Dunbar Historic District
Encyclopedia
The Dunbar Historic District is a nationally recognized historic district on North Summit Street in Dayton, Ohio
. The district is famous for being the home of Paul Laurence Dunbar
.
On June 30, 1980, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places
A larger area known as Wright-Dunbar (or Mound-Horace) is bounded roughly by US 35, Broadway Street, West Third Street and the Great Miami River
. This district has also been known for housing many ethnic groups such as Hungarians, Romanians
, and African Americans. After World War I
the Wright-Dunbar area was known as the cultural and commercial center of Dayton's African American community. Many black-owned stores, shops, and theatres gained popularity in Dayton, such as the "Palace Theatre". Decades later, in the 1950s and 1960s, much of the area was damaged during riots, urban renewal
, and the construction of Interstate 75
. Later, through an effort by the city of Dayton and the county, many of the houses in the district were brought back to life again.
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
. The district is famous for being the home of Paul Laurence Dunbar
Paul Laurence Dunbar
Paul Laurence Dunbar was a seminal African American poet of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Dunbar gained national recognition for his 1896 "Ode to Ethiopia", one poem in the collection Lyrics of Lowly Life....
.
On June 30, 1980, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
A larger area known as Wright-Dunbar (or Mound-Horace) is bounded roughly by US 35, Broadway Street, West Third Street and the Great Miami River
Great Miami River
The Great Miami River is a tributary of the Ohio River, approximately long, in southwestern Ohio in the United States...
. This district has also been known for housing many ethnic groups such as Hungarians, Romanians
Romanians
The Romanians are an ethnic group native to Romania, who speak Romanian; they are the majority inhabitants of Romania....
, and African Americans. After World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
the Wright-Dunbar area was known as the cultural and commercial center of Dayton's African American community. Many black-owned stores, shops, and theatres gained popularity in Dayton, such as the "Palace Theatre". Decades later, in the 1950s and 1960s, much of the area was damaged during riots, urban renewal
Urban renewal
Urban renewal is a program of land redevelopment in areas of moderate to high density urban land use. Renewal has had both successes and failures. Its modern incarnation began in the late 19th century in developed nations and experienced an intense phase in the late 1940s – under the rubric of...
, and the construction of Interstate 75
Interstate 75
Interstate 75 is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. It travels from State Road 826 and State Road 924 in Hialeah, Florida to Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, at the Ontario, Canada, border...
. Later, through an effort by the city of Dayton and the county, many of the houses in the district were brought back to life again.
External links
- http://www.preservationdayton.com/wright-dunbar.cfm
- http://www.ci.dayton.oh.us/planning/Housing_Projects.asp
- http://www.wright-dunbar.org/
- http://www.nps.gov/daav/parknews/press-release.htm
- http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2006/08/20060816-2.html
- http://www.projdel.com/Wright-Dunbar.pdf
- http://www.huduser.org/research/wright-dunbarVPR.html