 2016.   These projects demonstrate how sustainable communities can be revitalized with new public investments at a fraction of the cost of new development.

Please stay tuned for more exciting news in St. Anne's Hill soon!

Let's Build a Park

 Click here to donate today!

The Terry Street Park is a small property that was acquired by the St. Anne's Hill Historic Society nearly 20 years ago. Since then, it has been a left open as a public space, but it was never much to look at.

Thanks to a mini-grant from the City of Dayton, the neighborhood is now moving forward with a plan to revitalize this corner lot with a new ornamental iron gateway (similar to the photo below), a bocce ball court, and beautiful landscaping to create a peaceful spot for neighbors to spend the day!

Unfortunately, we do not have enough funding to complete everything in the plan. With your support, we can revitalize this property for the benefit of the east Dayton community including St. Anne's Hill, Huffman Historic District, and Newcom Plains - as well as the many residents traveling to and from Downtown or Stivers School for the Arts.

Please contribute $10, $25, or whatever you can offer today! If we meet our fundraising goal, we may be able to complete the project this year.

The St. Anne's Hill Historic Society is a 501(c)3 organization that represents the St. Anne's Hill Historic District neighborhood. Every donation is tax deductible.

 Photo by Nicole K.

End of the Odd?

From the Dayton Daily News...

Two miles to the east is the former Independent Order of Odd Fellows Lodge at 8 La Belle St. in St. Anne’s Hill – a building that holds its own individual spot on the National Register.

The lodge, a 3½ story brick structure built in 1911, has also been declared a nuisance because of a damaged roof, unsound floors and stairs, and years of water damage, according to city of Dayton documents. The city’s Landmark Commission will discuss demolition plans at 4:30 p.m. Thursday [Feb 9, 2012].

The Odd Fellows Lodge, designed by former Dayton City Commissioner Luther Peters, has been “mostly vacant” for almost 30 years, according to city documents.

Please attend the meeting and let your voice be heard!

Photo by Nicole K.

Census Data

Happy New Year!  The results of the 2010 Census are rolling in!   Although the "big picture" numbers were released last year, the detailed local numbers are still coming out.  The St. Anne's Hill Historic District is almost entirely represented by one Census Tract Block Group - Dayton Tract 19, Block Group 2.  

Unfortunately, the east side of McClure Street is left out and a few homes from the Huffman Historic District on Terry Street are included instead.   However, some people have suggested that the southern block of Terry Street should've been part of St. Anne's Hill anyway, so maybe it all balances out in the end.

So the numbers are not a completely accurate representation of our neighborhood, but it is pretty close.   Here's what we found so far....

Population

Residents: 632

Males: 335  (53%)

Females: 297 (47%)
Children (both male and female): 121  (19%)

Age
Median age: 36
Median male age: 37

Median female age: 35

Race
White/Caucasian: 547 (87%)
Black/African-American: 40 (6%)
Mixed race: 24 (4%)
Other (such as Hispanic or Pacific Islander): 16  (3%)
Asian: 4 (1%)
Native American: 1 (>1%)

Occupancy
Households: 293
Family households: 134 (46%)
Non-family households: 159 (54%)
Average family household size: 3
Average non-family household size: 2
Owner-occupied units: 161 (55%)
Rental units: 132 (45%)

* Note: Family is defined by the Census Bureau as two or more people related by birth, marriage, or adoption - but does not include same-sex couples.   

The numbers for things like employment, education, and income have not been released yet.   We will try to post those numbers when they are available, but it should go without saying that St. Anne's Hill continues to be an attractive, diverse, and inclusive community.    We welcome everyone to our neighborhood!


-

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!

Happy Holidays!

Thanks to everyone who helped to make our biennial Holiday Home Tour a success!    We had about 900 visitors on our tour this year - possibly an all-time record.    It took many volunteers and gracious homeowners to help achieve our goals this year, but most of all we are thankful for the guests and sponsors who helped to keep historic preservation alive and well in Dayton!

Please enjoy these photos of the tour by clicking here and here!   The tour was featured in the Dayton Daily News, too.

