Posted January 24, 200421 yr Group to discuss options for Arcade Panel studying redevelopment of downtown site By Shannon Joyce Neal Dayton Daily News Wednesday, January 21, 2004 A committee of local officials, business leaders and development experts will present recommendations for the redevelopment of the Arcade to the Downtown Dayton Partnership next week, President Maureen Pero said. The Arcade, on the downtown block bordered Third and Fourth streets and Ludlow and Main streets, has been mostly vacant for more than a decade. Pero said the group has been studying various options for the property, ranging from demolition to a complete rehabilitation. The group will give its recommendations for how to redevelop the property at the partnership's board meeting Tuesday. Pero said the group has identified a funding gap of $7 million to $12 million for any potential redevelopment project. ... http://www.daytondailynews.com/ I'll be keeping an eye on this. I really don't think that there is a serious threat of demolition though.
January 24, 200421 yr I remember the Arcade from my childhood. I thought it was awesome (and I wasn't yet a city freak). I hope they can find a use suitable for such a grand old place.
January 24, 200421 yr Indeed ^ "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
December 17, 200420 yr From the Dayton Business Journal, 12/16/04: Arcade leads local tax delinquents John Wilfong DBJ Staff Reporter The Arcade in downtown Dayton is tops on Montgomery County's annual delinquent property tax list. Brownfield Charities Inc., which took ownership of the 100-year-old series of seven buildings at 28-30 W. Third St. earlier this year, owes $77,743.82 in county property taxes, according to Montgomery County Treasurer Hugh Quill. The Arcade was No. 1 on the county's "Delinquent Dozen" list it has published each year since 1995. The property owners on this year's list owe a total of $421,115.06. Quill said the list is intended to encourage payment or to entice the owners to start some sort of payment plan. ... http://www.bizjournals.com/dayton/stories/2004/12/13/daily33.html
December 19, 200420 yr just demolish it! the thing is such an eyesore anyway. and downtown doesn't have enough parking as it is now.
December 22, 200420 yr There was an editorial about the Arcade in todays Dayton Daily News, Faith Needed on Arcade Complex The op-ed talks about the tax situation, but also: "...On top of that, Mr. Staub says it costs an additional $10,000 a month, on average, just to keep the buildings in basic repair and heated in the winter." ..lets hope we dont start seeing deferred maintenacne and shutting of heat. Deterioration will accelerate if that happens. The article also says: "For one thing, "giving up" would come at a significant cost, arguably much more than simply maintaining the Arcade in its current status. Demolition would be expensive and would yield an eyesore that would add little developable land to adjacent buildings. The scar would become, as one observer has said, the "most expensive vacant land downtown." Mayor Rhine McLin, Dayton city staff, and associates of the Downtown Dayton Partnership, along with Mr. Staub, have been the Arcade's champions. Mayor McLin enlisted the help of the Mayor's Institute on City Design, an agency organized by the National Endowment for the Arts and dedicated to the "design and livability" of American cities. Its representatives came to town to find an Arcade they described as an "extraordinarily high quality complex of buildings" that are in good repair, that benefit from "excellent pre-development analysis" and that will become "great public spaces when accessible."
January 29, 200520 yr From the Dayton Daily News. Let's hope it doesn't come to that... :cry: Owner sees no future for Arcade Complex on market, but little interest, he says; demolition considered By Shannon Joyce Neal and Jim Bebbington DAYTON | The owner of the historic downtown Dayton Arcade confirmed Friday he has put the five-building complex up for sale for $6 million and will apply for a permit to demolish it. Anthony F. Staub, president of Brownfield Charities Inc. and owner of the Arcade, said the building is draining his resources and he's frustrated by the lack of financial support for its redevelopment. "It's just too much for me right now," Staub said. "Nobody seems to want to cut loose with any money, and my bills are piling up." ... http://www.daytondailynews.com/
January 29, 200520 yr "Before the Arcade buildings could come down, Staub would have to get approval from at least three city boards — the Landmark Commission, the Plan Board and the City Commission." And if ONE of those city boards even thinks of approving demolition - shame on them! We aren't talking about some historic horse shed here - I hope the preservation folks are all over this! clevelandskyscrapers.com Cleveland Skyscrapers on Instagram
January 29, 200520 yr I'm surprised that they claim there's little interest. Little interest? In that?
