Central Avenue Historic District

Central Avenue in Dayton's Dayton View area holds a grouping of fifteen historic houses, built between about 1869 and the early 1900s and shaded by large old maple trees. Styles include Queen Anne, Neoclassical, Italianate, and Jacobethan Revival, and many lots retain carriage houses at the rear with alley access. Two Queen Annes on corner lots, set back on two sides in early suburban fashion, are considered pivotal; those at 338 and 240 Central Avenue rank among the finest of their style in the city. The street was built for rising professionals and businessmen, including attorneys, company officers, and a school principal, during a period when Dayton's population grew from 38,678 in 1880 to 85,333 in 1900. The houses predate much of the surrounding neighborhood and are described as a physical link to the city's early suburban growth. Condition varies, with some houses well kept and others deteriorated.