Squirrel-Forrest Historic District
Why it's listed
Squirrel-Forest Historic District is a compact residential area in Dayton, Ohio, along the southeastern edge of the Five Oaks neighborhood. It contains 97 contributing and 7 noncontributing buildings, including houses, duplexes, apartment buildings, detached garages, and a Catholic church and school complex. Construction dates run from about 1910 to 1949. Lots were sold individually with deed restrictions requiring minimum building costs and set backs, which produced larger, more substantial homes than nearby streets might otherwise have had. The architecture is varied: American Foursquare houses are widespread, Tudor-inspired homes line the raised west side of Squirrel Road, and Colonial Revival, Dutch Colonial, Craftsman, Prairie and Neo-Classical examples appear along with a Ranch house built in 1949. Corpus Christi Church shows Mission detailing. The district is regarded as a later extension of the Dayton View and Grafton Hill neighborhoods developed after Dayton annexed land north of the Great Miami River in 1868.
Significance in brief: The district is significant for its concentration of upscale early 20th century urban homes shaped by deed restrictions that set minimum construction costs and setbacks. It shows a diverse mix of styles including Colonial Revival, Tudor, American Foursquare, Dutch Colonial and Prairie, plus a later Ranch house. It is also presented as a later extension of the Dayton View and Grafton Hill development north of downtown.
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 10000827, listed October 14, 2010. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | North of Homewood Ave and along the west side of Forest Ave, Dayton |
|---|---|
| County | Montgomery County |
| Listed | October 14, 2010 |
| Reference number | 10000827 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | ca. 1910-1949 |
| Architectural style | Late 19th & early 20th Century Revivals |
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Community Planning and Development |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Buildings are described as well maintained with limited change to integrity; several have been sided, and one recent apartment building replaced two older buildings. |
| Acreage | 16 |
| Coordinates | 39.77274, -84.20327 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
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 10000827.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.