|
Welcome to a self-guided walking tour of the West Third Street Historic District in Dayton, Ohio.
This walking tour will highlight some of the architectural and historical features of the commercial area of West Third Street between North Broadway and Shannon Streets. The tour takes approximately one hour. There are several other fascinating historic sites that we hope you will include in this or future visits. These include the Wright-Dunbar Interpretive Center at 16 South Williams Street and the Paul Laurence Dunbar Historic District and house museum a few blocks to the west at 219 North Paul Laurence Dunbar Street. These sites are part of the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park. And you don’t want to miss the walking tour of Wright-Dunbar Village, the residential area adjacent to West Third Street. This fascinating neighborhood was the home of the Wright family at the turn of the century and the center of Dayton’s African American community from the 1920s to the early 1960s. On your walk, you can also experience the Dayton Walk of Fame. Sidewalk plaques recognize more than 150 outstanding individuals and groups for their contributions to our region and the world. |
|
|
Listen here:
|
| ||
Please walk carefully and be aware of any unevenness in the terrain as you appreciate the area. If you have any questions about this National Register District, please contact Wright Dunbar Incorporated at www.wright-dunbar.org
The West Third Street Historic District is significant for its association with three internationally acclaimed Daytonians, Orville and Wilbur Wright and Paul Laurence Dunbar. The area was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated a local historic district by the City of Dayton in 2002. The business corridor was selected for the “Main Street Program,” a National Trust for Historic Preservation initiative that revitalizes historically significant commercial areas throughout the United States.
The Wright brothers lived nearby at 7 Hawthorne Street where Orville set up the brothers’ first printing shop. And they had a presence in the business district from 1889 to 1918 where they developed their printing, bicycle, and aviation innovations—including the world’s first airplane.
West Third Street also played an important role in the life of Paul Laurence Dunbar, the renowned African American poet. Dunbar’s parents were born into slavery. However, his mother learned to read and worked hard to ensure her son received an education. Dunbar was the president of the literary society and editor of the school paper at Dayton’s Central High School. After graduation, he collaborated with his friend Orville Wright on the Dayton Tattler, a black neighborhood newspaper printed by the Wright brothers on their presses in the Hoover Block. Over his short lifetime, Dunbar produced an internationally acclaimed body of literature that contributed to the nation’s social consciousness and the cultural identity of African-Americans. He is associated with prominent civil rights leaders of his time and continues to influence acclaimed writers today.
Before the 1840s most of the land in this area of Dayton was used for scattered farmsteads surrounding “Mexico,” a tiny commercial district along West Third Street. The area was largely undeveloped until after the Civil War. In 1869, W.P. Huffman and H.S. Williams built the Dayton Street Railway across the Great Miami River. Commercial ventures sprang up along the rail line and residential neighborhoods followed. Initially, black homes and businesses were located near West Fifth Street while Hungarian families and businesses were found on West Third.
The area saw a shift in population around World War I. African Americans moved from the south to the industrial north for jobs and opportunities. This movement coupled with housing segregation brought many black residents to West Dayton. As the African-American population grew, West Fifth and West Third Streets became the heart of black life in Dayton between the 1920s and early 1960s
In the mid-to-late 1960s, highway construction had a damaging effect on West Dayton. Residences and businesses were destroyed to make way for new roads which encouraged suburban flight. Decades of redlining by lenders and insurance companies prevented investment in the area. In 1966, protests damaged properties in the commercial district, contributing to further disinvestment.
In the 1970s and 1980s, the City of Dayton began to demolish blighted properties along West Third Street, especially west of North Broadway. Many other properties were also demolished including those north of West Third to Wolf Creek, almost all of West Fifth Street, and many residential homes in Wright-Dunbar Village.
Mayor Mike Turner and Commissioner Idotha ‘Boostie’ Neal collaborated and led the City’s efforts to revitalize the area. Neal later served as President of Wright-Dunbar, Incorporated from 2005 to 2014. Neal’s leadership, along with support from the Mathile Family Foundation, were key factors in stabilizing and revitalizing the commercial area. Today thriving businesses, renovated apartments, and the National Park Service make the area one of the most desirable and walkable districts in the city.
Please begin your tour at the corner of West Third and Williams Streets. ⋆
↓ Click this box with the arrow to see the details of each property.
The West Third Street Historic District is significant for its association with three internationally acclaimed Daytonians, Orville and Wilbur Wright and Paul Laurence Dunbar. The area was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated a local historic district by the City of Dayton in 2002. The business corridor was selected for the “Main Street Program,” a National Trust for Historic Preservation initiative that revitalizes historically significant commercial areas throughout the United States.
The Wright brothers lived nearby at 7 Hawthorne Street where Orville set up the brothers’ first printing shop. And they had a presence in the business district from 1889 to 1918 where they developed their printing, bicycle, and aviation innovations—including the world’s first airplane.
West Third Street also played an important role in the life of Paul Laurence Dunbar, the renowned African American poet. Dunbar’s parents were born into slavery. However, his mother learned to read and worked hard to ensure her son received an education. Dunbar was the president of the literary society and editor of the school paper at Dayton’s Central High School. After graduation, he collaborated with his friend Orville Wright on the Dayton Tattler, a black neighborhood newspaper printed by the Wright brothers on their presses in the Hoover Block. Over his short lifetime, Dunbar produced an internationally acclaimed body of literature that contributed to the nation’s social consciousness and the cultural identity of African-Americans. He is associated with prominent civil rights leaders of his time and continues to influence acclaimed writers today.
Before the 1840s most of the land in this area of Dayton was used for scattered farmsteads surrounding “Mexico,” a tiny commercial district along West Third Street. The area was largely undeveloped until after the Civil War. In 1869, W.P. Huffman and H.S. Williams built the Dayton Street Railway across the Great Miami River. Commercial ventures sprang up along the rail line and residential neighborhoods followed. Initially, black homes and businesses were located near West Fifth Street while Hungarian families and businesses were found on West Third.
The area saw a shift in population around World War I. African Americans moved from the south to the industrial north for jobs and opportunities. This movement coupled with housing segregation brought many black residents to West Dayton. As the African-American population grew, West Fifth and West Third Streets became the heart of black life in Dayton between the 1920s and early 1960s
In the mid-to-late 1960s, highway construction had a damaging effect on West Dayton. Residences and businesses were destroyed to make way for new roads which encouraged suburban flight. Decades of redlining by lenders and insurance companies prevented investment in the area. In 1966, protests damaged properties in the commercial district, contributing to further disinvestment.
In the 1970s and 1980s, the City of Dayton began to demolish blighted properties along West Third Street, especially west of North Broadway. Many other properties were also demolished including those north of West Third to Wolf Creek, almost all of West Fifth Street, and many residential homes in Wright-Dunbar Village.
Mayor Mike Turner and Commissioner Idotha ‘Boostie’ Neal collaborated and led the City’s efforts to revitalize the area. Neal later served as President of Wright-Dunbar, Incorporated from 2005 to 2014. Neal’s leadership, along with support from the Mathile Family Foundation, were key factors in stabilizing and revitalizing the commercial area. Today thriving businesses, renovated apartments, and the National Park Service make the area one of the most desirable and walkable districts in the city.
Please begin your tour at the corner of West Third and Williams Streets. ⋆
↓ Click this box with the arrow to see the details of each property.