Ever since we moved into the warehouse conversion side of the Cooper Lofts in Downtown Dayton, my wife and I have talked about how cool it would be to own the little house outside our window at 120 North St. Clair.  Well, after a year of negotiating with the owner (who has been trying to sell it for a couple years now), we finally settled on a price and we just closed on it recently. 

 

I searched this forum to see if anybody had posted any pics of the building or information on its history and discovered a thread by Jeff:

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php?topic=5404.0

 

Here are some pictures:

 

 

 

 

The house was built in 1829 and is the second oldest standing house in Dayton (Jeff's thread agreed with this info).  It is two-story, has 1800 sq feet, is zoned for both residential and commercial, and has a nice courtyard behind it that is currently leased by the condo association.

 

Now, we certainly don't have the means to simply buy buildings for the hell of it, and we are counting on the rental income that it is currently getting from a commercial tenant in order to make our mortgage payments.  But eventually that tenant will move on and we will have to figure out what to do with it.  We've had fun coming up with different uses for the building - what do you guys think would be a cool thing to do with this little piece of Dayton's history? 

 

Also, if Jeff or anybody else has more info on the history of this building, I'd love to hear your stories.  I'll be doing my own research over the next few months and I will update this post if I find anything interesting.

This is what I'm trying to do with property!

 

Congrats, you'll have a lot of fun preping the building to your specs for a rental property.

 

That looks like a great building, my head is spinning with ideas, just looking at the exterior.

 

It appears to be on a corner and looks like a great place for a cafe, book store, spa or some type of boutique retail.

 

Floor plans?  Pictures?

Surface lot.

 

 

 

Just kidding. Congrats!

 

If the foot traffic and dollars are there, a cafe will do well. I'd consider doing a coffee and brew mix ala Kaldi's in Cinci.

 

Love Kaldi's.

Wow, what a great building!!!!

 

Man, I don't even know what you could do with it. Anything! I just like admiring it :)

This is what I'm trying to do with property!

 

Congrats, you'll have a lot of fun preping the building to your specs for a rental property.

 

That looks like a great building, my head is spinning with ideas, just looking at the exterior.

 

It appears to be on a corner and looks like a great place for a cafe, book store, spa or some type of boutique retail.

 

Floor plans?  Pictures?

 

Thanks! I will post some interior pics soon.  The inside is pretty amazing - the developer painstakingly renovated it with all new mechanicals, plumbing, roof, etc. while preserving the historic feel of the building.  The ceiling joists are exposed and have the original wood pegs holding them in place (I guess metal was not in wide use in 1829?). 

 

Surface lot.

HAHA - now THAT is friggin funny!

I don't have any ideas for uses...but mutton (sp?) bars across the bottom windows would certainly enhance the exterior greatly.

 

Best of luck to you!

Is there a museum nearby? If not, how about leasing it to a local historical society? Or, you could always let them use it for free and then write off your costs of ownership/maintenance of the donated space on your income tax filing -- as long as they're a 501©(3) educational organization.

Definately coffee shop or bar.  *:)*

Is there a museum nearby? If not, how about leasing it to a local historical society? Or, you could always let them use it for free and then write off your costs of ownership/maintenance of the donated space on your income tax filing -- as long as they're a 501©(3) educational organization.

 

Thats a great idea!!

It seems as if it would make a beautiful, perfect, and quaint gift shop...

 

Florist...

 

Coffee shop...

has anyone said harem yet?

I am always a fan of cafes...but I'm not sure if the market is there for it or not.  You could also do some sort of cd shop or whatever...it looks as if it will have to be some sort of small local thingy.  Good Luck, I envy your position!!

You could sell Urban Ohio postcards, posters & stuff.

That building is beautiful. Move in.

has anyone said harem yet?

 

I was thinking it really, really loud.

Well, I think you should paint the shutters and flowerboxes green, and plant red geraniums in the flowerboxes.

 

For use, that courtyard reminds me of the Cafe Lutz in Chicago, where they had a very pleasant seasonal courtyard in which to enjoy their very continental pastries and coffee. 