Happy Holidays from your friends in St. Anne's Hill historic district!  

 Photo by Karla H.

Photo by Nicole K.

Muth Brothers

Many visitors to our biennial "Dickens of a Christmas" Tour have heard mention of the Muth Brothers, who lived at 101 La Belle Street in St. Anne's Hill.   But what do we really know about them?   Well, a few things...

The Muth Brothers built the home in the Queen Anne style of architecture around 1905, according to Preservation Dayton.  This Wikipedia entry describes the American Queen Anne style as  "picturesque buildings with "free Renaissance" (non-Gothic Revival) details... of the period 1880 to 1910."   The porch, gables, and wrought-iron fence are typical of this period - and the homes in St. Anne's Hill.

We also know that they owned a rigging company, as seen in this advertisement from an old Dayton City Directory, which was like the yellow pages of their day, and can be found at the Dayton Metro Library.

 Of course, it was never quite clear exactly where they conducted their business, because the house is actually one of three homes built side-by-side with no real yard space between them.    For the lucky homeowners who enjoy beautiful Victorian details but would prefer to avoid yard work, this is an ideal situation.    However, that does not answer our question - where did they do business?


 Well, if we look at the historic Sanborn Insurance Map from 1918, which is also available from the Library, we can see that there was actually a warehouse on La Belle Street at one time - just a few doors down from their home.    In fact, this was probably typical of the era.   Many businesses were operated from people's homes or in their own neighborhood.    Before cars, interstates, and suburban sprawl became the norm it made perfect sense to live and work in the same community. (click on the picture to expand the image)

In writing this story, we discovered one more bit of information that was lost in history until recently.   Our friends at DaytonHistoryBooks.com uncovered this gem of a story, which is edited for brevity here....

     The sudden attack upon Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941, found not only our government unprepared for war, but also found the manufacturers of public warning apparatus unprepared for the unprecedented demand for their products.

     Sirens, air driven and electrically operated, have long been used by small communities as fire alarms.  These communities generally cover a small area and an adequate coverage was obtained by use of these sirens.  The densely populated cities, however, were unable economically to provide a sufficient number of them to get adequate coverage in their unheard of use as air raid warnings....

   

     This City, classified as a highly strategic one, set to the task of installing warning signals immediately following the Pearl Harbor attack by installing six five-horse-power, four two-horse-power, and fourteen one-half horse power sirens.  The latter were placed at selected points in the noisy sections in the downtown business area.  [Editor's note: Dayton at that time was already an important military asset because of the airplane industry built by the Wright Brothers, and what is now known as Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.}

     Eventually all sirens were ready for operation and a test was planned.  This plan consisted of the placement of 502 civilian defense lieutenants at their posts throughout the City.  Each was to turn in a report as to the dependable audibility of the signal at this particular post.  The results of the tests were very disappointing since less than forty per cent of the reports indicated that the signal was satisfactory.

     We were rewarded for our patient waiting by a demonstration of this new equipment, called the “Victory Siren,” in September, 1942.  This siren was a mobile one and was spotted at Deeds Park in order that the truck upon which it was mounted might be turned in a 360 degree movement, thus giving coverage in a complete circle.

     It was not until early in the spring of 1943 that we were able to see our way clear for purchase of four of this type siren which were then ordered from the Chrysler Motor Corporation of Detroit, Michigan.

     The actual mounting of the heavy sirens was performed by Muth Brothers, riggers, who cooperated with the Council for Defense in this work.

     The task of erecting the towers and mounting the sirens was not a small one.  Our efforts, however, were rewarded by the satisfactory tests that were made for overall coverage.  We feel that if the need ever came for their use in an actual air raid that the Council for Defense and its volunteer workers will be adequately alarmed

So it turns out that St. Anne's Hill played a small part in our national defense because of a little company that started on La Belle Street.   Come learn more about Dayton's History at our next Holiday Tour!



