{"nrhp_refnum":"74001579","name":"Dayton Art Institute","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Forest and Riverview Aves.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Dayton","county":"Montgomery County","state":"OH","lat":39.76602137200007,"lon":-84.20093194699996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1974-11-19","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Landscape Architecture","Art","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"The Dayton Art Institute is an art museum building at Forest and Riverview Avenues in Dayton, Ohio, on a hilly site sixty feet above the Miami River. Its cornerstone was laid in 1928 and it opened in 1930, designed by architect Edward B. Green.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the building is an unusually faithful Italian Renaissance Revival design, modeled on the casino and staircase of the Villa Farnese at Caprarola, Italy. It cites a source ranking it the finest example of Second Renaissance Revival in Ohio. The hilltop site overlooking the river and downtown is also described as enhancing the style and the building's visual presence.","narrative":"Overlooking the Miami River and downtown Dayton from a hillside site, the Dayton Art Institute is a two-story Ohio sandstone museum with a red tile roof. Its cornerstone was laid in 1928 and it opened in 1930. Architect Edward B. Green modeled the central block on the casino of the Villa Farnese in Caprarola, Italy, and the monumental double-curving entrance stair on that villa's staircase. A triple-arched loggia, rusticated lower walls, two gallery wings and two cloisters in Italian Renaissance and Gothic styles complete the design. Interiors include original well heads, columns and capitals from the 13th through 16th centuries, along with reproductions of Italian ceilings and marble doorways. The building was listed because it is considered an exceptionally faithful and successful example of Italian Renaissance Revival architecture, ranked in one cited source as the finest Second Renaissance Revival building in Ohio. Its hilltop setting also adds to its prominence. Additions for the art college sit at the rear and do not alter its appearance.","period_of_significance":"1930","architect_builder":"Edward B. Green (architect); later cited as E.B. Green and sons and A.H. Hopkins, architects","architectural_style":"Italian Renaissance Revival (Second Renaissance Revival)","criteria":[],"status_note":"Listed as occupied and in good condition. The form notes that the building is about forty-five years old and will need major repairs to floors, heating, plumbing, electrical systems and the exterior sandstone.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:53:09.346566-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/74001579.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/74001579/aa68a0afb9-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/74001579/aa68a0afb9-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 2.0","author":"Warren LeMay","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Dayton_Art_Institute,_Belmonte_Park,_Grafton_Hill,_Dayton,_OH.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Warren LeMay</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 2.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Dayton_Art_Institute,_Belmonte_Park,_Grafton_Hill,_Dayton,_OH.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71990460","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dayton_Art_Institute","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q597355"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/montgomery-county/dayton-art-institute-74001579/"}