January 29, 200520 yr Well, theres interest, as per this remark: I've showed it to hundreds of people, and everybody has lots of ideas... but that won't keep the place open," Staub said. ...just no one with any money. How did they keep the arcades open in Cleveland? The big concern should now be demolition by neglect. If the owner can't afford to maintain the place in a pickeld state its going to deteriorate...or he could default on the taxes and the county ends up holding the bag. If a public entity is going to be invovled w. $$$ it probably should be Montgomery County...Dayton is having some budget problems and cant afford to rescue the place.
January 30, 200520 yr Some interior thumbnail pix. Sad to think that none of us urbanophiles (is that word) cant share pix of the Arcade...argueably one of Daytons best secular public spaces...because we've not been inside in years. The arcade part.... which leads from 3rd Street to the mid block glass rotunda part: The 4th Street facade ..which doesnt show the baby high-rise tower at the corner of 4th & Ludlow.
January 30, 200520 yr I think this guy is just trying to put the scare into people. So, if I have this straight, he had this building donated to him and now he wants someone to pony up $6 mil for it? Says he can't get anyone to make it work as a project? If no one can make it work with an acquisition cost of essentially zero, how does he expect to find someone who'll make it work with and acquisition cost of $6 million? Sounds to me like he's a speculator who suckered someone into unloading a property they couldn't keep, and now he wants to cash out and pocket a ton of loot without having put anything into it.
January 30, 200520 yr If it gets demolished, I won't be surprised but then again, I won't be suprised if redeveloped. I really hope something comes along. Something... "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
January 30, 200520 yr The Dayton Daily News website has some good pictures that accompanied the article. I was just going to post a link to them because they included captions and so forth, but the site requires registration, which I consider a pain. So I'll just post some of them, omitting most of the captions. "Holiday lights hang in the Arcade rotunda, left over from the last time the public area was used." There's also this illustration.
January 30, 200520 yr Someone call Hyatt!! Seriously, I feel so helpless when I read things like this, because what can everyday Joes like us do about such things when we don't have millions of dollars to contribute? There is unquestionably plenty of public support for this building, so I can't see demolition being a real threat right now, but the danger of deterioration by neglect is very real, I fear. Something needs to be done NOW, because once the maintenance stops, redevelopment costs will skyrocket exponentially. If you think it's been a struggle so far, just wait until the water damage sets in!!
January 30, 200520 yr No doubt. This building is arguable one of the best architectural "GEMS" in Dayton. I don't know what I would do with it though. I don't see a mall or retail future for it unfortunately. The Dayton suburbanites are more cynical and anti city that many of Cincinnati's suburbanites. The suburbanites would never go to downtown Dayton to shop and its business core isn't large enough to even support it during the work week. Personally this speaks volumes that downtown Dayton as an entertainment district or retail, restaurants is over. A few theatres at night and the rest is history... So sad...
