Wright Cycle Company-Wright and Wright Printing Offices
Why it's listed
Built in 1886 by Abraham and Joseph Nicholas, this two-story brick building at 22 South Williams Street in Dayton first housed a grocery, feed store, saloon and boarding house. In 1895 Wilbur and Orville Wright rented it for the Wright Cycle Company and Wright and Wright Printing. Here they began building their own bicycles, including the Van Cleve and the St. Clair, and assembled their first gas engine to power shop machinery. The skills and income from the bicycle trade helped fund their later aeronautical work. In 1896, news of Otto Lilienthal's death reached Wilbur through the wire service the printing firm used, deepening the brothers' interest in flight. The building was later converted to a two-family home, then restored to its appearance in a photograph Orville took in 1896 or 1897. It opened as a museum in 1988 and is the only surviving property associated with the Wrights' bicycle business.
Significance in brief: The building is tied to Wilbur and Orville Wright's careers as printers and bicycle manufacturers, and to their invention of the airplane. The brothers made their own bicycle brands here between 1895 and 1897, gaining the mechanical experience and money for their flight experiments. It is also where they became seriously interested in flight after Otto Lilienthal's death in 1896. It is the only surviving property tied to their bicycle business.
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 86000236, listed February 13, 1986. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 22 S. Williams St., Dayton |
|---|---|
| County | Montgomery County |
| Listed | February 13, 1986 |
| Reference number | 86000236 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1895-1897 |
| Architect / builder | Nicholas, Abraham and Joseph, builder |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian |
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Engineering, Transportation, Communications, Invention |
| Level of significance | National, State |
| National Historic Landmark | Yes, designated June 21, 1990 |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Restored to its turn-of-the-century appearance and opened as a museum on June 28, 1988, with office space for the owning organization's staff. |
| Acreage | 0.2 |
| Coordinates | 39.75376, -84.21193 (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.
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 86000236.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q8038202
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.