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Please Thank UD, Premier Health, and Woodard Development — New Plans Will Save South Park Methodist Church
On April 20, 2021, The University of Dayton and Premier Health announced plans to build a 30,000 square-foot, single-story healthcare facility on Brown Street between Sawmill and Stonemill Roads, on the block south of Patterson Homestead.
As a result of feedback at the May 10 Downtown Priority Land Use Meeting, PDI is gratified to learn that UD, Premier Health, and Woodard Development are planning to save and respectfully reuse the original, historic portion of the South Park Methodist Church.
Please contact UD and Premier and thank them for listening to the community. This innovative adaptive reuse of the church is a win-win for UD, Premier, Woodard Development, and our community. A list of key decision-makers and five reasons Preservation Dayton advocated for the reuse the church follow below. Currently, the largest of the historic stained-glass windows are not part of the re-use plan. PDI hopes that these inspiring, abstract-patterned windows can be retained as part of the healing environment of the main sacristy where Premier's physical therapy services will be offered. In addition, UD also owns the vacant former Seventh Day Adventist Church in the heart of the Rubicon Mill neighborhood. PDI hopes that UD will consider alternative uses that also preserve this historic church and that complement the quiet, residential area of the Rubicon neighborhood.
On April 20, 2021, The University of Dayton and Premier Health announced plans to build a 30,000 square-foot, single-story healthcare facility on Brown Street between Sawmill and Stonemill Roads, on the block south of Patterson Homestead.
As a result of feedback at the May 10 Downtown Priority Land Use Meeting, PDI is gratified to learn that UD, Premier Health, and Woodard Development are planning to save and respectfully reuse the original, historic portion of the South Park Methodist Church.
Please contact UD and Premier and thank them for listening to the community. This innovative adaptive reuse of the church is a win-win for UD, Premier, Woodard Development, and our community. A list of key decision-makers and five reasons Preservation Dayton advocated for the reuse the church follow below. Currently, the largest of the historic stained-glass windows are not part of the re-use plan. PDI hopes that these inspiring, abstract-patterned windows can be retained as part of the healing environment of the main sacristy where Premier's physical therapy services will be offered. In addition, UD also owns the vacant former Seventh Day Adventist Church in the heart of the Rubicon Mill neighborhood. PDI hopes that UD will consider alternative uses that also preserve this historic church and that complement the quiet, residential area of the Rubicon neighborhood.
- Eric F. Spina, President St. Mary’s Hall, Room 207
University of Dayton, 300 College Park Drive, Dayton, OH 45469-1624
email: [email protected] Annette Mitchell, Assistant to the President, - Andrew Horner, Executive Vice President Business and Administrative Services
St. Mary’s Hall, Room 405 University of Dayton, 300 College Park Drive, Dayton, OH 45469-1624
- Mary Boosalis, Chief Operating Officer
Suite 300 Premier Health, 110 N. Main St., Dayton, OH 45402
- Lainie Dean, Chief of Strategy and Business Development
Suite 300 Premier Health, 110 N. Main St., Dayton, OH 45402
email: [email protected] - Copies to: Jason Woodard, Principal
Woodard Development, P.O. Box 3836, Dayton, Ohio, 45401
Preserving the Church Is a Win-Win for All Stakeholders
An adaptive reuse of the church—rather than its tragic destruction, is a more attractive and financially successful development that garners the support of the community. Here’s five reasons why:
1) Attract and retain top talent in our city-- Architectural and cultural gems like the South Park Methodist Church are what puts the “there” there in our cities, urban campuses, and medical centers. Irreplaceable assets, like South Park Methodist Church and our built environment play a key role in attracting and retaining diverse students, graduates, and employees to our city. Every time a remarkable gem like the church is lost, our community loses a bit of its soul, its identity, and its ability to compete with other urban centers. Thankfully, this unique structure will be part of a transformational healthcare facility.
2) Protect our region’s architectural, cultural, and religious heritage—Demolishing this remarkable church would have destroyed an irreplaceable historic site that has served generations of Daytonians since 1925. The architecture of the church is unique to Dayton, defines the residential boundaries of the adjacent Rubicon Mill neighborhood, and is the most remarkable historic structure on this portion of the streetscape along Brown Street near the historic Patterson Homestead. Patterson was a key contributor to the construction of the church. The church and its signature Classical columns are echoed in the columns of the fraternity houses along Brown Street and connect the UD campus from Stonemill to Caldwell and L Streets near Holy Angles, the other remarkable church on Brown Street. The new two-story construction (rather than the 35,000 square-foot, one-story building that was initially proposed) complements and reflect the Classical features, materials, and scale of the historic Church.
