Dayton Vistas

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Dayton Vistas Dayton history, architecture and urban redevelopment by Andrew Walsh, author of Lost Dayton, Ohio.

Find my book, YouTube history videos, podcast, and my Dayton history newsletter in the links below 👇 Dayton Vistas is a Dayton history and urban development blog by Andrew Walsh, author of Lost Dayton, OH and local librarian. The word vista means a pleasing view, but it can also mean a “comprehensive mental view of a series of remembered or anticipated events.” Dayton Vistas features quite a few images shot in Dayton (both historic and contemporary), but also longer reflections about the city’s history as well as what it is doing today to reinvent itself. This can include histories of individual buildings, either lost or saved; glimpses at industries and businesses of Dayton’s past; updates on new developments in the city core and their implications; and profiles of popular cultural destinations in Dayton today, often with a look at their sites’ past.

It's a rainy Friday downtown, but glad I still made the walk over to Lumpia Queen for lunch.
10/16/2026

It's a rainy Friday downtown, but glad I still made the walk over to Lumpia Queen for lunch.

10/15/2026

The Dayton Arcade rotunda has seen a lot since 1904, including decades when it sat dark, empty, and frozen in time.

On October 22, I’ll be giving a talk down in The Tank, right below the rotunda, where I'll cover the Arcade’s eeriest era and how it came back from the dead, plus some hidden stories from the surrounding blocks, with plenty of old photos to help tell the story.

Tickets (with a beverage included) are available at:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/hidden-stories-of-the-arcade-lost-dayton-comes-back-to-life-tickets-2002090076313

10/14/2026

This block on Warren Street in South Park, Dayton was transformed twice in just the past 20 years.

I've wrapped up my lunchtime walking tours with Curio at Courthouse Square for the season, but if you're interested in m...
10/13/2026

I've wrapped up my lunchtime walking tours with Curio at Courthouse Square for the season, but if you're interested in more Dayton Arcade history I'll be there for another talk next Thursday evening 10/22!

Learn more and grab a ticket on Eventbrite (in the comments).

Also on High Street in St. Anne's Hill just a few doors down from the DSA is this 1895 Romanesque Revival church buildin...
10/12/2026

Also on High Street in St. Anne's Hill just a few doors down from the DSA is this 1895 Romanesque Revival church building that was originally the First United Presbyterian Church. It was later converted to a private residence.

I visited the Dayton Society of Artists yesterday for a quick meeting. Their building on High Street in St. Anne's Hill ...
10/10/2026

I visited the Dayton Society of Artists yesterday for a quick meeting. Their building on High Street in St. Anne's Hill is the Wesley Boren home, built in 1869 in the Renaissance Revival style.

There have been a lot of new housing units built in and around downtown in recent years, but last week I wrote about a r...
10/08/2026

There have been a lot of new housing units built in and around downtown in recent years, but last week I wrote about a rare building type in Dayton: the 19th century apartment building.

It’s the Insco Apartments, today known as the Riverfront Grande.

The building has a connection to Newcom Tavern, Dayton’s oldest structure that survives, and which once stood on the same spot as the apartment building.

Read my history article here:

https://daytonvistas.com/history-of-the-insco-apartment-building-riverfront-grande/

I haven't mentioned my book here in a while, but I'm excited to say you can now buy a signed copy of Lost Dayton, Ohio d...
10/06/2026

I haven't mentioned my book here in a while, but I'm excited to say you can now buy a signed copy of Lost Dayton, Ohio directly from me!

In the book I cover a variety of retail, industrial, entertainment, and residential sites, but "lost" doesn't just mean demolished. The book also covers places that narrowly escaped the wrecking ball, and sites whose history has largely been forgotten.

Quite a few people have asked me about the best way to buy in order to to support what I do here, and that is definitely buying direct! I can ship anywhere in the U.S as well.

You can order a copy here: https://daytonvistas.com/books/

And let me know in the comments which lost Dayton building you most wish could have been saved.

The building on E 2nd St that housed Mudlick Tap House from 2017-2025 is up for sale.The bar and restaurant moved to Upt...
10/05/2026

The building on E 2nd St that housed Mudlick Tap House from 2017-2025 is up for sale.

The bar and restaurant moved to Uptown Centerville, but hopefully something new can come to this downtown space.

On this date 106 years ago, the Dayton Triangles beat the Columbus Panhandles in the first NFL game right played here in...
10/03/2026

On this date 106 years ago, the Dayton Triangles beat the Columbus Panhandles in the first NFL game right played here in Dayton at Triangle Park.

Below see a newspaper article published on Oct. 3, 1920 previewing the game and showing several of Dayton's standout players, plus an old (undated) and more current aerial view of Triangle Park.

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