January 30, 200520 yr Personally this speaks volumes that downtown Dayton as an entertainment district or retail, restaurants is over. A few theatres at night and the rest is history... So sad... Hold on there Monte - ye paint with too broad a brush. Concerning restaurants, I can kind of see where you're coming from. IMO, the problem has been the TYPE of places that have been failing. All of these attempts to establish upscale, overpriced dining have fallen flat on their faces, but the more moderately priced places are doing fine, and some expanding. The Spaghetti Warehouse & Uno's seem to be doing well, and some of the newer places like Bimini Bill's, & Brixx Ice Co. are making a go of it. A new deli opened up in the Webster St. market, and the Therapy Cafe is expanding into dinner. As for night life, include some of the above mentioned as well as Southern Belle and the Canal St. tavern, which is always packed and is looking to move into a larger facility. Something may actually be happening with the promised Jefferson St. entertainment district, as I see that the former El Diablo building has undergone some extensive renovations. Others have posted about the steady pace of loft development. As for retail, that one is a bit tougher, agreed. For any type of mall concept to work, it would have to be specialized. Perhaps something like an electronics mall - which would complement the "Tech Town" plans for the Frigidaire site if that ever goes through. Something that would make it "the place to go" for a certain kind of product or service. You're right about some of those Dayton suburbanites - especially the ones in the area around WPAFB. Everyone I've ever met from around Beavercreek is absolutely petrified at the thought of just crossing into Dayton, much less coming downtown. Same goes for a lot of Miami Co. people, who used to be my neighbors. I try to talk up Dayton to them whenever appropriate, and it's amusing to see the responses. Everything from curious interest to disbelief to utter cluelessness.
January 30, 200520 yr Wow, those photos are impressive, Pigboy! That looks like a fantastic interior space. I wish that I could give a real answer as to what to do with it, but I know in Cleveland, we turned our arcades into hotels with some minimal retail left on the first floor. The smaller arcade complex (containing the Euclid and Colonial Arcades) is styling itself the ArtCade. It has several art galleries. They are pretty appropriate because the can fit in the tiny spaces of the arcade. It is amazing how small the spaces are in the arcades in Cleveland. Does Dayton's arcade have a similar problem?
January 30, 200520 yr Forumers should get together and buy it, and open a Dayton Bureau of Urbanohio.com there. It could become the center of an urban geek tourism industry!
January 30, 200520 yr ^ Good idea! Let's see, with 202 members here, that's only about $29,703 each. I'll go see if I can dig enough change out of the couch... (Edit- Cool, I think I just made post number 20,000 here. What do I win?)
January 31, 200520 yr It is amazing how small the spaces are in the arcades in Cleveland. Does Dayton's arcade have a similar problem? ..from what I recall the spaces in the Arcade part where small, but the spaces facing the rotunda part where ok..I know that Lerners fit in pretty well. And they had that long McCrorys, too. There was a food court in the rotunda part, too, which seemed to be doing OK. I tend to agree that retail is a dead duck in downtown Dayton, so if this is going to be redeveloped the hotel option or some sort of office complex is the most realistic approach...or specialty retail geared to buisness or people downtown during the day. As for night life, include some of the above mentioned as well as Southern Belle and the Canal St. tavern, which is always packed and is looking to move into a larger facility. Something may actually be happening with the promised Jefferson St. entertainment district, as I see that the former El Diablo building has undergone some extensive renovations ....well, Charleys seemed to be doing ok in the Arcade...they folded when they stuck them in that hole in Courthouse Square. But I don't see the Arcade as a nighlife place. BTW, the former El Diablo is being developed by the owners of the Stage Door into a levi/leather themed gay bar...which doesn't make too much sense given that DJs & the Stage Door itself sort of gets that type of crowd anyway. (hmm, i guess another reason for the WPAFB crowd to avoid downtown) ;-) @@@@@@@@ incidentally the "25 South Main" building in the graphic..the sliver building high rise to the east of the Arcade facing Main, is abandoned too, and is on Preservation Daytons "most endangered" list Originally built in 1917, this building was home to a savings and loan association with small offices on the upper floors. The building is concrete frame with a buff colored brick curtain wall. This building is unique because it is just four windows wide yet fourteen windows deep. While this building appears small at first glance, each of the twelve floors contain 4,000 square feet. ..this butts right against the Arcade. ....also, that big office tower at the intersection of Main and Third has its own little shopping arcade annex to the south, which was supposed to run from Main to the Arcade (there is even a big rollup door where the connection was going to be made). This of course never happened, and one of the business from the Arcade, a jewlrey store, relocated there when the Arcade closed. I'm wondering if that whole block should be approached as a sort of a redevelopement package deal.