3) Leverage UD's and Premier's financial resources—Currently, UD and Woodard have chosen not to rely on these options in order not to delay construction. (Historic tax credits, PACE energy financing, and façade easements can make reusing the church economically attractive and provide much lower energy operating cost—in contrast to demolition and new construction. The church is currently not listed on the National Register of Historic Places. However, it certainly qualifies for National Register status and for state and federal historic tax credits which could be a financial benefit Redhawk Down, LLC, an owner of the proposed project. Other financial incentives and tools like façade easements and the PACE--Property Assessed Clean Energy-- program do not require National Register status for the church.)
4) Support sustainable development—This remarkable new concept utilizes the church which is completely sound and will be adapted for Premier's proposed medical services. This reuse supports UD’s goal to be carbon neutral by 2050 and its overarching commitment to sustainability. “The greenest building is one that is already built,” to quote studies from the National Trust for Historic Preservation Policy and Research Lab. Demolition. Totally new construction would have resulted in unnecessary increases in energy consumption and carbon emissions. Demolition would also have created massive amounts of unnecessary waste in our region's already overflowing landfills. However, demolition of the school and gym which are not part of the reuse plan and demolishing these portions of the church complex will contribute to some carbon emissions and landfill waste.
The large, open spaces of the church’s sacristy lend themselves to many of the services proposed for the new facility: physical, occupational, speech, and aquatic therapy, medical imaging. The new two-story building will include counseling, CompuNet lab services, urgent care and physicians’ offices (which might have been partially housed in the former gym and school).
If totally new construction had been pursued, PDI recommended that the new facility be built on the vacant land that Premier and UD already own—including the On Main former Fairgrounds or the land along Brown, Warren, Stewart and other areas of Main Street that would not interfere with Premier's services as a Tier I Trauma Center. Future expansion on these vacant parcels can be a much more environmentally responsible use of UD’s and Premier’s land holdings--compared to demolishing existing buildings. These vacant sites that are not part of Premier's Tier I Trauma services offer ample parking. They are within easy walking distance or a short Flyer ride for UD students and staff and are minutes away from the Oakwood residents that Premier also seeks to attract.
5) Strengthen UD’s and Premier’s investment in our community’s historic assets--This innovative new plan demonstrates UD's ongoing commitment to investing in Dayton’s historic, built environment.* Restoring adjacent neighborhoods for student housing has created a unique sense of place and community for the UD campus that attracts prospective students and contributes to deep loyalty among UD alumni. UD has creatively adapted the NCR building on Brown and the NCR headquarters for its academic programs. Most recently, UD’s generous partnership and creation of the HUB have played a major role in saving the Arcade (*with the exception of the UD prior administration's decision to demolish the historic Building 26 site of the heroic World War II code breaking effort, See the The New York Times Sept. 20, 2007 and April 1, 2007 and http://www.artdeconews.com/preservationAlerts.htm)
Premier Health and UD also recognize the unique marketing value of preserving the iconic Round House as part of the On Main project. The Miami Hospital Valley Foundation is seeking funds to preserve the historic Pretzinger House. And Premier’s expansion of Miami Valley Hospital and locating its support services in the once vacant Citizens Federal tower in downtown Dayton are major contributors to the vibrancy of our city.
It’s commendable that Premier Health and UD are partnering with Woodard Development. Jason Woodard is familiar with the economic and marketing benefits of historic preservation and has developed stunning, highly successful renovation projects in our community including the Delco Lofts, The Avante Garde, and The Manhattan. This new facility will be another one of Woodard Development's hallmark renovation projects in our community.
Preserving and integrating the South Park Methodist Church into the proposed healthcare facility will differentiate Premier’s health services by creating a unique and healing environment unlike any other medical facility or university in the nation.
We thank UD and Premier Health for listening to the community and preserving and integrating this irreplaceable structure into a new and valued asset for UD, Premier, and the community. If you wish to participate in the concept reviews at the Downtown Priority Land Use Board and/or the Board of Zoning Appeals, please contact City of Dayton Planning staff member, [email protected]
Be sure to also check out our Endangered Properties page for additional ways you can help save Dayton's unique and varied architecture.
An adaptive reuse of the church—rather than its tragic destruction, is a more attractive and financially successful development that garners the support of the community. Here’s five reasons why:
1) Attract and retain top talent in our city-- Architectural and cultural gems like the South Park Methodist Church are what puts the “there” there in our cities, urban campuses, and medical centers. Irreplaceable assets, like South Park Methodist Church and our built environment play a key role in attracting and retaining diverse students, graduates, and employees to our city. Every time a remarkable gem like the church is lost, our community loses a bit of its soul, its identity, and its ability to compete with other urban centers. Thankfully, this unique structure will be part of a transformational healthcare facility.