-

Strictly Strings

St. Anne's Hill's own Gerald Strickland will be featured in this year's CityFolk festival in Downtown Dayton on July 1-3. 2011.    The annual festival is one of the region's most popular events.   According to CityFolk's website:

In April 2009, Strickland moved to Dayton and opened his own shop on East Fifth Street. Skilled at building, repairing and restoring all types of fretted instruments, he specializes in repairing broken head stocks, neck resets, bridge re-glues, cosmetic repairs and full restorations and has an outstanding national reputation for the quality of his repair work. 

Strickland has been designated a Fender “Gold Level” repair technician for both acoustic and electric guitars and is certified by several other major guitar manufacturers to do warranty work on their instruments.

Gerald is a great guy and a great example of the craftsman that have always found their way to St. Anne's Hill.   He follows the tradition of the early German settlers who built the neighborhood, and found a new home for his musical craftsmanship in our little corner of Dayton.

Please make sure you stop by CityFolk and say hello to Gerald.   Tell them St. Anne's Hill sent you!

PS.  The former director of CityFolk happened to live in St. Anne's Hill until moving to Kentucky for another position.  St. Anne's Hill is the arts community of choice in Dayton!


-

Robert's Rules

At our monthly meetings in St. Anne's Hill, we try to follow a loose version of Robert's Rules.   These rules help groups to stay on track and discuss issues in a reasonable way.   Here's a little background on Mr. Robert....

Henry Martyn Robert was an engineering officer in the regular Army. Without warning he was asked to preside over a public meeting being held in a church in his community and realized that he did not know how. He tried anyway and his embarrassment was supreme. To bring order out of chaos he decided to write Robert's Rules of Order as it came to be called.

He believed these basic rules, which still hold true today....

Abide by the will of the majority
Listen to the minority.
Consider one thing at a time.
Give everyone a chance to talk.

However, most people don't realize there is a Dayton connection to Mr. Roberts...

Born in Robertville, S.C., Henry M. Robert and James Robert were sons of the Rev. Joseph T. Robert, a Baptist minister.  Mr. Robert did not approve of slavery and before the Civil War became inevitable he had moved his family to Dayton where he accepted a college teaching post.

James Robert followed in his father’s footsteps, becoming a tutor at the elegant girls’ school, Vassar.   Henry M. Robert entered West Point at the age of 16, destined to become a general in the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers.

James Robert returned to Dayton at the request of local educators and wealthy parents, to head the Cooper Female Seminary, which was located on W. First St., on the present site of Westminster Presbyterian Church and the Board of Education building. 

A plan by E. R. Stillwell to broaden the levee from Monument Ave. to First St. interested him, but he believed that more valuable real estate would be created by dredging the river basin and filling the land to the pasture that then served as a gypsy camp ground.  The plan for his development had the plat extending from First St. to Fourth St. and from the Third St. bridge to the Dayton View bridge.

 

Robert sought technical advice from his brother, Henry, then a colonel in the engineers, who agreed to help.  The two brothers became so taken with the project that Henry was to make frequent trips to Dayton as the various phases were completed.

On one such trip, he met the accomplished Helen Thresher, daughter of early settler Ebenezer Thresher, owner of the Thresher Paint Co.  The young couple’s romance culminated in a Christmas Eve wedding in 1860.  Thus, Henry M. Robert married into a Dayton family and Dayton history. 

Thanks to DaytonHistoryBooks.com, we now know that it is quite possible the famous Mr. Roberts spent some time here in St. Anne's Hill.    Please join us for our next monthly meeting on Tuesday, June 7, 2011 at 7 pm in the Liederkranz building, and see his rules in action.

-

Life on Dutoit

Here's an amazing historic photo of Dutoit Street!

Notes from John....

Attached is a picture Jennifer Mueller Garwood shared with me of her cottage on Dutoit St.   Note the lovely porch...the house to the left of it that has recently been redone...and the house to the right of it with one shutter closed.  Note also the brick street and cool lamp post on the road (why did we ever let those go?!).  The child in the picture is Mr. Herman who lived in the house his whole life as some of you may know. 

Some things never change... see for yourself in St. Anne's Hill.

-

Fashion sense

Here's a fun little article from the DDN about how people dressed in victorian times.  An excerpt....

