This post kicks off a series on Dayton’s suburban “empty quarter”, using the old Madison Township (Trotwood) as the initial study area.
The study area with growth to +/-1970/1973
Since so much of the built-up area in Dayton is post WWII this is also an experiment on doing relevant urbanist investigation in a suburban context since this is the bulk of the lived urban environment of Daytonians. Also, using suburban history is a way of breaking free from my the fetishization/cliché of the “historic” and “old city”. Why this particular study area? Because of the empty quarter phenomenon.
The study area with growth to 2008
The study area enlarged with some more detail. As this is a large area we will look at mostly the northern parts of this area to start.
A series of diagram maps showing how the area grew via mapping residential subdivision activity (but not ribbon development). Salem Avenue, Wolf Creek, and US 35/Third Street shown for reference.
Prewar development with prominent institutional features. Note that much of this was only partly built on, if at all, by WWII. The land was subdivided though, indicating the reach of the metropolitan economy and real estate market.
Early postwar development to about 1960. Note the very large Townview plat from about 1956 1957 as the only significant platting activity in the southern portion of the study area, and the cluster of plats around Trotwood village.
After 1960 new subdivision is mostly in the northern half of the study area, more or less north of Wolf Creek. The Salem Mall is shown as a prominent feature for this era
In the 1970s large-scale single family home subdivision activity ceases, with the new subdivisions shown being either associated with the failed
Newfields new town or (northern half of the study area) apartment complexes.
Starting with the 1980s, but probably more in the 1990s, there is a revival of subdivision activity, with a large new golf course community coming online (Moss Creek). What’s shown here is a mix of single and multifamily development.
Putting it all together on one color-coded map, how the area grew. One can get even more granular and show each little lane and such, but this series of diagrams and map capture the larger development, where blocks of farmland go under development.
Traffic Planning Anticipates GrowthThe 1950s/60s trends indicated that the study area would keep growing, so the highway engineers ensured it was well served by limited access highway in their traffic planning, including the construction of a western bypass around Dayton and the Wolf Creek Expressway.
Perhaps the expectation behind this feeder diagram that both the northern and southern halves of the study area would be undergoing enough development that would justify limited access
And a close up of the “Trotwood Connector” showing some elaborate interchange action with the Wolf Creek expressway (and subdivisions apparently known to the traffic planners)
Early Postwar Subdivision TrendsLooking at some info on subdivision and numbers of lots one can see that the study area was seeing fairly aggressive development starting in the 1950s, though there was a lot going on in the late 1940s, too.
So it wasn’t unreasonable when freeway planning started in the mid/late 19550s would be expecting these trends to continue.
Dividing acres by number lots, one can get a feel for the average lot size (maybe) for the early postwar period. As one can see the size of these lots approach half and acre some years.
This might be due to ribbon development, where farm frontage on country roads gets subdivided into sometimes fairly deep lots. This is a little-remarked on feature of sprawl, and is found throughout southwest Ohio. Perhaps an interesting study would be to track how this development progresses.
And, finally, the share of new units from 1940 to the mid 1950s. Note that this area (“Madison Twp”) ranks fairly favorably in getting a share of units, though the lions share of new units are in Dayton and Kettering/Moraine (a lot of this in Dayton’s case might be infill on dead pre-war plats as well as subdivision of houses into multi-units).
(and how Wayne Twp/Huber Heights was not a growth area yet)
Early Strip DevelopmentIt will have to wait for winter to get some house pix from this early suburban era, but here is a quick look at an early commercial strip that was probably killed by the Salem Mall.
Trotwood in the mid/late 1950s (courtesy of the Soil Conservation Service aeriel photo files) showing the postwar boom in progress. The incipient strip is in the red box
And a close up, showing how the road (Free Pike) is being realigned for the auto era and a school is being built. This isn’t a good pix, but maybe you can see some very early strip stuff, perhaps a gas station.
By the early 1960s (say ‘62 or ‘63) there’s been quite a bit of new development (one can see some site prep on the left center of the pix for some new housing..in this case multifamily).
Taking a close up of the strip, it looks like there’s been some site prep for expansion of a shopping center. Most of the retail is on the south side, but there’s plenty of land available for additional retail/commercial sites north of Free Pike.
By 1970 just a few new things. The Salem Mall opened in 1966, so that probably became the preferred shopping location, thus no more major development here.
And today. One new add in the 1970s (expansion of a shopping center) but also the start of demolition, reverting land to green space.
On the GroundHeading west on Free Pike into Trotwood, approaching the strip (note vacant land to the right)
The first thing one encounters is this strip center which might have been intended to continue further to the east as the parking extends out that far, beyond the building.
..and the nifty modernist treatment on the façade. This is now a storefront church (have no idea what it was to start). One of the things about this strip was that it wasn’t “recycled”, so its sort of a living museum of retro commercial architecture.
Continuing on down the line
There’s this funky little strip building with the googy-esque angled windows, walls (and roof overhang) combined with brick wing walls and planter boxes
Just up the street is Beeber Center, with the big retro sign
…for the little modernist shopping center ( later faux mansard for the Subway)
Next door is a vacant lot, perhaps the site of a gas station. This might have been the first structure on this strip
And another big sign.
This strip center was built at first in the 1950s, then an expansion in the 1970s (which is what you see in the background)
Also note nice wide sidewalk. We are fairly close to “Old Town Trotwood”, which starts in the trees in the background (the line of Wolf Creek)
The original center is in the background, but it looks like something might have been added or modernized (metal roof awning)(another storefront church). The structure in the foreground dates to the 1950s/early 60s, but has been updated with the faux mansard/half timbering (something “olde” …maybe a restaurant or cocktail lounge at one time. Olde English stuff was the rage in the 1960s)
Across the street is this strange building from the 1950s,I think. Maybe a restaurant? Or something else? (in some ways it seems like the front end of a motel)
Next door is this great little gas station from, perhaps, the 1960s. A fun modernist design.
..and some late 1960s commercial buildings? Speckled brick and faux mansards. We see these everywhere.
And the start empty space, this one the former site of a school
Yet another modernist gas station. Based on the grainy areils this might be late 50s/early 60s, sort of a precursor to that pitched roof style.
Next door is this modern thing. I am not sure what this was but I’ve seen this type of building around town, and think it might have been a local chain or some local designer was site adapting some generic commercial design.
Curb cut to nowhere. There was a late 1950s/early 60s era commercial building here, set way back on the pad, with a big parking lot, but it’s all grass now.
One of the benefits of sprawl stall is that this museum-piece commercial development survives. Next we will look at the effect of sprawl stall on the last large postwar subdivisions of the 1960s.
For that thread
click here
