Historic South Park is holding its first annual food drive for the Gospel Mission.
Ken and Sue Clarkston, are a local pastor and his wife, who are reverred members of the South Park Family, and run the Mission. As a way of saying thank you for all of the hardwork that they do through out the year in our neighborhood, their neighbors in South Park are holding a food drive to benefit the Mission food pantry. Donations will be taken from now until December 21 at the South Park Tavern, on Wayne Ave. Our goal is raise at least 500 lbs of food to help the people who are served by the Mission to get through the winter season. As of this posting, 195 lbs. in food donations have been collected.
Please help Ken and Sue give some needy families a decent meal, and give generously.
Thanks
 Now past the halfway point, thousands of visitors have descended upon South Park since last week to see the Rehabarama show houses. Many have already returned with their friends for a second viewing. These amazing homes have been professionally decorated by some of Dayton’s most talented interior design firms. The renovated homes range from 900 sqf. to 3,400 sqf., each with unique architecture and design which make for a very interesting show.
An astonishing number of volunteers were needed for this 10-day event is many. South Park neighbor, Maureen Heacock, called upon neighbors and friends to step up, help man the houses and greet our guests as they visit each home on tour. Many volunteers have expressed enjoyment as they reintroduce themselves to new and old faces of the neighborhood. We also make new friends as outside volunteers, who have taken time out of their busy schedules, to help us out on the tour.
 We've also seen so many great people who visit from near and far that want to see what's going on down here in South Park. Along with new and old neighbors of South Park, we meet people who are friends of neighbors, urbanites from other Dayton neighborhoods, historic districts or cities, curious suburbanites, old residents who once called South Park home and even people who also once called the rehabbed house home, and of course people who are interested in becoming new South Park neighbors.
So come out to this free event and walk the ten houses on tour by Full Circle Development and The Home Group. We have a house that shows off a neighbor's artistic creation in a staircase hand railing, houses that show of a neighbor's design in kitchens and every house includes a house history by a neighborhood resident house historian. There are just a few days left, today and tomorrow 4–8pm, and this Saturday and Sunday, 12–8pm. Or for more information, follow this link. We hope to see you.
Historic South Park, Inc. & Jazz Advocate are excited to announce the upcoming collaborative one-day 1st annual Historic South Park Jazz Festival. The FREE event will take place in the Historic South Park neighborhood on SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 29th from NOON until 9pm. This inaugural edition is a Celebration of LOCAL musicians, featuring six Dayton-area ensembles. The line-up includes Razzamatazz & Jazz, The Mario Abney Quintet, The Jazz Central Band, The Archie McPherson Sextet, Rick Evans & The Masters of Jazz and, wrapping up the schedule, Deron Bell & the Jazz for You Band.
 
The organizers are planning the event to have a 'block-party' atmosphere, as it will take place in the gazebo on Park Drive, in Dayton's Historic South Park Neighborhood, on the west side of Wayne Avenue, one block North of Wyoming Street. The festival will be surrounded by the renovated historic homes overlooking the boulevard.
Free parking is available at Hope Lutheran Church and Emerson Academy on Hickory Street. In case of rain, the event WILL NOT BE CANCELED, but rather will be moved to the Emerson Academy Auditorium, 500 Hickory Street. Maps & information are available online at www.jazzadvocate.com or www.historicsouthpark.org, or you may call (937) 648-0627 with questions.
Festival-goers are asked to bring their own lawn chairs or blankets for seating. Food & beverages will be available, thanks to such vendors as the Pizza Factory, Roscoe Ribs & Heidelberg Distributing (Michelob). This event is free, thanks to corporate sponsorships from Krogers, Chase Bank, Culture Works, City of Dayton, Miami Valley Hospital & Heidelberg Distributing Company. Additional support is from Dayton City Paper, The 88 Club, Jazz Central, Pam Miller Howard RE/MAX Resources, DMA Local 101-473, The Kent Group, Pizza Factory & South Park Tavern.
Last evening I had the pleasure of attending a fantastic neighborhood party in South Park, thanks to an invite from our friend Maureen (a contributing blogger on MostMetro). I met a lot of great people, and I could tell right away that this was a tight-knit community. Conversations about each others rehab experiences could be heard all around - a subject that seems to be the common denominator that unites this diverse and eclectic group of urban enthusiasts. And a remarkable thing I noticed was the fact that the owners of the two development groups who are busy rehabbing dozens of historic homes (Theresa Gasper of Full Circle Development, LLC. & Michael DiFlora of The Home Group LLC with their respective spouses Dave & Holly) were right there with everybody else, and they too were very much a part of this community. If one didn't know any better, it would have been easy to assume that these two couples were simply fellow neighbors who lived next door.