Victorian nightgowns were traditionally long and floating with lots of fabric and lace or ruffles. Up until the Victorian era, there had been no concept of clothes meant only for bedtime. Both men and women slept in the shifts or shirts they wore as underwear during the day. The wealthy might change them more frequently, but they were still dual-purpose garments. In the 19th century, increased prosperity and a new interest in hygiene combined to make nightclothes a necessity for those who could afford it.

We experience a slice of the victorian age every day, right here in St. Anne's Hill historic district!

Wright-Patt AFB

Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB) is an important part of the Dayton region.   Here in St. Anne's Hill historic district, we have several members of our community who work on or near the Base.   That's why we were excited to learn that WPAFB won an award for their efforts in historic preservation.  

Check out this excerpt from the Dayton Business Journal....

The environmental branch of the 88th Air Base Wing Civil Engineering Directorate at the base was one of nine winners of the 2011 Secretary of Defense Environmental Awards. The branch won the award — announced Tuesday — for cultural resources management across an installation.

Among its recent accomplishments, the branch:

• Worked with the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) and the National Park Service to find a creative way to offset adverse effects of an essential Explosive Ordnance Disposal Proficiency Training Range, which is next to the Huffman Prairie Flying Field National Historic Landmark;

• Surveyed more than 8,000 acres at the base for archaeological resources, identifying three additional significant archaeological sites;

• Worked to preserve a 120 foot historic wind tunnel; and

• Collaborated with a private historical architect to produced a historic preservation guide book for civil engineers. The guide book thoroughly defines the features so that base architects and design engineers can maintain the cultural heritage of Wright-Patt.

Of course, we all know that Wright-Patt is named for the Wright Brothers, who invented flight right here in Dayton, Ohio.    So you have to think that they probably spent some time in St. Anne's Hill, too!



 -

Mr. McClure

In honor of our 200th post on this blog, here is a little slice of local history!    

McClure Street is an important part of the fabric of St. Anne's Hill.    The McClure Street bridge, on the south end of the neighborhood represents one of the major gateways into the community, leading to the Twin Towers area and Ruskin Elementary School.    There are many interesting homes along McClure, which leads north to the Fifth Street corridor.    

But where does the name come from?  Who was McClure in Dayton's history?  Luckily, there are some great sources of information that help us answer that question.    This is from http://www.daytonhistorybooks.com/page/page/3423054.htm ....

 In 1806 D. C. Cooper built a brick store room on the northeast corner of Main and First streets, and entering into partnership with John Compton, opened a stock of goods there. The same year James Steele, who since November 12, 1805, had been in partnership in Dayton with William McClure, built a brick store of two stories on the southeast corner of Main and First streets. November 30, 1807, McClure and Steele dissolved partnership.

In 1807 the Dayton Academy was incorporated by the legislature. The corporators were James Welsh, Daniel C. Cooper, William McClure, George F. Tennery, John Folkerth, and James Hamer. William M. Smith was the first teacher. In 1808 a brick school house was built by subscription on the west side of St. Clair, near Third Street. During the winter of 1807 and 1808 a debating club was formed. Its meetings and also spelling matches, which were very popular entertainments, were held in the school house for several winters. 

For more about Cooper and Dayton's earliest days, check out the City's website, which has some interesting information.   

According to the Dayton Daily News, William McClure was also President of the Dayton City Council from 1807-1807.   The City Council was the predecessor to the Dayton City Commission, later established in 1829.  McClure took the reins from his colleague, Mr. Cooper.

And there's more....  he was also a publisher:

WILLIAM M'CLURE and George Smith printed the first issue" of The Dayton Repertory on September 23, 1808, to judge from the date of Vol. 1, No.2, which appeared on Friday, September 30. The office address was given as "Main Street".

The Dayton Repertory was a small four-page sheet, 70 by 120 inches in size, with two columns to the page. From a publication statement on the last page of the second issue, we learn that it "Is printed weekly, at two dollars, paid in advance, or two dollars and fifty cents, paid at the end of the year.

