St. Anne's Hill
A Historic Perspective

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   In the 1870's, 1880's and 1890's, more prominent homes were again being built in the neighborhood, primarily by German tradesmen who had become economic successes. They were typically of brick construction, rather than wood-frame. Examples of the more prominent homes include those of Wesley Boren, (builder), 48 High Street (now the "High Street Gallery," 1870, Italianate style); Conrad Herman (builder), 104 High Street (1881, Italianate style), and Thomas H. Cridland (industrialist, Joyce-Cridland Co.), 601 McLain Street (1887, vernacular Queen Anne style). During this "heyday," many of the pre-existing homes, both prominent and working-class, were architecturally "Victorianized," including the Dutoit Farmhouse and The Steamboat House. Also, during this era, other support structures began to evolve in the neighborhood. East Fifth Street became lined with storefront shops where the proprietor typically lived on the second floor and operated his business on the first. Typical businesses included saloons (e.g., The Stockert Saloon, 1878, Italianate, now The Baroque Violin Shop at 1500 E. Fifth Street), grocery shops, meat shops, and bakeries. During this time, the portion of Fifth Street passing through St. Anne's Hill became the first paved street in the city of Dayton and East Fifth Street became one of the city's primary thoroughfares as planned by Daniel C. Cooper in 1802.

   As the neighborhood flourished, social support institutions began to abound. The neighborhood developed a strong family orientation, and numerous churches, clubs, societies and schools sprang up in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Fortunately, due to its hill location, the buildings in St. Anne's Hill were spared from damage during The Great Flood of 1913. In fact, many of its buildings served as flood victims' havens. The Bomberger Center at East Fifth and High Streets, which replaced the Bomberger estate in 1908, became Ohio's first public recreation center (the original building and pool were Romanesque Revival). Stivers High School (1909 - 14) became Ohio's first vocational high school, and the Odd Fellows Hall (1911 - Romanesque Revival) housed a social/benevolence society which provided social support during pre-public welfare days.

   During the Great Depression of the 1930's and following World War II, St. Anne's became very densely populated, with many of the prominent homes being divided up into rental units. Many of the homes of St. Anne's architecturally suffered from over-use and abuse during the post-war housing shortage. Then, in the late 1950's and 1960's, suburban flight began to occur. An increasing absentee landlord rate left many residents without the resources or motivation to maintain or improve properties. Many of the "improvements" made during this time were not sympathetic with the architectural integrity of the neighborhood. By the 1970's, St. Anne's Hill was losing many architecturally significant structures. This got the attention of some long-term residents and a small group of preservationists, and local historic designation for the neighborhood was petitioned for and achieved in 1974. Entry into the National Register of Historic Places was later gained in 1986.