{"nrhp_refnum":"05000756","name":"Deeds Carillon","other_names":[],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"1000 Carillon Blvd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Dayton","county":"Montgomery County","state":"OH","lat":39.73102169500004,"lon":-84.19747177799997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2005-07-27","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Entertainment/Recreation","Performing Arts"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A freestanding Indiana limestone-clad bell tower housing a carillon, set on a three-acre landscaped section of Carillon Historical Park in Dayton, Montgomery County, Ohio. It was built between 1940 and 1942 to a design by the New York firm Reinhard and Hofmeister.","why_significant":"The nomination argues for significance under Criterion A for its contributions to entertainment and performing arts in Ohio's Miami Valley. It is one of only two freestanding carillons in Ohio and the only carillon in the Dayton area. It also serves as a community symbol and a memorial to Edward and Edith Deeds.","narrative":"Rising 151.5 feet above a flagstone terrace beside the Great Miami River in Dayton, this limestone-clad bell tower was commissioned by Edith Walton Deeds and built between 1940 and 1942. Four steel shafts sheathed in Indiana limestone stand on a granite base and meet at the top, leaving the bells fully visible. The New York firm Reinhard and Hofmeister designed it in an Art Moderne style, and the Olmsted Brothers laid out the grounds. Its bronze grill door carries verses from Longfellow's \"Christmas Bells.\" The original bells were replaced in 1988, and the carillon now holds fifty-seven bells, the largest in Ohio. The nomination rests on the tower's role in local entertainment and the performing arts. It is the only carillon in the Dayton area and one of two freestanding carillons in the state. Annual Easter sunrise services, seasonal concerts and festivals on its lawn keep it in public use. It also serves as a memorial to Edward and Edith Deeds.","period_of_significance":"1940-42 1955","architect_builder":"Reinhard and Hofmeister, New York; Olmsted Brothers","architectural_style":"Modern Movement / Moderne (Art Deco/Art Moderne)","criteria":["A"],"status_note":"The form says the tower's design and function remain the same as when built, and the carillon is still played from April to November. Changes include the removal of the celestron and the addition of a playing cabin.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:52:07.384455-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/05000756.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/05000756/08706b9b9c-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/05000756/08706b9b9c-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Photohio","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Deeds_Carillon,_Dayton_Ohio,_from_the_west.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Photohio</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Deeds_Carillon,_Dayton_Ohio,_from_the_west.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71990609","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q116465269"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/montgomery-county/deeds-carillon-05000756/"}