April 8, 200520 yr Is anyone subscribed to the Dayton Daily News? I'm trying to access the following article: http://www.daytondailynews.com/localnews/content/localnews/daily/0403bohardt.html I decided that registering would be fine, but I really refuse to give them my home address, my phone number, and my income! It's just a bit intrusive, isn't it? Anyhow, if someone could post the article it would be great. It was in the April 2nd DDN and it concerned the Arcade. Thanks!
April 8, 200520 yr Address, phone number, and income?? Wow, I don't remember being asked those things when I registered! The particular article you linked to actually doesn't say much of anything about the Arcade; it's just about David Bohardt's issues for the mayoral campaign. Here it is anyway, but the Arcade only gets mentioned as an aside: ------------ Bohardt offers vision for renewed city Candidate for mayor says safety a top issue on his agenda By Katherine Ullmer Dayton Daily News DAYTON | Jane Applegate on Saturday introduced her husband, David Bohardt, as "the next mayor of Dayton" to about 70 residents and campaign workers who came to the Gospel Mission, 750 S. Main St., to launch Bohardt's election campaign. Bohardt, 58, a Dayton native, the oldest of 11 children and executive director of the Home Builders Association of Dayton and the Miami Valley, will be on the May 3 primary ballot with Mayor Rhine McLin and former Dayton police Maj. Barbara Temple. Two of the three will win the right to face off on the November ballot. Bohardt's main thrust was the need to make the streets of Dayton safe again to attract businesses and jobs back to the city. If elected mayor in November, he said, he would hire 40 police officers by 2007. It would cost about $3 million annually, about 1.5 percent of the city's total operating budget, he said. ... If he's elected, he said, the downtown Arcade building will be redeveloped. ... http://www.daytondailynews.com/
April 8, 200520 yr ^ That's searching by Google for you...sometimes the article isn't really about what you were looking for at all! Thanks for finding that for me--I just hadn't heard much on the Arcade lately and I was hoping to find some news on it.
April 27, 200520 yr Some readers of the "Downtowner" offer their suggestions for the Arcade (along with my comments)... The city could partner with a grocery chain such as Kroger (suggested because of their community connection and resources available) to develop a full-service grocery in the rotunda with a retro street market theme. Provide a secure, reasonably priced downtown shopping experience by offering discounted parking in the adjacent parking garage above Kinkos, with baggers providing free delivery of groceries to cars parked there. Once the anchor store is in place, the upper levels could successfully be marketed as office, retail, restaurant space. - Valerie Buedel, Dayton. - If Cincinnati, the hometown of Kroger, can't get a Kroger downtown, there's no way Dayton will. I think a children's museum like the one at the Union Terminal in Cincinnati should be considered! They really do seem to pull in the crowds. We are always looking for something new, fun and also educational for our children. I truly think it would draw people back to downtown, at least during the day, as it would probably close at 5:00. - Janet Van Arsdale, Kettering. - Don't we already have the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery? The Arcade needs a discount factory outlet store, a buffet restaurant, offices and security for Arcade business. - Don Hapner, Dayton. - Sounds like suburban hell to me. The Arcade would make a perfect location for a gambling casino. A casino would mean restaurants and motels. Motels would bring in top-notch entertainment. There would be a need for specialty stores for shopping, creating a need for parking lots and public transportation. Gambling casinos create more jobs, bringing in more taxes. - Beverly Ossege, Dayton. - Sure, but casino gambling is still illegal in Ohio. My idea would be to use part of the space for a living arts center. Soho and Tribeca in New York City were old, rough neighborhoods that artists went into. These areas were fixed up as artist lofts and then later gentrined for people who raised the rents and pushed the original folks out. There is another area in Alexandria, Va. called The Torpedo Factory that has been redeveloped as artist studios and coop galleries. It is the anchor for revitalizing a whole area. People are curious about what artists are doing, and we are very resourceful with money and materials. - Jeff Rutledge, Dayton. - Interesting, but this is Dayton, not NYC or DC. Maybe it could be an aspect of whatever they do, though.
