The Dayton Veterans Affairs Medical Center is located at 4100 West 3rd Street in

Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater Day ...

. Founded in 1867, it is one of the three oldest facilities of what is now the

United States Department of Veterans Affairs The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a Cabinet-level executive branch department of the federal government charged with providing life-long healthcare services to eligible military veterans at the 170 VA medical centers a ...

. When founded, it was known as the Central Branch of the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, and it is under this name that a portion of its campus, along with the adjacent Dayton National Cemetery, was designated a

National Historic Landmark District National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

in 2012, for its role in the history and management of veterans affairs.

Campus

The Dayton VA campus is located on Dayton's west side, bounded on the north by Dayton National Cemetery (itself bounded on the north by West 3rd Street), the east by South Gettysburg Avenue, the south by United States Route 35, and on the west by Liscum Drive. The expansive property includes a large number of buildings, most of which were built between about 1930 and 1960 to fulfill the VA's mission in a variety of ways. They include administrative facilities, hospital and other medical facilities, housing complexes (some still in use as such, others used for other purposes, and others standing vacant), and landscaped grounds. A small handful of buildings remain from its earliest days.

History

In 1866 the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...

established the

National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers The National Asylum for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers was established on March 3, 1865, in the United States by Congress to provide care for volunteer soldiers who had been disabled through loss of limb, wounds, disease, or injury during service in ...

(NHDVS), the precursor of the VA, to provide medical and other facilities for veterans of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. Three centers were established in the following years: the Eastern branch in

Togus, Maine Togus, formally known as the Togus VA Medical Center, is a facility operated by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs in Chelsea, Maine. The facility was built as a resort hotel, and housed Union veterans of the American Civil War prior ...

, the Central Branch in Dayton, and the Northwestern Branch in

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at th ...

. The Dayton facility was the administrative center of the home, and its principal commissary. The landscaped grounds of its early days included a conservatory and a small zoo, which were local tourist attractions in addition to providing restorative functions to veterans living at the facility. In 1930 the NHDVS was merged with other organizations to form the Veterans Administration, and the Dayton facilities underwent a major modernization over the following 20 years. The facilities were expanded and further modernizes in the 1980s and 1990s, most visibly with the construction of the Inpatient Tower and associated medical complex, which now dominate the western portion of the campus. A portion of the complex, including the adjacent cemetery (also founded in 1867), was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 2004 for its significance in local and state history, and was designated a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

in 2012 for its national importance in the administration of veterans affairs. Primary care

References

External links

*
Official VA website
{{authority control Hospital buildings completed in 1867 Hospitals in Ohio Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Ohio Hospitals in Dayton, Ohio 1867 establishments in Ohio National Register of Historic Places in Montgomery County, Ohio Hospital buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Ohio National Historic Landmarks in Ohio

Campus

History

See also

References

External links