vAN DEMAN APARTMENTS
Built in 1908 for John N. Van Deman, a Dayton Lawyer, this Jacobethan style building stands out in the Dayton View Historic District. The property was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.
It was an expensive structure to construct. A pointed arched entry with the name “Van Deman” above, slate roof, polygonal bays with diamond pane windows on the sides, hipped roof dormers and massive brick porch supports define the building. When built, the building contained five very large apartments, four of which had servant’s rooms and large front porches. The interior is finished in mahogany and oak (much of which remains).
John Van Deman also resided in the building. Born in 1845, Van Deman was an attorney, member of the Dayton Bar Association, a staunch Republican, and lifelong Presbyterian. He died in 1916. At the time of the building’s sale by public auction in 1917 after Van Deman’s death, the sales ad for the building boasted of vapor heat, electric lights, natural gas and soft water throughout. A garage had room for “three machines” and its location on a large corner lot always insured light and ventilation.
Numerous references to occupants of the Van Deman can be found in the society pages of the Dayton Daily News and Dayton Herald between the 1910s and 1930s. One such resident, Gertrude Reynolds Andrews, daughter of John R. Reynolds, 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.
Going back to the mid-to-late 1980’s, the third floor apartment was featured in Good Housekeeping Magazine. It was professionally decorated in a monochromatic gray (walls, floors, furniture, window treatments, etc.) and was supposedly stunning.
The Van Deman has since been subdivided into additional apartments. It remains an important example of the variety of upscale living quarters built in the Dayton View Historic District and the preference of some of Dayton’s elite to enjoy the care-free and exclusive lifestyle the Van Deman apartments provided.
One of the owners for the Van Daman was Ina Jean who lived in the Herman Miller Mansion at 123 Yale for probably 30 to 40 years. She owned a number of properties in Historic Dayton View and other Dayton neighborhoods, including the Van Deman. (During her later years she took in three or four elderly roomers into her home along with a few cats to keep her company. She also rented out the Carriage House apartment behind her mansion.) She purchased the Van Deman in the early 1990’s and kept it until her death around 2012/2013.
When she purchased it, it had two very large apartments (2000+ sq. ft. each) on the first floor, two on the second floor with the same size and configuration as the first floor, and one apartment on the third floor attic for a total of 5 units. She sub-divided the first and second floor units and the building now has 9 or 11 units. People who were in the units indicated that she did a wonderful job and it is difficult to tell the divisions. Those units were all occupied until the fire around 2012 or 2013. (The Moore’s who own the Traxler Mansion, lived in one of the units during the winter and would move back into the Traxler during the summer months).
Supposedly only two units actually has fire and water damage, one on the second floor and one directly below it, on the first floor, which had mostly water damage. All the other units only had some smoke damage. When Ina Jean Brown died, a relative who lived in California came to Dayton to settle her estate. He did not want any of the properties, especially the Van Damen given the fire damage, so he sold that property for $1,000.00 to Mike Manual of MDM Real Estate LLC who hoped to find grant money to repair the structure and open a prison re-entry and skilled trades training program in the property.
After several years and a couple Landmarks reviews for a new roof and a couple new dormers on the rear roof, he realized there really was no grant money and he had none of his own. In 2017, he sold the building to a Lewis Krutch for $50,000.
It was an expensive structure to construct. A pointed arched entry with the name “Van Deman” above, slate roof, polygonal bays with diamond pane windows on the sides, hipped roof dormers and massive brick porch supports define the building. When built, the building contained five very large apartments, four of which had servant’s rooms and large front porches. The interior is finished in mahogany and oak (much of which remains).
John Van Deman also resided in the building. Born in 1845, Van Deman was an attorney, member of the Dayton Bar Association, a staunch Republican, and lifelong Presbyterian. He died in 1916. At the time of the building’s sale by public auction in 1917 after Van Deman’s death, the sales ad for the building boasted of vapor heat, electric lights, natural gas and soft water throughout. A garage had room for “three machines” and its location on a large corner lot always insured light and ventilation.
Numerous references to occupants of the Van Deman can be found in the society pages of the Dayton Daily News and Dayton Herald between the 1910s and 1930s. One such resident, Gertrude Reynolds Andrews, daughter of John R. Reynolds, 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.
Going back to the mid-to-late 1980’s, the third floor apartment was featured in Good Housekeeping Magazine. It was professionally decorated in a monochromatic gray (walls, floors, furniture, window treatments, etc.) and was supposedly stunning.
The Van Deman has since been subdivided into additional apartments. It remains an important example of the variety of upscale living quarters built in the Dayton View Historic District and the preference of some of Dayton’s elite to enjoy the care-free and exclusive lifestyle the Van Deman apartments provided.
One of the owners for the Van Daman was Ina Jean who lived in the Herman Miller Mansion at 123 Yale for probably 30 to 40 years. She owned a number of properties in Historic Dayton View and other Dayton neighborhoods, including the Van Deman. (During her later years she took in three or four elderly roomers into her home along with a few cats to keep her company. She also rented out the Carriage House apartment behind her mansion.) She purchased the Van Deman in the early 1990’s and kept it until her death around 2012/2013.
When she purchased it, it had two very large apartments (2000+ sq. ft. each) on the first floor, two on the second floor with the same size and configuration as the first floor, and one apartment on the third floor attic for a total of 5 units. She sub-divided the first and second floor units and the building now has 9 or 11 units. People who were in the units indicated that she did a wonderful job and it is difficult to tell the divisions. Those units were all occupied until the fire around 2012 or 2013. (The Moore’s who own the Traxler Mansion, lived in one of the units during the winter and would move back into the Traxler during the summer months).
Supposedly only two units actually has fire and water damage, one on the second floor and one directly below it, on the first floor, which had mostly water damage. All the other units only had some smoke damage. When Ina Jean Brown died, a relative who lived in California came to Dayton to settle her estate. He did not want any of the properties, especially the Van Damen given the fire damage, so he sold that property for $1,000.00 to Mike Manual of MDM Real Estate LLC who hoped to find grant money to repair the structure and open a prison re-entry and skilled trades training program in the property.
After several years and a couple Landmarks reviews for a new roof and a couple new dormers on the rear roof, he realized there really was no grant money and he had none of his own. In 2017, he sold the building to a Lewis Krutch for $50,000.
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!
