James Kavanaugh, another neighborhood owner, also voiced support.
Betsy Wilson, who prepared the district’s nomination, told board members that many of the building’s facades remain intact.
Preservation Dayton received a $12,000 Ohio Department of Development grant in December to research and nominate the area for the register, said Monica Snow, vice president of Preservation Dayton Inc.
“If the nomination is approved, this will pave the way for property owners to apply for state and federal historic tax credits,” she told the Dayton Daily News earlier this month.
The neighborhood has long been on Preservation Dayton’s radar.
The commercial district enjoyed its heyday in the early- to mid- 20th century. It stretches along North Main Street in Dayton, nearly two miles north of downtown, encompassing intersections with Ridge and Indianola avenues and other side streets. Some businesses attached commercial storefronts to residential homes in the area.
“Outside of East Fifth in the Oregon District and West Third in Wright-Dunbar, no early neighborhood commercial district with this level of density remains in Dayton,” Preservation Dayton says on its web site.
Sometimes called the “Smith building,” a two-story 14,000-square-foot, art-deco building with a curving facade at 1921 to 1931 N. Main St., near the intersection of Santa Clara and Victor avenues, is something of a landmark in the area.
So was the former site of the Upper Krust deli and sandwich shop.
Following the meeting, staff will finalize the nomination for the National Park Service.
This post-meeting work typically takes several weeks. The site may be listed in the National Register by November this year.
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