The Dunbar Historic District is a nationally recognized historic district on S Paul Laurence Dunbar Street in

Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is a city in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Ohio, sixth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 137,644 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Dayton metro ...

. The district is famous for being the home of

Paul Laurence Dunbar Paul Laurence Dunbar (June 27, 1872 – February 9, 1906) was an American poet, novelist, and short story writer of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Born in Dayton, Ohio, to parents who had been enslaved in Kentucky before the American C ...

. On June 30, 1980, it was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

A larger area known as ''Wright-Dunbar'' (or Mound-Horace) is bounded roughly by US 35, Broadway Street, West Third Street and the

Great Miami River The Great Miami River (also called the Miami River) (Shawnee language, Shawnee: ''Msimiyamithiipi'') is a tributary of the Ohio River, approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe Nat ...

. This district has also been known for housing many ethnic groups such as

Hungarians Hungarians, also known as Magyars, are an Ethnicity, ethnic group native to Hungary (), who share a common Culture of Hungary, culture, Hungarian language, language and History of Hungary, history. They also have a notable presence in former pa ...

Romanians Romanians (, ; dated Endonym and exonym, exonym ''Vlachs'') are a Romance languages, Romance-speaking ethnic group and nation native to Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. Sharing a Culture of Romania, ...

, and

African Americans African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa ...

. After

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

the Wright-Dunbar area was known as the cultural and commercial center of Dayton's African American community. Many black-owned stores, shops, and theatres gained popularity in Dayton, such as the "Palace Theatre". Decades later, in the 1950s and 1960s, much of the area was damaged during

riots A riot or mob violence is a form of civil disorder commonly characterized by a group lashing out in a violent public disturbance against authority, property, or people. Riots typically involve destruction of property, public or private. The p ...

urban renewal Urban renewal (sometimes called urban regeneration in the United Kingdom and urban redevelopment in the United States) is a program of land redevelopment often used to address real or perceived urban decay. Urban renewal involves the clearing ...

, and the construction of

Interstate 75 Interstate 75 (I-75) is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. As with most Interstates that end in 5, it is a major cross-country, north–south route, traveling from S ...

. Later, through an effort by the city of Dayton and the county, many of the houses in the district were brought back to life again.

References

External links

Preservation Dayton

Welcome to Wright Dunbar, Inc. , Wright Dunbar

* ttps://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2006/08/20060816-2.html Mrs. Bush's Remarks After Visit to Wright-Dunbar Village* https://web.archive.org/web/20070929031037/http://www.projdel.com/Wright-Dunbar.pdf
HUDUSER Survey
National Register of Historic Places in Montgomery County, Ohio Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Ohio Neighborhoods in Dayton, Ohio {{MontgomeryCountyOH-NRHP-stub