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Old North Dayton   estled in the northeast corner of the city lies the neighborhood known as Old North Dayton. Originally known as “Texas” or “Palma,” it was first settled by Germans who moved into the area in the last quarter of the nineteenth century. By the early 1900’s, it had become the home of increasing numbers of Eastern Europeans who came to fill the labor shortage created by Dayton’s rapidly expanding industries. The largest of these groups–the Poles, Hungarians, and Lithuanians–gave to the neighborhood a distinct ethnicity which persists to this day. Throughout the years, the Germans, Hungarians, Poles, Lithuanians and other groups have continued to make ethnic traditions an important part of life in Old North Dayton. Social organizations and businesses such as the Polish Club, the Lithuanian Social Club, the German Eintracht Singing Society, the Rosenkranz Café, and the Amber Rose restaurant have all contributed to the remarkable durability of ethnicity in Old North Dayton. It is the Eastern European ethnic churches which have been the strongest institutions for the preservation of cultural values, traditions and language. Throughout much of this century, St. Adalbert’s Polish Catholic Church, Holy Cross Lithuanian Catholic Church, and St. Stephen’s Catholic Church (Hungarian) have worked to preserve the traditions of European homelands left behind many years before. Today, Old North Dayton continues to focus on retaining those qualities which make this neighborhood a good place to work and live. Strong churches, small family-operated businesses, and social organizations continue to give Old North Dayton a rich tradition of neighborhood unity and pride. Annual festivals, such as Old North Dayton Day and other events, offer residents and business people opportunities to come together to celebrate community and reinforce neighborhood ties. Points of Interest in Old North Dayton 
THE WAR MEMORIAL,
Valley and Keowee streets, was dedicated in 1944. The War Memorial
honors Old North Dayton residents who gave their lives in twentieth
century wars.
CANAL HOUSE,
806 Valley Street, is believed to have been an inn on the old Miami-Erie
Canal. The canal, completed in 1829, followed what is now Rita Street
and crossed the Mad River on the aqueduct which once connected Valley
and Monument streets.
THE AMBER ROSE RESTAURANT,
1470 Valley Street, was built in 1912 by Polish immigrant Sigmond
Ksiezopolski. Sig’s General Store was for many years the social
center for Dayton’s Polish community. Restored in 1990, it is now
a restaurant featuring Eastern European and German cuisine. It was
listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1992.
ST. ADALBERT’S POLISH CHURCH AND SCHOOL,
1509 Valley Street, became Dayton’s oldest Eastern European ethnic
parish when it was established as the city’s ninth Catholic parish
on January 5, 1903. The church, a combination chapel-school-residence,
was built in 1905 and was designed by architect, Frank Sutter. St.
Adalbert’s was listed on the National Register in 1992.
HOLY CROSS LITHUANIAN ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH,
1924 Leo Street, was built in 1912—1915 by the Lithuanians who
came to Old North Dayton at the turn of the century to find work in
Dayton factories. Remodeled in 1963—1964, it was designed to
honor the churches closed by the Soviet Union after World War II and
the many faithful Catholics being persecuted in Lithuania. The architect
was Lithuanian, John Mulokas, from Chicago. The most outstanding features
are the carved side alters and faceted slab glass windows, displaying
stylized crosses and wayside shrines which are such an important part
of Lithuanian Catholic culture. The adjacent Shrine of the Three Crosses
was designed by Lithuanian architect, Alfred Kulpavicius in 1964—1965.
These crosses honor “all the martyrs for the faith in the countries
occupied by the Soviet Communists.” The style and ornamentation
of each cross represent the three major regions of Lithuania: Zematija,
Aukstaitija, and Suvalkija. The church and shrine were listed on the
National Register of Historic Places in 1992.
STUART PATTERSON PARK,
238 Baltimore Street. Originally known as Walters Grove, this picnic
site later became Stuart Patterson Park, named in honor of the nephew
of NCR founder, John H. Patterson, who died in a plane crash at McCook
Field. The Stuart Patterson Recreation Center and the Francis Fitzsimmons
Senior Citizens Center are operated by the City of Dayton.
KOSSUTH COLONY,
located on Mack Avenue, Notre Dame Avenue and Baltimore Street above
Leo Street. The Kossuth Colony was built in 1905—1906 by labor
contractor, Jacob Moskowitz, to house Hungarian workers brought in
to work at the Barney and Smith Car Company, one of the foremost manufacturers
of railroad cars in the country. The Colony included about forty houses
and a building called the Clubhouse, which contained stores, offices,
banking facilities and a beer hall. It was surrounded by a twelve
foot high fence guarded by a watchman. Visitors were welcome, but
occupants were forbidden to bring in items which could be purchased
at the Colony store. This rule was strictly enforced–those caught
were immediately discharged from their jobs at Barney and Smith and
forced to leave the Colony. Kossuth remained enclosed until the 1913
flood, when the fence was partially dismantled to provide lumber for
rafts and flatboats. The flood brought about the demise of the great
car works which had given birth to this immigrant community, and by
1921 the Kossuth Colony properties had passed into private hands.
The Colony was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1979.
ST. STEPHEN’S CHURCH,
1114 Troy Street, began as a mission of Holy Name Catholic Church
to serve the Hungarians living in the Kossuth Colony. Worship was
first held in a building on Baltimore Street in the Colony. St. Stephen
began to organize into a parish in 1936. The new church, designed
by architect, Edwin J. Schulte, was built in 1946—1952. On the
front lawn is a twelve foot high statue of St. Stephen, the patron
saint of Hungary.
E. C. DOREN BRANCH library,
701 Troy Street. This Tudor Revival style building was built in 1927
and is the oldest branch library in the Dayton and Montgomery County
library system. It was named for Electra Collins Doren, Chief Librarian
in the Dayton Libraries, who saw the need for a library building and
ensured its construction before her death in 1927.
OUR LADY OF THE ROSARY CATHOLIC CHURCH,
22 Notre Dame Avenue, was organized by Germans in 1888 and was the
first Catholic Church established in Old North Dayton. The first church
building, which now serves as Our Lady of the Rosary School, was built
in 1888. The present building, designed by architect W. L. Jaekle,
was erected in 1918.BACK TO TOP |
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 The
Polish-American Democratic Club (the Polish Club) in the 1940’s
(Courtesy of St. Adalbert’s Catholic Church) |
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