Right off Woodman Drive, just north of 35 (not sure if it is Dayton or Riverside) there is a gated and heavily wooded property with a sign for "MacGregor Park."  Does anyone have any information on this place?  I believe it now serves as DP&L's headquarters, but was wondering what the story behind it is.  I read somewhere that it may have been owned by NCR.  Anyone have any idea?

 

http://maps.google.com/maps?ie=UTF8&z=17&ll=39.752997,-84.122411&spn=0.003687,0.007317&t=k&om=0

You know, I was thinking the same thing not too long ago!  I just noticed it and was wondering why the hell it exists.

I wonder if there is some connection with the Crawford McGregor and Canby company.  This was one of the oldest companies in the city, starting out making shoe lasts and wooden pegs.  Since they where good at forming and working wood they got into golf clubs and bowling things (this when McGregor joined the company)(the factory was at first near Wyandotte and Fourth, then moving to a big plant in Edgemont in the 1880s).

 

So there is that local connection with golf and the surname "McGregor".  The propertywas a golf course back in the 1920s and 30s, so I bet DP&L took it over as a recreation park for its employees, similar to the NCR Country Club

 

My dad used to work at McGregor Park back in the mid-90s. It was indeed a golf course and was bought by DP&L. It's their main HQ where are the real decision making is going on. Their office downtown is really more of a prop for media interviews and things like that (forgive conspiracy theory tone...I didn't know how not to make it sound like that :|). I've been inside the compound when he used to work there and MAN is it beautiful. The buildings are absolutely gorgeous on the inside with big trees growing in the atrium and what-not. Also, the grounds surrounding the buildings are full of tracks for jogging and benches to sit outside and have lunch. It's a very beautiful place, and if it's anything like it used to be, it suggests that the execs have a lot of money.

Thanks for the info.  Now that it has been mentioned, it is obvious in the Google satellite photo that it was a golf course.  I wonder when DP&L took it over and when they built their HQ there.  I don't know if DP&L even still has an office downtown on Courthouse Square.  Did the downtown location used to serve as their true headquarters?