On the evening of July 3rd, neighbors gathered on the eastern edge of the neighborhood to watch this year’s City of Dayton fireworks show. Everyone remarked what a terrific show it was – especially with the added bonus of being steps from home and without the hassle of parking and finding a spot among the crowds. Happy Birthday, America!
Detour to access McPherson Town
ODOT has completed the northbound lanes of the Main Street Bridge reconstruction and began work on the southbound lanes on May 3, 2019. To keep the project on schedule, it was necessary to close the intersection of Main Street and Riverview Ave. to vehicular traffic. Vehicles won’t be able to turn from Main St. to Riverview Ave. and vice versa to come an go from McPherson Town. Access is now from the west only, via Riverview Ave near the Dayton Art Institute. The closure will remain until late October, 2019. Please drive carefully!
Hawthorne School converted to condos
Hawthorne school, located at 226 McDaniel St. was built in 1886 and expanded in 1911. It was named after author Nathaniel Hawthorne, American novelist and short story writer. It was used as a school for nearly 90 years (until 1974), then transformed into a center for unwed mothers for several years and later turned into a practice space for local dance companies.
By 1987, the school was closed and in dire need of repairs. Fortunately, neighbors had successfully petitioned to have it placed on the National Register of Historic Places a year earlier (1986). The city acquired the school in 1989 in a land swap with Dayton Public Schools. Over the next several years, numerous efforts to renovate the red brick building fell through however, in January 1998, the old vacant Hawthorne Elementary school was renovated into a 20 unit apartment complex.
Twenty years later, the 20 upscale, loft-style units are being offered as condos (in an as is state) to meet the growing demands for home ownership in the neighborhood. One unit has been upgraded as a model to provide vision and priced to reflect the unit upgrades. The school embodies old schoolhouse charm while offering an affordable living alternative in one of downtown Dayton’s most in demand neighborhoods. Units range in price from $58,000 to $137,600.
Each condo is unique and includes reminders of late nineteenth century educational institutions, including polished wood floors, wainscoting transom windows, coat room hooks, chalkboards, and more. There are studio, one bedroom and two bedroom units. Each unit comes with an assigned parking space and an option to purchase a garage on a first come basis.
Hawthorne School is just a short walk over the bridge to downtown proper and sits half way between the Dayton Art Institute and RiverScape MetroPark – home to many festivals and events. For the urban dog lover, Hawthorne offers green space for you and your loyal companion to enjoy, and a dog park at Deeds Point is a short walk away.
Interested in making the Hawthorne School your new downtown home? Contact Steve Seboldt of Sibcy Cline to take your pick of available units, 937-609-7984.
Sample listings:
- #110 3 bedroom – Stage Unit! – MLS# 765837
- #170 2 bedroom – MLS# 762244
- #250 2 bedroom – MLS# 766952
- #130 1 bedroom – MLS# 763649
- #230 1 bedroom –MLS# 760496
- #280 1 bedroom –MLS# 760962
- #240 1 bedroom –MLS# 760415
View complete information packet >>
Battle of the Breakfasts in McPherson Town
Launched in November 2017, Battle of the Breakfasts pits two Dayton food trucks against each other in a no holds bar battle for who has the best breakfast! This year, the Battle has been moved to McPherson Town, hosted at White Allen Chevrolet at 429 N. Main St.
Each 4th Sunday of the month through Oct. 2018, come out between 10am-2pm to eat some breakfast, cast your vote and grab a coffee from the Ghostlight Coffee truck! The breakfast truck with the most sales will carry on to the next round against a new competitor the following month.
Changes coming to Main Street Bridge
In May 2016, a public meeting was held concerning Main Street/SR 48 Bridge over Great Miami River, which sits at the southeastern corner of the McPherson Town and connects the neighborhood to downtown.
Improvements are needed to address the deteriorated condition of the bridge, constructed in 1956, as detailed in this handout provided at the meeting.
Residents and other interested parties were able to review and comment on the planned rehabilitation of the bridge, including asking for pedestrian lighting and attractive handrails on the bridge; replacement of the bricks that memorialize inventors, allow people in cars to see the river, attractive architectural treatments to the exterior of the bridge similar to other bridges recently rebuilt in the city, infrastructure for cyclists on Main Street, as well as addressing the steep slope and lack of cross-walk at the north end of the bridge.
Since May, the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) and the City of Dayton have been working to revise their plan based on feedback given at the meeting. Construction is slated to begin in 2018 and run through the fall of 2019.
Learn more about the history of the Main Street Bridge, first constructed in 1838, but replaced several times over the years, including a graceful 1892 version that was one of Dayton’s first concrete bridges and acted as a model for other bridges that existed downtown for more than a century and withstood the pounding waters of the 1913 flood.
More than 700 visitors start their holidays with McPT
The sites and sounds of the season were alive in McPherson Town Thanksgiving weekend as the neighborhood hosted the bi-annual holiday historic home tour. Guests enjoyed touring the interiors of 10 historic homes all fancied up for the holidays, as well as fresh-baked treats and cider. We hope you’ll mark your calendars for Thanksgiving weekend 2018 when the holiday home tour returns.
Photos by the talented Lisa Powell
Neighbors celebrate 10th annual Chili Cook-off
Twenty crockpots and a record number of neighbors filled the Stewart-Powell garage for the 10th Annual McPherson Town Chili Cook-off in October.
Competition was fierce this year. The top winners were each separated by a single vote.
- First place went to “Betty White Sweet and Spicy.”
- The silver ladle was awarded to “Chili So Good It Will Make You Build a Wall and Pay For It. ”
- Our Gold winner from 2015 took home the bronze with her concoction, “Thai Did the Chicken Cross the Road?
- The green ladle went to the vegetarian entry, “Red Lentil-Coconut Chili.”
And during the course of the night, the Buckeyes pulled off an overtime victory over Wisconsin to stay undefeated, dispelling any superstition to avoid the neighborhood during game days.
Progressive Brunch held
For our monthly dining out gathering in June, neighbors hosted a progressive brunch in the neighborhood. With 4 stops, attendees enjoyed yogurt parfaits, bacon-wrapped pineapple, french toast casserole, mimosas and more!
First RiverScape River Run drop complete, Second drop started
Construction has begun on the second water feature at RiverScape River Run, the whitewater play park in the Great Miami River adjacent to McPherson Town.
Work on the $4 million River Run project began in July 2015. The first water feature constructed is built atop what was the Monument Avenue low dam. It spans the river near the Dayton Art Institute. The project should transform the low dam — a drowning hazard for many years — into a safe passage for recreational paddlers and a whitewater chute for kayakers.
The second feature sits in front of RiverScape MetroPark on the river – both will be easily accessible for neighborhood paddlers, fisherpeople, and observers.
McPherson Town is excited to have this new amenity on our front door step.
North River Walk completed
The North River Walk in Dayton is a beautiful levee-top walkway along the Great Miami River, between Main Street and the I-75 Bridge.
This walkway, adjacent to McPherson Town, now features a sunny, quarter-mile path of crushed limestone with concrete edges. It includes a swing and an accessible ramp as well as waste receptacles and dog-bag dispensers. Views of the downtown skyline are impressive from this North River Walk.
Many thanks to the Miami Conservancy District for these improvement to the walk, an amenity used daily by neighborhood dog-walkers, runners and commuters.
McPherson Town Historic District 