The mansion “met the parameters” of city guidelines “related to being a danger to life and safety,” French said.
The order called for it to “be immediately razed,” he added.
Sunday’s fire was reported just after midnight, and its cause is listed as undetermined “due to the deteriorated condition of the structure rendering it unsafe for DFD personnel to enter for a comprehensive investigation,” French said.
No injuries were reported.
The first fire that occurred April 23 is also listed as undetermined, and the structure was considered a total loss. That blaze, also happening overnight on a Sunday, came weeks before the mansion was set to be auctioned off in a sheriff’s sale, officials said.
No bids were submitted for the auction in May, officials said. But in June, a bid of $41,000 — just above the minimum required offer — was placed on the mansion.
The mansion was added to the National Register of Historic Places individually in 1979 and again in 1984 as part of the Dayton View Historic District, according to Preservation Dayton.
The Flemish Chateauesque-style building was built around 1912 for Louis Traxler — president of the Traxler Department Store — and Adeline Traxler, and was reportedly designed by Harvey Hiestand, founder of Miami University’s College of Architecture, according to Preservation Dayton.
Credit: Lisa Powell
Credit: Lisa Powell
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