McPherson Town, Dayton, Ohio

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For other meanings, see McPherson (disambiguation).
McPherson Town
(U.S. National Register of Historic Places)
Houses along McDaniel Street.
Houses along McDaniel Street.
Location: Dayton, Montgomery County, Ohio
Flag of United States United States
Built/Founded: February 1, 1845
Architectural style(s): Stick/Eastlake, Queen Anne and others.
Added to NRHP: 1977 [1]
Reference #: 88001712
Governing body: Dayton, Ohio

The McPherson Town Historic District contains roughly 90 structures located on the north side of downtown Dayton, just on the other side of the Great Miami River.

Contents

[edit] History

Tucked into a corner of the horseshoe area formed by a bend in the Great Miami River, McPherson Town was founded on February 1, 1845. On this date, an Irishman named Samuel McPherson filed a plat consisting of 34 swampy, wooded lots on both sides of Dayton and Covington Turnpike. The center of this plat was located at the present day North Main St. and McPherson St.

McPherson Town, and much of Dayton, OH, was devastated by the flood of 1897 and the Great Dayton Flood of 1913. Many homes were destroyed and badly damaged. Current residents still find pounds of flood mud in walls and ceilings during renovation projects.

In the years following World War II, Dayton citizens began their head-long flight to the suburbs, leaving an aging and declining inner-city, including McPherson Town. After years of neglect, the area was slated for bulldozing and urban renewal. Residential property was purchased for speculative purposes, including commercial development, highrise condominiums and an interstate highway. But the early 1970’s, a few key private investors recognized the unique historical significance of the neighborhood and began to renovate several old homes. With this, a move to obtain historic district status began.

[edit] Historic District

In August, 1977 Dayton declared McPherson Town its third historic neighborhood and structures were protected from future urban renewal efforts. In 1988, McPherson Town was registered on the National Register of Historic Places, bounded by Main St., Great Miami River, and I-75 and Downtown Dayton (No. 88001712). [2] City of Dayton Ordinance #25363.[3]

[edit] Architecture

Most of the structures still in existence today in McPherson Town were built between 1880 and 1900. The architecture of McPherson Town Historic District includes examples Stick/Eastlake, Queen Anne and others. Since 1995, several modern infill houses have been constructed to replace structures that had been lost to fire or decay, and repair the streetscape of the neighborhood. These new construction homes are designed to look period with modern conveniences.

[edit] References

[edit] External links


Neighborhoods of Dayton, Ohio
Nationally Recognized Historic Districts
Old Dayton View • East Third Street • Grafton Hill • Huffman
Kenilworth Avenue • Kossuth ColonyMcPherson TownOregon • Paul Laurence Dunbar
St. Anne's HillSouth Park • Webster Station • West Third Street • Wright Dunbar
Other Neighborhoods
Carillon • Dayton View Triangle • DeWeese • Downtown
Fairgrounds/Rubicon Park/Brown Street • Five Oaks • Linden Heights • McCook Field
Mt. Vernon • Old North Dayton • Riverdale • Twin Towers • Walnut Hills • University Row