 

 

...so in an ideal world, a Dayton version of the Cafe/Condittori Lutz, which would be a true cafe/bakery/pastry shop, not one of these US style coffeeshops.

 

But that's just me.

 

Realistically speaking this would never sell in Dayton, and any restaurant downtown is questionable unless its a fast food thing for the lunch crowd.  The track record of better restaurants in the CBD has not been good, plus there is the cost of having to put in a commercial kitchen and bake ovens and so forth. 

 

So I'd just keep the commercial tenant you have in there, and maybe find similar buisness-to-buisness tenants, not retail or retail-oriented services.

 

As for the history, yes I'd love to know the story on this place!  I doubt many know it exists and that it is such a relic. I am thrilled that this, this historical artifact is in good hands and won't be demolished like so much that is old in Dayton. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well, I think you should paint the shutters and flowerboxes green, and plant red geraniums in the flowerboxes.

 

For use, that courtyard reminds me of the Cafe Lutz in Chicago, where they had a very pleasant seasonal courtyard in which to enjoy their very continental pastries and coffee. 

 

 

...so in an ideal world, a Dayton version of the Cafe/Condittori Lutz, which would be a true cafe/bakery/pastry shop, not one of these US style coffeeshops.

 

But that's just me.

 

Realistically speaking this would never sell in Dayton, and any restaurant downtown is questionable unless its a fast food thing for the lunch crowd.  The track record of better restaurants in the CBD has not been good, plus there is the cost of having to put in a commercial kitchen and bake ovens and so forth. 

 

So I'd just keep the commercial tenant you have in there, and maybe find similar buisness-to-buisness tenants, not retail or retail-oriented services.

 

As for the history, yes I'd love to know the story on this place!  I doubt many know it exists and that it is such a relic. I am thrilled that this, this historical artifact is in good hands and won't be demolished like so much that is old in Dayton. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To bad cafe lutz is closed for renovations.  last time I was in Chicago...I gagged!

^

you gagged...heh....as I was saying this type of cafe/pastry shop would not go over in Dayton.

 

I am wondering if the upstairs could be done into apartments and the downstairs, with the big windows, could be some sort of commerical venture. 

^

you gagged...heh....as I was saying this type of cafe/pastry shop would not go over in Dayton.

 

 

Correction:  It wouldn't go over in downtown Dayton. 

Reminds me of a quaint youth hostel or something.. 

 

err..if it was in europe.

Thanks for you ideas!  Since the house within one block from 75 exising condos and townhomes with another 50 or so to begin construction this year (First and Patterson), I like our chances at succeeding with something there. 

 

And I am a huge fan of independent coffee shops!

^

you gagged...heh....as I was saying this type of cafe/pastry shop would not go over in Dayton.

 

I am wondering if the upstairs could be done into apartments and the downstairs, with the big windows, could be some sort of commerical venture. 

 

No I gagged and was upset the location was closed!  I love coffee and that spot!

Thanks for you ideas!  Since the house within one block from 75 exising condos and townhomes with another 50 or so to begin construction this year (First and Patterson), I like our chances at succeeding with something there. 

 

And I am a huge fan of independent coffee shops!

 

Just do it :).

i look at that and immediately think it would make an awesome bed and breakfast, esp for business folks who hate corporate hotels. that would be minimal as far as conversion expenses, but you would have to be all over it every morning to make them breakfast, change linen, clean, etc. -- although i suppose you could hire someone to do those things. you might enjoy being a "host for dayton" tho, thats the kind of thing i bet we would all envy.

 

our friends own properties all over dayton and they might know a good management agency if you want us to ask'em.

 

i look at that and immediately think it would make an awesome bed and breakfast, esp for business folks who hate corporate hotels. that would be minimal as far as conversion expenses, but you would have to be all over it every morning to make them breakfast, change linen, clean, etc. -- although i suppose you could hire someone to do those things. you might enjoy being a "host for dayton" tho, thats the kind of thing i bet we would all envy.

 

That is a neat idea - though with only 1800 sq feet it might be a bit small for that.  Still, it has potential...