This is exactly what it means to live in a vibrant urban community. People invest in the neighborhood not to simply flip a quick buck but because they are passionate about the neighborhood. Neighbors don't just know each other - they look out for one another and form tight friendships. People are tolerant of each other's differences, and diversity is considered an asset. And neighborhood parties are not rare but common. In fact, last night's party was the second of three scheduled for this summer!
Thanks to everybody I met last night - especially Kathy (who hosted the first half of the party at her house) and Kevin & Amanda - who hosted the second half at theirs). It was great meeting all of you and I look forward to the next time...
Ok, I know South Park has been hogging the DMM Spotlight lately... but for good reason - this neighborhood has A LOT going on! So it came as almost no surprise when news came out in the Dayton Business Journal yesterday that the owners of Coco's Bistro are planning their next restaurant (already?) in the Blommel Sign Co. building they recently purchased at 735 Wayne Avenue. This is great news for both South Park as well as those of us who enjoy Coco's and the many other fantastic independent restaurants we have here in Dayton. But this new restaurant's location could mean much more than just another independent restaurant opening...
Continue reading "Coco's Owners to open South Park Eatery" »
Well, this is going to be one of the easiest entries that I've had to write! For two reasons--first, the block party to view the final designs was so fabulous, such a wonderful coming together of energies, resources and dreams, that I could say lots and lots about it. Blommell Park was full, all afternoon, of people looking at designs, talking and arguing about them and expanding on them, eating pizza, listening to jazz, watching a bazillion kids chase each other around, and enjoying the fruits of our labors. Mayor McLin spoke in support of our efforts, Commissioners Lovelace and Williams also attended, representatives from UD and from Miami Valley Hospital were on hand, as well as some of our most long-time residents and people who are just moving into the neighborhood. It was a wonderful time to be a part of South Park.
The OTHER reason that this is such an easy entry to write is because--it's all done for me! Check out this Dayton Daily news video story by Eddie Roth: http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/mplayer/news/17763 and send it to all of your friends! It does a terrific job of capturing the substance of the event, as well as the feel of it. I dare you to watch this and NOT want to move to South Park!!
Continue reading "South Park Loves the AIA" »
After all the meetings and all the work--now it's time to party! The Dayton chapter of the American Institute of Architects and the South Park neighborhood are throwing a block party this Saturday, May 12, from 11 - 2 in Blommell Park, at the corner of Park Drive and Jay Street. It's time to see what all of this hard work on the parts of the design teams and the residents has resulted in. There will be five different projects on display:
* a reconfigured Wayne Avenue business corridor, with ample parking, more attractive walk-ways, and better traffic flow;
* ways of better defining the boundaries and the visual identity of the South Park neighborhood;
* a catalog of new housing designs that fit with the neighborhood's historic character, but incorporate innovative, contemporary housing approaches;
* a dramatic new bike/walkway connecting Woodland Cemetary, Park Drive Boulevard, Blommell Park, and South Park Green, visible from 35 and connecting to the Oregon District and downtown, with enhanced recreational opportunities in both parks; and
* exciting, attractive architectural renderings of possible renovation candidates in the neighborhood, reminding us of the potential that continues to exist even in our most derelict housing stock
Come and see what architects and neighbors together can imagine and produce! Come and see what has made South Park such a special community for so long, and see how we can imagine it growing and becoming even more vital. Come and help us express our thanks to the AIA for providing such a wonderful gift to our Dayton community!
Yesterday, the second of three design "charrettes" was held at the Emerson School in the South Park neighborhood. These design charrettes are the heart of the process that the American Institute of Architechts is using in helping South Park define its vision for the future. We (the 75 or so neighborhood residents and other stakeholders, along with the 40 or so architects participating in the process) have divided up into five working groups: residential rehab, new residential, commercial/public spaces, greenspaces and boundaries. Each group has worked collaboratively to define a project. At each design charrette, the architects present the members of the working group with the ideas they've developed to capture the discussions of the previous session. Through three iterations, the knowledge of the architects combines with the imagination of the community members to create a vision that is broad and exciting, while remaining closely connected to how the community wishes to use and live in the neighborhood.
