The community is invited to the dedication of the new Oregon Historical Marker in Courthouse Square Park on Thursday, July 18 at 6:30 p.m. Thanks very much to the volunteers at Oregon Travel Experience, the City of Dayton and the Dayton Community Development Association for this wonderful new addition to the park that will share Dayton’s heritage with visitors and residents.
New Murals Installed in Downtown Dayton
A steamboat is back in town. A set of mural art panels depicting scenes from Dayton’s past and present have been installed on Ferry Street in downtown Dayton. The panels, a project of the Dayton Community Development Association, feature scenes honoring Dayton’s heritage and agriculture including one of the steamboats that used to navigate the Yamhill River to land in Dayton.
The murals were painted on 4 by 6 foot panels by artist Kev Kohler in his studio in Dallas. They were installed with the help of community volunteers in July 2012 along with a “Welcome to Dayton” sign hand painted by McMinnville sign painter Mitch Horning. The art offers a vivid glimpse of Dayton’s heritage to residents and visitors and an additional reason to visit Dayton’s historic downtown.
The project became a reality because of a generous award from the Yamhill County Cultural Coalition. Donations from Western AG Improvement and Carleton Hart Architecture and smaller private donations from local community members were also instrumental in bringing the project to fruition, as was in-kind support by volunteers Jason Aust of the Blockhouse Café in Dayton, Scott Spink and other local volunteers.
The Yamhill County Cultural Coalition is an Oregon non-profit organization funded by the Oregon Cultural Trust and private donations. YCCC’s mission is to increase cultural resources and opportunities in Yamhill County. For more information, please visit www.yamhillcountyculture.org.
The Dayton Community Development Association is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization focusing primarily on the revitalization of the downtown Dayton area, and is made up of community members and businesses who volunteer their time. For more information, visit www.daytonoregon.org.
Oregon Heritage Grant Awarded to DCDA
The Oregon Heritage Commission has just announced that the Dayton Community Development Association has been selected to receive an Oregon Heritage Grant for its project to install an Oregon Historical Marker in Courthouse Square Park in downtown Dayton. The grant support, awarded for projects which conserve, develop or interpret Oregon´s heritage, will further develop the DCDA’s mission to help revitalize and enhance downtown Dayton.
Facade Improvement Project
Thanks to the work of the DCDA, in 2010, Dayton’s downtown was selected for a free design ‘makeover’, courtesy of the State Historic Preservation Office. Design professionals from that Office created (at no cost to our community) inspiring recommendations for restoring and beautifying the facades of some of Dayton’s historic storefronts.
The design team met with downtown Dayton property owners in May 2010, then returned in July 2010 and presented their recommendations to more than 30 property owners, business people, city officials and other interested members of the community. The presentation detailed design modifications and upgrades proposed for the facades of nine buildings surrounding Courthouse Square. It also sketched out historically compatible design treatments for buildings that could be put up on two vacant properties. Suggestions included door and window treatments, canopies, new paint schemes, new signage, transom restorations, new entries and higher rooflines.
A number of property owners have begun implementing some of the recommendations. The city of Dayton offered support for storefront facade improvements for historic property owners through matching grants via the Oregon State Historic Preservation Office, Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, funded by the National Park Service through the National Historic Preservation Act. The DCDA also offered a matching grant for non-historic property owners.
Examples of recommendations (see presentation for all recommendations):
Some changes implemented so far:
