Kroger Grocery Store, 531-535 Salem Avenue, Dayton

Source document Quoted word for word from HABS OHIO,57-DAYT,8-. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

Steele's Hill-Grafton Hill Salem Avenue Dayton Montgomery County Ohio UTM: 16. significance: This building is significant for its contribution to the commercial development of the Steele's Hill-Grafton Hill Historic District; a district which was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in The district is composed mainly of late nineteenth and early twentieth century residential buildings expressed with a mix of architectural styles. For a description of the Steele's Hill-Grafton Hill Historic District, refer to HABS No. OH-2467. Description: This is a two story, symmetrical, stretcher bond wire cut brick building that exhibits distinctive architectural details associated with the Commercial style.

The first floor construction has two retail bays with their display windows extensively altered. Flanking the retail bays, at each corner of the main facade, is found a door bay which leads to the second floor. Above the first floor, a soldier course separates the first and second floors. The second floor is distinguished by two large window bays that exhibit single aluminum sash multiple windows. Above each first floor door bay is found a single 1/1 aluminum sash window. All window bays are enframed with a soldier course lintel treatment and a plain stone sill that is continuous at the two large bays. All window and door bays are separated by the use of engaged piers that rise from a stone base and terminate with a plain stone cap. This stone evolves to cap the low parapet as well.

Above the second floor is found another plain brick soldier course that divides the second floor wall treatment from the parapet. At either side, the building abuts the adjoining commercial construction. At the rear, a one story concrete block addition was added at an unknown time. The original interior has been greatly altered and no significant details remain. The first floor interior has been divided with the loss of original partition walls. The second floor has experienced some division to the original floor plan. History: The building was constructed in by Ernest Bork as a real estate investment. Mr. Bork owned a real estate company in Dayton.

The first tenant within the building was the Kroger Company, a Cincinnati based grocery company that was expanding its operation into the Dayton market. The company occupied one of the retail bays at the first floor. They remained in the Kroger Grocery Store HABS No. OH-2462 (Page 2) buildings until when the moved further north to meet the needs of the expanding northern Dayton suburbs. The other retail bay housed a variety of commercial uses which included a drug store, a beauty shop, grocery store, clothing store, and bakery. The second floor initially housed several offices which include an insurance company and accounting office. By the the office activities were no longer using the second floor.

The Kroger Company was using the portion over their store for storage and a pool hall was using the remaining half of the second floor. By the the building and the surrounding commercial cluster had become blighted. During the and land uses within the building changed quickly. There appeared to be no stability to the tenants. This was a reflection of the social change that the neighborhood was going through as well at that time. Additionally, ownership of the building changed several times. The last remaining tenant left the building in the early Since then, it has remained vacant. The building is scheduled for demolition and the lot will be incorporated into a new post office complex.

Source document Quoted word for word from HABS OHIO,57-DAYT,8-. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

Information used to prepare this documentation included the following: Drury, A. W., History of the City of Dayton and Montgomery County, Ohio, Volume 1, S. J. Clark Publishing Co. Montgomery County Recorder's Office, Title Search. Prosser, Teresa, National Register of Historic Places Inventory- Nomination Form, Grafton Hill Historic District. Sanborn Insurance Map Company, Insurance Map of Dayton, Ohio, Volume 2, and revisions. William's Publishing Company, William's Dayton City Directory, various dates.

Source document Quoted word for word from HABS OHIO,57-DAYT,8-. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

Fred Mitchell Historic Preservation Associates Lenox Place Cincinnati, Ohio September, KROGER GROCERY STORE HABS No. OH-2462 (Page 3) Overall Dimensions < and Interior Floor Plan [5 ~ .~ v ?i Salem Avenue ., ~ - -- - - - c - ~ = ~ v .~

First Floor Second Floor

Not to Scale ~ G) trj >~ o:l (/) G) z~ 0 () trj ~ 1' "O 0 i< Pl N IQ I (I) CD N t-3 ~ *"' *"' 0 O'I trj N