2) Protect our region’s architectural, cultural, and religious heritage—Demolishing this remarkable church would have destroyed an irreplaceable historic site that has served generations of Daytonians since 1925. The architecture of the church is unique to Dayton, defines the residential boundaries of the adjacent Rubicon Mill neighborhood, and is the most remarkable historic structure on this portion of the streetscape along Brown Street near the historic Patterson Homestead. Patterson was a key contributor to the construction of the church. The church and its signature Classical columns are echoed in the columns of the fraternity houses along Brown Street and connect the UD campus from Stonemill to Caldwell and L Streets near Holy Angles, the other remarkable church on Brown Street. The new two-story construction (rather than the 35,000 square-foot, one-story building that was initially proposed) complements and reflect the Classical features, materials, and scale of the historic Church.
3) Leverage UD's and Premier's financial resources—Currently, UD and Woodard have chosen not to rely on these options in order not to delay construction. (Historic tax credits, PACE energy financing, and façade easements can make reusing the church economically attractive and provide much lower energy operating cost—in contrast to demolition and new construction. The church is currently not listed on the National Register of Historic Places. However, it certainly qualifies for National Register status and for state and federal historic tax credits which could be a financial benefit Redhawk Down, LLC, an owner of the proposed project. Other financial incentives and tools like façade easements and the PACE--Property Assessed Clean Energy-- program do not require National Register status for the church.)
4) Support sustainable development—This remarkable new concept utilizes the church which is completely sound and will be adapted for Premier's proposed medical services. This reuse supports UD’s goal to be carbon neutral by 2050 and its overarching commitment to sustainability. “The greenest building is one that is already built,” to quote studies from the National Trust for Historic Preservation Policy and Research Lab. Demolition. Totally new construction would have resulted in unnecessary increases in energy consumption and carbon emissions. Demolition would also have created massive amounts of unnecessary waste in our region's already overflowing landfills. However, demolition of the school and gym which are not part of the reuse plan and demolishing these portions of the church complex will contribute to some carbon emissions and landfill waste.
The large, open spaces of the church’s sacristy lend themselves to many of the services proposed for the new facility: physical, occupational, speech, and aquatic therapy, medical imaging. The new two-story building will include counseling, CompuNet lab services, urgent care and physicians’ offices (which might have been partially housed in the former gym and school).
If totally new construction had been pursued, PDI recommended that the new facility be built on the vacant land that Premier and UD already own—including the On Main former Fairgrounds or the land along Brown, Warren, Stewart and other areas of Main Street that would not interfere with Premier's services as a Tier I Trauma Center. Future expansion on these vacant parcels can be a much more environmentally responsible use of UD’s and Premier’s land holdings--compared to demolishing existing buildings. These vacant sites that are not part of Premier's Tier I Trauma services offer ample parking. They are within easy walking distance or a short Flyer ride for UD students and staff and are minutes away from the Oakwood residents that Premier also seeks to attract.
5) Strengthen UD’s and Premier’s investment in our community’s historic assets--This innovative new plan demonstrates UD's ongoing commitment to investing in Dayton’s historic, built environment.* Restoring adjacent neighborhoods for student housing has created a unique sense of place and community for the UD campus that attracts prospective students and contributes to deep loyalty among UD alumni. UD has creatively adapted the NCR building on Brown and the NCR headquarters for its academic programs. Most recently, UD’s generous partnership and creation of the HUB have played a major role in saving the Arcade (*with the exception of the UD prior administration's decision to demolish the historic Building 26 site of the heroic World War II code breaking effort, See the The New York Times Sept. 20, 2007 and April 1, 2007 and http://www.artdeconews.com/preservationAlerts.htm)
Premier Health and UD also recognize the unique marketing value of preserving the iconic Round House as part of the On Main project. The Miami Hospital Valley Foundation is seeking funds to preserve the historic Pretzinger House. And Premier’s expansion of Miami Valley Hospital and locating its support services in the once vacant Citizens Federal tower in downtown Dayton are major contributors to the vibrancy of our city.
It’s commendable that Premier Health and UD are partnering with Woodard Development. Jason Woodard is familiar with the economic and marketing benefits of historic preservation and has developed stunning, highly successful renovation projects in our community including the Delco Lofts, The Avante Garde, and The Manhattan. This new facility will be another one of Woodard Development's hallmark renovation projects in our community.
Preserving and integrating the South Park Methodist Church into the proposed healthcare facility will differentiate Premier’s health services by creating a unique and healing environment unlike any other medical facility or university in the nation.
We thank UD and Premier Health for listening to the community and preserving and integrating this irreplaceable structure into a new and valued asset for UD, Premier, and the community. If you wish to participate in the concept reviews at the Downtown Priority Land Use Board and/or the Board of Zoning Appeals, please contact City of Dayton Planning staff member, [email protected]
Be sure to also check out our Endangered Properties page for additional ways you can help save Dayton's unique and varied architecture.