Engineers Club of Dayton
Why it's listed
Downtown Dayton's Engineers Club is a brick clubhouse on Monument Avenue, overlooking the Great Miami River near its meeting with the Mad River. Architects Harry I. Schenck and Harry J. Williams, both club members, gave it a restrained Georgian exterior with Bedford limestone trim and a richly paneled Tudor-style interior. Rooms were planned for science and socializing, including a 450-seat auditorium with laboratory utilities on its stage, a library, a dining room and a lobby with a clock that synchronized others through pneumatic tubes. Edward Deeds and Charles Kettering, leading Dayton engineers and inventors, founded the club in 1914 and donated $300,000 in 1916 for the site and building, which opened in February 1918. Dayton was then a center of invention and engineering, and the clubhouse gave local engineers a place to meet, hear lectures and exchange ideas. The building remains in use as a club and keeps most of its original structure, layout and decoration.
Significance in brief: The building reflects the importance of professional engineering in the Dayton region in the early twentieth century (Criterion A). It is also closely associated with Edward A. Deeds and Charles F. Kettering (Criterion B), nationally significant engineers and inventors who financed it and founded the club. Its principal period of significance runs from its 1918 construction to 1929, when Deeds and Kettering transferred ownership to the club's board of governors.
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 07001091, listed October 17, 2007. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 110 E. Monument Ave., Dayton |
|---|---|
| County | Montgomery County |
| Listed | October 17, 2007 |
| Reference number | 07001091 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1918-1929 |
| Architect / builder | Harry I. Schenck and Harry J. Williams, archs. |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival - Georgian Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Engineering, Entertainment/Recreation |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still in use as the home of the Engineers Club; the form reports high architectural integrity with minimal changes since it opened. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | Downtown Dayton Historic District |
| Coordinates | 39.76375, -84.19078 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary: it recognises significance and does not restrict what a private owner may do without federal money or permits. It unlocks the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit for income-producing buildings, state credits in many states, and Section 106 review when federal agencies are involved. See what listing means in practice.
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 07001091.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5377914
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.