Dayton Fire Department Station No. 16
Why it's listed
Dayton Fire Department Station #16, at 31 South Jersey Street, is a two-and-a-half story firehouse of American bond brick dating to 1909. It sits atop a small hill and overlooks much of the city's east side, within a mostly residential neighborhood of homes built in the early twentieth century. The building has a hipped roof, a limestone watertable, quoins at the corners and windows, and a heavy modillioned cornice with a dentil frieze. Three vehicular bays face the street, two of them with limestone Tudor arches, and a square lookout tower rises at the southwest corner. Shaped dormers with small arched windows finish the roofline. The design blends Renaissance and Gothic decoration in a flamboyant, eclectic manner typical of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Dayton's fire department built a number of elaborate firehouses around 1900, and this is considered one of the most impressive survivors. No architect has been identified. The station was vacant at the time of listing, and a rear garage addition is compatible with the original.
Significance in brief: The nomination presents the station as an outstanding example of the architectural eclecticism common in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, mixing Renaissance and Gothic decorative elements. Its hose tower, shaped dormers, pointed-arch doorways and bracketed cornice are singled out. It is described as one of the most impressive of the elaborate firehouses Dayton built around the turn of the century that still remain.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 80003171, listed May 23, 1980. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 31 S. Jersey St., Dayton |
|---|---|
| County | Montgomery County |
| Listed | May 23, 1980 |
| Reference number | 80003171 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1900- (specific date 1909) |
| Architectural style | Eclectic, combining Renaissance and Gothic elements (described as a flamboyant eclectic style) |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as vacant and owned by the City of Dayton; condition rated fair and altered, with a two-car garage added at the rear. |
| Acreage | 0.5 |
| Coordinates | 39.76494, -84.15288 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 80003171.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5243527
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.