John R. Reynolds Mansion
Built c.1867 for John R. Reynolds, a prominent Dayton Businessman, this Second Empire Victorian style building stands out in East Dayton. The property was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.
The Montgomery County Historical Society describes the 12,000 square foot mansion as “an exemplary Midwest statement of Second Empire Architecture.” Dayton capitalist, John R. Reynolds, built the home in c. 1865. (some records indicate 1867 or 1873). Born in Mercerburg, PA in 1831, Reynolds first made his fortune in partnership with his uncle on a Mississippi cotton and corn plantation. You can read more about Reynolds and his history with slave ownership in this article by UD researcher Heidi Gauder. Reynolds lost $250,000 in cotton stored in a New Orleans warehouse in a Union Army raid during the civil war. He left the south and later found his way to Dayton by way of New York and Springfield, Ohio.
He married and came to Dayton in 1865. He recovered his financial status and became a director of the Merchants National Bank and Fireman’s Insurance Company. He built his remarkable mansion on an eastern rural hilltop with sweeping vistas of the city of Dayton. John Reynolds lived in the home until his death in 1894.
John's daughter, Gertrude, was once married and divorced Frank Andrews, architect of the Dayton Arcade. As settlement in her divorce to Andrews in 1909, she was entitled to the hefty sum of $500 per month in alimony ($15,000 per month in today's dollars) and custody of their daughter. She was also an early, and long-time resident (c. 1910-1933) at the Van Deman Apartments.
When the Reynolds Mansion was built in 1873, it was surrounded by farmland and massive fir trees near a road that would later be developed. The home is now surrounded by single-family homes primarily built in the 1930s-40s.
The home features a five-bay façade, front doorway with a decorated stone frontispiece, central hall entrance with a pavilion to the left, fifteen-foot ceilings and tall oak doors. Its steep mansard roof is covered in patterned slate and topped with a massive tower. The foundation is built with coursing masonry that continues brick throughout the wall. The home is one of the finest examples of Second Empire architecture in the Midwest. It’s architecture style bridges both the Second Empire and Victorian eras.
It was divided into a 15-unit apartment to address the housing shortage in Dayton during World War II. The mansion stood vacant from 1975-1978 and was severely vandalized. It has twice been listed on the City of Dayton’s Public Nuisance list, first in 1978 before undergoing an extensive and sensitive renovation from 1979 through the early 1980s by Joyce Stremel, a nurse at Good Samaritan Hospital. With lots of sweat equity, Stremel removed massive amounts of debris and moved in three months after purchasing the home to prevent further vandalism. With help from a HUD loan she replaced all the electrical, plumbing, and heating infrastructure, the vandalized woodwork, and more than twelve stolen marble mantels.
The home later fell into disrepair and placed on the city’s building code violation list in 2009. The house was sold to A-1 Property Holdings, LLC in November, 2019. City staff have met with the new owner to discuss the required repairs in order for the property to be removed from the city’s Structural Nuisance Program. Preservation Dayton trustees toured the home in July 2019. At that time, the home was in need of major renovation. The rear addition of the property, roof, and upper stories were deteriorating from water damage. The exterior of the home has retained most of its original architectural features when it was built except for the loss of the porches.
The Montgomery County Historical Society describes the 12,000 square foot mansion as “an exemplary Midwest statement of Second Empire Architecture.” Dayton capitalist, John R. Reynolds, built the home in c. 1865. (some records indicate 1867 or 1873). Born in Mercerburg, PA in 1831, Reynolds first made his fortune in partnership with his uncle on a Mississippi cotton and corn plantation. You can read more about Reynolds and his history with slave ownership in this article by UD researcher Heidi Gauder. Reynolds lost $250,000 in cotton stored in a New Orleans warehouse in a Union Army raid during the civil war. He left the south and later found his way to Dayton by way of New York and Springfield, Ohio.
He married and came to Dayton in 1865. He recovered his financial status and became a director of the Merchants National Bank and Fireman’s Insurance Company. He built his remarkable mansion on an eastern rural hilltop with sweeping vistas of the city of Dayton. John Reynolds lived in the home until his death in 1894.