As to news, the greater part of the issue was devoted to reprinted dispatches from Spain, England, and France. Almost no local news, which would be of the greatest interest to us, was published. The pioneer editor evidently assumed that the residents knew what was going on locally.

In the fifth issue, which was dated October 21, 1808, the printers made the following announcement: ''The office of the Repertory is removed to the south side of second street, between Main & Jefferson streets - in consequence of which the publication of the paper will be suspended for a few weeks."

During the suspension, Smith sold his interest in the enterprise to Henry Disbrow. The newspaper reappeared on February I, 1809, the definite article being dropped from the title which now read. Dayton Repertory and was embellished by flourishes. This was Vol. I, No. 6. The publication had been materially enlarged to a four­-column, four-page paper, measuring 83/4 by I8 1/4 inches in page size.

In the issue of April 12, 1809, was announced the death of William M'Clure, sen., of Montgomery County, apparently the father of one of the co-publishers of the Repertory. In the issue of June 7 of the same year, we learn that William M'Clure, the printer, was a trustee of Miami University.

The issue of December, 1809, is the last known copy of The Dayton Repertory.

So, thanks to his work we now enjoy the street that bears his name.  This is just one small part of the fascinating history of Dayton and St. Anne's Hill.   

Do you have any questions, or an idea for a blog topic?  Let us know, and help keep this blog going for another 200 posts!   Write to us at news[at]stanneshill.org today.

-

PRESERVATION magazine

Here is a Press Release from the St. Anne's Hill Historic Society... more great news!

Photo by Nicole Klein

NEIGHBORHOOD PROJECT FEATURED IN NATIONAL PUBLICATION

DAYTON - For one group of dedicated neighbors, an exciting project has led to national recognition. PRESERVATION magazine has featured the former JoJo's Cafe in their March 2011 issue, highlighting an effort that has been two years in the making. The property is located at 1600 E. Fifth Street in Dayton's St. Anne's Hill Historic District.

PRESERVATION is the award-winning magazine of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the organization that works to revitalize communities and save historic places. The magazine offers lively writing by the nation's best journalists on controversies, trends, accomplishments, and events of importance to cities, towns, suburbs, and rural communities.

The building at 1600 E. Fifth Street was constructed around 1860 by James Sinkey, who operated a grocery store on the 1st floor and lived with his wife Mary in the two rooms on the 2nd floor. It housed a variety of retail uses until the 1930s when it became JoJo’s Café. The Cafe was well-known in Dayton for decades because of its pulled pork sandwiches. After JoJo's closed, the business changed names in the mid 1990s and continued as a neighborhood bar known as the American Saloon until closing in 2008.

This project came about because 29 concerned neighbors came together to purchase and renovate the vacant property. The process started in 2008 with an idea hatched by Brian Young, a resident of St. Anne’s Hill for several years. He thought that this property could be transformed into a neighborhood gathering spot. He called on Joe Dierkers, a long time Dayton commercial Real Estate Broker who had recently purchased a home in the area, to help with the acquisition process. They developed a plan, and with the support of their neighbors, formed a company called The 1600 Group, LLC.

Legal problems, title problems and on-again off-again negotiations caused many delays. Finally, the purchase was completed on October 22, 2010. The exterior work (with a few minor exceptions) was completed on December 7th, only 46 days later. The interior restoration is currently underway.

The 1600 Group is now seeking a business or investor to help bring the property back to a productive use for the benefit of the community. They want to ensure that the business that will be a positive force in the community. and help continue the revitalization
of the historic Fifth Street corridor. The St. Anne's Hill Historic Society is supporting the plan.

Dayton-based photographer Nicole Klein provided the photographs to the magazine.

The neighborhood of St. Anne's Hill is a historic community located one mile east of downtown Dayton, just beyond the historic Oregon Arts District. The area was part of the original out-lots of the city of Dayton, which were plotted in 1815 by Daniel C. Cooper, an early settler of the city. By the 1830's, the first documented use of the name "St. Anne's Hill" appeared in newspaper advertisements promoting the sale of nursery stock from a local greenhouse.