April 27, 200520 yr I think I remember seeing these suggestions (unless these are brand new, in which case it's déjà vu or something). I like the museum idea... not necessarily a children's museum, but some kind of museum in which the public might be interested, if you could somehow accomodate it in an arcade.
April 27, 200520 yr I think a Contemporary Arts Museum or perhaps something totally different (re: indoor zoo) would work. It certainly needs to be unique to "attract" out-of-towners. "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
May 11, 200520 yr Here's an excerpt from a 5/2/05 WHIO-TV "Wastebusters" story: The old Arcade was once the center of downtown Dayton but now tops the list of properties that behind in taxes. Tony Staub is the self-proclaimed keeper of the keys at the Arcade. He runs an organization called Brownsfield Charties which now owns the old Arcade. The old Aracade in downtown Dayton tops the list of properties that are behind in taxes. Tony Staub is the self-proclaimed keeper of the keys at the Arcade. He runs an organization called Brownsfield Charties which now owns the old Arcade, which was once the center of downtown shopping. The Arcade is frozen in time with Christmas decorations in place from when it was last open in 1989. Staub owes the county $130,000 in back taxes. Now, he is looking for a developer to renovate and help pay the tax debt. ... http://www.whiotv.com/money/4439667/detail.html
May 24, 200520 yr And here's the big plan to pay off the delinquent taxes... Arcade owner calling for bingo Game needed to pay off back taxes, he says By Jaclyn Giovis Dayton Daily News DAYTON | It may soon be bingo time at Dayton's downtown Arcade. Brownfield Charities Inc., which owns the group of five buildings that comprise the historic Arcade, has applied for an Ohio charitable bingo license. Tony Staub, founder and trustee of Brownfield Charities, said Monday he hopes running a bingo operation will pay off the $120,952 in back taxes he owes on the Arcade and possibly cover the expense of some building renovations. In July, another $27,409.36 will be due, bringing the total tax bill to $148,362.04, according to the Montgomery County treasurer's office. ... http://www.daytondailynews.com/
May 24, 200520 yr Actually a Familiy Dollar would be a good idea, but if McCrorys couldn't make it I doubt a Family Dollar would... "I've never done a bingo before, but it can't be that hard," Staub said. ...a Friday fish fry might work too? I was up on the adjacent parking garage a few weeks ago and noticed a rooftop door to those tall roofs facing Main was left open....no one on the roof....if they leave things open like that rain will start to get inside and water damage will ensue. I love how Danis comes out ahead on this...a "donation" to a charity...can anyone say "tax deduction?" If I recall it was sort of fishy the way Danis got control of it in the first place...