John's daughter, Gertrude, was once married and divorced Frank Andrews, architect of the Dayton Arcade. As settlement in her divorce to Andrews in 1909, she was entitled to the hefty sum of $500 per month in alimony ($15,000 per month in today's dollars) and custody of their daughter. She was also an early, and long-time resident (c. 1910-1933) at the Van Deman Apartments.
When the Reynolds Mansion was built in 1873, it was surrounded by farmland and massive fir trees near a road that would later be developed. The home is now surrounded by single-family homes primarily built in the 1930s-40s.
The home features a five-bay façade, front doorway with a decorated stone frontispiece, central hall entrance with a pavilion to the left, fifteen-foot ceilings and tall oak doors. Its steep mansard roof is covered in patterned slate and topped with a massive tower. The foundation is built with coursing masonry that continues brick throughout the wall. The home is one of the finest examples of Second Empire architecture in the Midwest. It’s architecture style bridges both the Second Empire and Victorian eras.
It was divided into a 15-unit apartment to address the housing shortage in Dayton during World War II. The mansion stood vacant from 1975-1978 and was severely vandalized. It has twice been listed on the City of Dayton’s Public Nuisance list, first in 1978 before undergoing an extensive and sensitive renovation from 1979 through the early 1980s by Joyce Stremel, a nurse at Good Samaritan Hospital. With lots of sweat equity, Stremel removed massive amounts of debris and moved in three months after purchasing the home to prevent further vandalism. With help from a HUD loan she replaced all the electrical, plumbing, and heating infrastructure, the vandalized woodwork, and more than twelve stolen marble mantels.
The home later fell into disrepair and placed on the city’s building code violation list in 2009. The house was sold to A-1 Property Holdings, LLC in November, 2019. City staff have met with the new owner to discuss the required repairs in order for the property to be removed from the city’s Structural Nuisance Program. Preservation Dayton trustees toured the home in July 2019. At that time, the home was in need of major renovation. The rear addition of the property, roof, and upper stories were deteriorating from water damage. The exterior of the home has retained most of its original architectural features when it was built except for the loss of the porches.
Help PDI bring Dayton's endangered historic properties back to life!
Our Endangered Properties Committee provides resources and raises funds to proactively stabilize and/or obtain control of these irreplaceable properties. Preservation Dayton maintains an annual list of the Ten Most Endangered properties for intervention, as nominated by you and selected by the Endangered Properties Committee. Visit our Top 10 Endangered Properties page to see the full list of other nominees. If you have an urgent request for an at-risk historic property, please contact us at [email protected].
Please donate today! Your contribution, large or small, will save Dayton's historic structures before they are lost forever.
Your contributions are 100 percent tax deductible and are dedicated solely to preserving Dayton's rich history. The Dayton Foundation processes all gifts and donations to the Preservation Dayton, Inc. Fund #8630, a component fund of The Foundation. You can contribute by clicking the ‘Donate’ button below which takes you to the Dayton Foundation secure website. Or mail your check to payable to "Preservation Dayton, Inc. Fund #8630" Preservation Dayton, P.O. Box 3614, Dayton, OH 45401.
Thank you for your support!
Our Endangered Properties Committee provides resources and raises funds to proactively stabilize and/or obtain control of these irreplaceable properties. Preservation Dayton maintains an annual list of the Ten Most Endangered properties for intervention, as nominated by you and selected by the Endangered Properties Committee. Visit our Top 10 Endangered Properties page to see the full list of other nominees. If you have an urgent request for an at-risk historic property, please contact us at [email protected].
Please donate today! Your contribution, large or small, will save Dayton's historic structures before they are lost forever.
Your contributions are 100 percent tax deductible and are dedicated solely to preserving Dayton's rich history. The Dayton Foundation processes all gifts and donations to the Preservation Dayton, Inc. Fund #8630, a component fund of The Foundation. You can contribute by clicking the ‘Donate’ button below which takes you to the Dayton Foundation secure website. Or mail your check to payable to "Preservation Dayton, Inc. Fund #8630" Preservation Dayton, P.O. Box 3614, Dayton, OH 45401.
Thank you for your support!