For more information, visit:

http://www.stanneshill.org
http://stanneshill.blogspot.com

Check out the previous posts on this topic - part 1, part 2, and part 3. 

-

LOST

We had some terrible news this week, in the midst of the worst ice storm to hit Ohio in years.   The former Pauley estate at the corner of Henry and Josie Streets in the St. Anne's Hill Historic District caught fire and burned beyond repair.    Dayton Fire crews worked late into the night, only to find the fire re-kindled early the next morning.    The following photographs pay tribute to the loss of this historic home.

Photo courtesy of St. Anne's Hill Historic Society

Photo by Chris Stewart, Dayton Daily News.

Photo by Nicole K.

Fortunately, no one was injured in the blaze.   The home had been vacant and tax delinquent for some time.   The current owner has refused to sell, despite receiving several offers from concerned neighbors over the last few years. 

[Update: The fire-damaged building was demolished by the City on Feb.21, 2011]

This is an example of what can happen when historic homes are not properly maintained.   Too many homes have been lost due to careless or negligent property owners.  Please help us preserve these homes by joining the St. Anne's Hill Historic Society.   Our 2011 membership drive is going on now.   Donations to our 501(c)3 organization are always welcome, and very much appreciated.

We sincerely thank the Dayton Fire Department and Dayton Power & Light for their ongoing service to the community during this difficult time.   For more photos of the fire, visit the Dayton Daily News website.

-

American Saloon

There is exciting work in progress at the former American Saloon at 1600 E. Fifth Street!   The property was recently purchased by "The 1600 Group, LLC" - a group of concerned neighbors that got together to save the building.

 Here's some history from one of the managing partners, Joe:

James Sinkey bought the lot on land contract from the lawyer that platted the area, Thomas Smith, in the late 1840’s. He paid off the land contract in the late 1850’s. The building was built in 1860 as a residence and grocery store. He sold it to Mary Gerber in 1870. She leased it to John Rock in 1891 still as a grocery store and residence for $18 per month. My mother (age 91) tells me that she remembers it as JoJo’s Café when she was growing up. JoJo’s was well known for their hot pork sandwiches. It was still JoJo’s when the [prior] owner purchased it in 1997 for $91,400.

Sometime after 1997, the building was re-named the American Saloon and survived as a ramshackle blue-collar bar until it closed in 2008. It was tied up in legal disputes between the building owner and the bar business for nearly two years.  It is now being restored to help attract a new business to the neighborhood.

The building is an outstanding example of vernacular storefront architecture in St. Anne's Hill.   Check back here for more information on this exciting project!

-

Pretzel time!

In celebration of Oktoberfest the and German heritage in our community, here is a great story from the DDN about a small business just around the corner from St. Anne's Hill.  An excerpt...

DAYTON — As businesses struggle in a rough economy, the century-old Smales Pretzel Bakery thrives inside a refitted house on an alley, its fourth generation still twisting pretzels by hand.

The bakery began with German-born Rudie Schaaf opening Gem City Pretzel on Warren Street in 1906, not long after he arrived in Dayton as a boy in 1895. The shop’s current location at 210 Xenia Ave. dates to 1926 when his daughter, Emma, moved it there and renamed it.

Smale’s history twists into the city’s at every turn. A stand operated in the old downtown Arcade for years. Armloads of pretzels were ferried to neighborhood groceries and found their way into the hands of generations of school kids. Larry Smales, Schaaf’s great-grandson, recalls that as a boy he sold pretzels to legions of NCR employees on their lunch breaks.

Another great reason to live on the Hill!




-

Mural Dedication

Fifth Street Community 

Mosaic Mural Celebration

1400 E. 5^th Street

Please join us in celebrating the creation of 

the first only mosaic mural in Dayton

Wednesday Sept. 22

6-9PM

Music by the Liederkrantz –Turner Chorus 6-6:30

Recognition of 100 artists, volunteers, and sponsors promptly at 6:40 

Sponsored by: 

Met Life Foundation, Dayton Rotary & 

St. Anne’s Hill Neighborhood Association, Ohio Arts Council