May 27, 200520 yr From the 5/27/05 Dayton Daily News: City orders work at Arcade to stop Officials want plans presented to Landmark Commission By Jim Bebbington Dayton Daily News DAYTON | The city has ordered the owner of the historic Arcade buildings in downtown Dayton to stop removing escalators on the first floor of the complex until he receives approval from the city's Landmark Commission. The entire complex is governed by a web of regulations over its historic architecture and its use and city officials ordered the Arcade owners to do no more work until the city board can review plans. ... http://www.daytondailynews.com/business/content/business/daily/0527arcade.html
May 27, 200520 yr Staub said Thursday he is having the first floor returned to its original condition. He is removing the escalators and covering an opening in the floor that exposes the lower level. ...hmm, this is not cheap. That food court seemed to be one of the aspects of the Arcade that seemed to be somewhat sucessfull, tho I think thats relocated to that parking garage building next door... but still..i guess since he figures he has the property he might try to actually rent it out? When it's done, he wants to lease first-floor space. He does not know who the new tenants would be, Staub said. Interesting that for all the years Danis held the property he did not try to lease it out... yet, does this Staub & "Brownfield Charities" give anyone the warm fuzzies? ....a websearch yields this site: Factory Network/Brownfield Charities, Inc ...and it looks like they have another property in Dayton? ..we know this property...its right on the Great Miami, where the railroad crosses on that steel truss bridge... link "Industrial Plant: 4.5 acres 250,000 sq ft building. Site has excellent prospects, located on great miami river in Dayton Ohio. Newer community college building next door. Next to I-75 & route 35 in Dayton Ohio. Located next to railroad line. Includes power plant with 2 boilers converted from coal to gas and oil, & 1 old coal fired boiler. Fully sprikled. "
August 8, 200519 yr From the 8/7/05 Dayton Daily News: Arcade important to residents By Jim DeBrosse and Ken McCall Dayton Daily News DAYTON | In the last few years, downtown Dayton has tried to rebound with minor league baseball, loft housing, RiverScape MetroPark, the Schuster Center for the Performing Arts and a dazzling renovation of the Old Court House. But ask Miami Valley residents what's missing from the puzzle of downtown revitalization, and the Arcade will be near the top of the list. A recent Dayton Daily News survey found strong support for the Arcade: 70 percent of those polled said the Arcade was either important or very important to Dayton's efforts to revitalize its urban core. Contact Jim DeBrosse at (937) 225-2437 and Ken McCall at (937) 225-2393. http://www.daytondailynews.com/localnews/content/localnews/daily/0807xrdsarcade.html
November 15, 200519 yr From the 11/14/05 Dayton Business Journal: Arcade declared endangered historic site Downtown Dayton's historic Arcade buildings were placed on the 2005 list of Ohio's Most Endangered Historic Sites. The 250,000-square-foot complex is more than 100 years old and has been vacant for nearly 15 years. E-mail [email protected]. Call 222-6900. © 2005 American City Business Journals Inc. http://www.bizjournals.com/dayton/stories/2005/11/14/daily1.html?from_rss=1
March 26, 200619 yr From the 3/25/06 Dayton Daily News: Back taxes could be Arcade's doom County ready to sell tax liens to investors, which could hasten complex's demise By Anthony Gottschlich Dayton Daily News DAYTON | Montgomery County Treasurer Hugh Quill is ready to sell to investors delinquent property tax liens on the historic downtown Arcade, a move that could take the complex out of local control and clear the way for demolition. Quill said Arcade owner Brownfield Charities Inc. and its president, Tony Staub, avoided that fate in November when Staub set up a payment plan with Quill's office for the $203,000 owed. Contact Anthony Gottschlich at 225-7408. http://www.daytondailynews.com/localnews/content/localnews/daily/0325arcade.html
March 26, 200619 yr The question I have is why would anyone buy the tax leins? Who would buy them? The county could end up holding the bag on this. From upthrad, the one on Bonhart.... If he's elected, he said, the downtown Arcade building will be redeveloped. Well, he wasn't, so it won't. I'm wondering if its even makes economic sense to tear it down. I guess who ever buys the tax liens could strip the building for scrap value (copper, metal, architectural antiques), and then tear it down. The demolition cost and hazmat abatement would cost a pretty penny, but a vacant lot or parking lot would reduce the tax assessment for the property for whoever owns it.
March 26, 200619 yr What can you say. There just aren't enough people who care about Dayton, not even the people who live there. I don't understand the suburbanites there. I saw the sights of downtown (although not great in number, I enjoyed my time there) and even was there at night and you just use common sense. It's better to travel with others and don't taking shortcuts in some forlorn, unlit backstreet. Maybe that's a problem since these people seem to lack the common sense needed when in any city.
March 26, 200619 yr Actually, I just noticed the problem after I posted. The people that live there don't live in the city. What's the downtown housing situation there? If it could be converted into apartments/condos, would there be a demand?
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