Historic Dayton, Ohio Arcade in Jeopardy

The "Arcade" as it is known in downtown Dayton, Ohio is a historical landmark located in the heart of downtown and is surrounded by Ludlow, Main, Third and Fourth Street. It was constructed in 1902 and its unique design of five interconnecting buildings topped by a glass domed rotunda was conceived by Eugene Barney of the Barney and Smith Car Company. Two balconies encircle the entire enclave. The architect for this project was Frank Andrews who is also known for his designs for the NCR buildings in Dayton and the American Building in downtown Dayton. A forward thinking Barney not only conceived this unique design but also made sure to include, what was at this time, recent innovations available such as elevators, which go to the second floor balcony inside the rotunda, a power plant and a cold storage plant.

Of the five interconnecting buildings, the most notable one is Flemish in design and fronts Third Street. Rumor has it that the building was designed to reflect a historical guild hall in Amsterdam. Two of the other buildings, along Ludlow and Fourth Street are of Italian Renaissance Revival design. Although the Arcade has such unusual architecture, its most noteworthy attribute is the great dome. It is 70 feet high and 90 feet in diameter. The glass of the rotunda was originally glazed similar to a coke bottle with wire mesh reinforcements. The detailing within the rotunda is of items representative of Ohio. There are festoons of oak leaves with acorns, garlands of grain, and rams heads. The cornucopias are filled with fruits and vegetables produced in Ohio. At each frame of the dome are colorful wild turkeys.

When first opened it acted as a farmers market, with housing on the balconies. People would come from all over to purchase fresh fruits, vegetables, seafood, meats, home baked goods, and unusual specialty items. It was also a market for flowers and luxury items. One of the most interesting facts about this building is that it truly was a multi use site with restaurants, markets, housing, offices and services. In the late 1970's investors decided to try a different look for the Arcade and began a major renovation. In the 1980's the Arcade was reopened as a retail shopping center with upscale restaurants and stores. However, this new look for the historic building was not successful and it was closed in the 1990's.

The five buildings are surrounded by the high rises of Dayton, such as they are. They have stood empty since 1991 when the days of shopping downtown or meeting there for dinner was popular. The utilities were turned off in 2005 and since then this beautiful, one of a kind historic centerpiece in Dayton has been left to fall to ruin. It is now crumbling and water damaged and the glory of its past is faded. Recent innovations to the downtown Dayton area has included a new performing arts center and several other restaurants, no one has been able to find a use for this building.

Many people have fond memories of this building. I remember shopping there in the retail section which was full of "mom and pop" and specialty type stores. Not many chain stores resided in this building. However, I do also remember that the building, though gloriously unique and a wonder just to walk through was never full, of retail stores or shoppers. During the Christmas season, the Arcade did become full of life with children visiting Santa's lap, traditional Christmas treats sold from carts, beautiful, large poinsettias placed throughout the building and strands of white lights trailing along the railings and balconies. It truly became a winter wonderland.

This historic building is now in jeopardy and many people with memories like mine may have that only, just the memories. A tax lien has been placed against the property in the sum of $270,000 to be paid by November 19, 2007. A grass roots effort has begun to raise the funds necessary to pay off the lien and begin a dialogue as to a future use for this historically glorious building - something more uplifting than simply tearing it down. The efforts of this local grass roots organization include passing out flyers, creating souvenir and memorabilia of the Arcade, buttons, fund raising, press releases, and plans to provide a tour of the Arcade in order to increase awareness of its uniqueness and cultural significance to the history of Dayton. Details about the effort to save this building and the organization spear-heading this effort can be found at http://daytonarcade.wetpaint.com.

In the past few years, downtown Dayton has attempted many projects to increase the visibility of its downtown area and to bring people downtown again. The Schuster Center for Performing Arts was created and used for a variety of venues ranging from high school graduations to home to the Dayton Ballet, the Dayton Opera and the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra. The Dayton Victoria Theatre, also a well known historic site in the area was saved to become home to the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company as well as to several distinctive programs for adults and children.

The Arcade is not only worthy of preservation simply because of its historic significance or because of the wonderful memories that many people who have lived or currently live in Dayton have of special events there. It also is a ready made opportunity for some enterprising entity to use to return downtown Dayton, Ohio to some of its former glory. Ideas abound for the use of this one of a kind piece of architecture if the building could be saved and albeit expensive renovations could return it to its original glory. This landmark is a significant part of Dayton history and deserves to be treated with dignity, hopefully by doing so the downtown Dayton area could also continue its efforts to renovate downtown and bring life back into it.