The ideas each group is coming up with are phenomenal. From reconceptualizing Wayne Avenue as a "Craftsman District" with an enhanced traffic and pedestrian flow, to linking Woodland Cemetary, Blommel Park and South Park Green with a bike trail and significantly reconceptualizing and enhancing both parks, to developing templates for renovating homes with an eye toward universal design and combined-family units, the ideas are fresh, forward-thinking, and exciting. The architects and the community clearly envision South Park as a place that young professionals, growing families, and empty-nesters will all find appealing.
It was a little difficult for many of us in the neighborhood to understand the impact of winning this AIA grant before the process began. Now that we are halfway through it, it has become clear that the "gift to the community" that the AIA has offered is its ability to translate the dreams, desires and needs of a community into actual pictures and plans. Now that we know what our visions look like, we will be that much better able to find ways to make them a reality.
Well, we've been waiting a long time for this here in South Park, but it's finally starting to happen. People are starting to notice what a great opportunity this neighborhood presents for them. Just had to share a couple of things that I've heard recently that demonstrate this. We have an active book club that meets regularly, and communicates through email. A couple of weeks ago, one of the members put out an email to the group saying--I'm looking for something to do this weekend--anyone interested? She found a whole bunch of takers, and they got together and had a wonderful time! To me, that says loads about what it means to live in a community, where you know and socialize with your neighbors. Secondly, not only did the first AIA session generate serious interest in the neighborhood from some of the outsiders who attended, but our organization just got an email from someone who doesn't live in the neighborhood, but wants to be part of our organization as we work on the AIA grant and on Rehabarama, and who is very interested in moving to South Park as soon as it's viable for her to do so! I couldn't be more pleased with the direction South Park is moving right now--it's very exciting to be part of something that's taking off the way this is.
What a great time it is to be living in Historic South Park! Two amazing pieces of news have come together for the benefit of South Park, through hard work, organization, and through people starting to realize what a wonderful place South Park is and can be.
A couple of weeks ago, we had the exciting announcement that South Park had won a highly competitive grant from the American Institute of Architects, in celebration of their 150th year as an organization. Starting with a kick-off meeting this Saturday, architects from firms throughout the Dayton region, together with significant input from neighborhood residents and other community constituents, will work over the next two months to envision a future for South Park: how we want it to look, feel and work, and how we can get it there. See the DDN story for more details.
And building on this story (and actually, helping to create the conditions that led to winning the grant), we learned yesterday that the City has authorized and agreed to promote a privately-funded Rehabarama in South Park this October! Two investors have independently made their way to South Park, determining that our neighborhood was well-positioned to take advantage of the kinds of resources they could bring to bear. They have been purchasing vacant properties in South Park and are working to restore them and make them home-owner occupied. Several of the properties that they are transforming will comprise the Rehabarama show. See more details here.
What is most exciting to me about these two events is that it feels like people are starting to understand what is so special about South Park. We work together, we address problems, we are committed to each other and to this place, and we keep focused on our long-range goals. And we even manage to have a lot of fun together while we're doing it!
Stay tuned for more details about the AIA process and Rehabarama!
Greetings from South Park! My name is Maureen, and I've been a resident of South Park since 1999. I'm looking forward to sharing the various reasons that my family and I have been so pleased with our choice of neighborhoods.
One of the reasons South Park works so well for us is that it is so close to the places we go daily. My husband teaches at UD, my children attend Holy Angels, and we try to patronize the businesses that are within walking distance as much as possible. With the development on Brown Street happening so close by, my neighbors and I speculate on the way the street and the business climate is changing on a regular basis. With the building on the corner of Brown and Stewart making rapid progress, and with planning underway for UD's 49 acres, we talk often of what kind of business establishments would contribute to the quality of life in South Park. The ideas that come up most often include an ethnic restaurant (Thai, Indian, Chinese, Mexican--ANYTHING other than a sub shop!), a wine shop and/or wine bar, a newsstand with broad national and international offerings, and a gallery and a bank. I'd love to hear other ideas about what would contribute to making this area vibrant and usable, things that would persuade others to give up their long commutes and rediscover what urban living is all about.
It looks like the new plans for the new Wayne/Wyoming Kroger have been drawn up (Thanks Mark!). Click on the picture to the right for a larger view.
What do you think about this development? Are you for or against a new Kroger on that property? How do you feel about the Ecki building being demolished to make room for a new Kroger?
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