Memorial Hall, Old Court House will reopen

Photos: Dayton's Memorial Hall

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Dayton's Memorial Hall, which closed in 2003, will reopen with tours, special exhibits and educational programming as well as public meeting space.

Staff photo by Chris Stewart Dayton's Memorial Hall, which closed in 2003, will reopen with tours, special exhibits and educational programming as well as public meeting space.

By Jim DeBrosse, Staff Writer Updated 8:18 AM Wednesday, January 27, 2010

DAYTON — Imagine a mock trial re-enacting the conviction of the last man hanged in Montgomery County as witnesses in 1880s costume testify in the lurid case of a prostiture’s murder on Brown Street.

Adding to the drama is the knowledge the public hanging that followed on Courthouse Square went horrifically awry when the noose broke and the convicted man started screaming, “I ain’t dead! I ain’t dead!” He had to be hanged a second time.

The trial is an example of the type of educational programming Dayton History is planning as the new managers of the Old Court House and Memorial Hall, located at 125 E. First. The renovated courthouse hasn’t hosted public tours since it reopened in 2005. Under an agreement approved by county commissioners Tuesday, Jan. 26, Dayton History will maintain the properties as historical centers open to the public through tours, exhibits and special programming.

“We can’t think of a better trustee for these historic assets than Dayton History,” said County Administrator Deborah Feldman.

Feldman said the county will save $100,000 a year by eliminating staff positions at the two locations and paying Dayton History a consulting fee of $300,000 a year.

Brady Kress, chief executive of Dayton History, said reopening Memorial Hall as an entertainment venue has not been ruled out “in the long-run,” even though the county agreed not to compete with the Schuster Center for the Performing Arts. The last performance at Memorial Hall was Bill Cosby in 2001.

The Old Court House and Memorial Hall are two of Dayton’s most significant historic structures. Completed in 1850, the Old Court House is considered to be one of the finest examples of Greek Revival-style courthouses in the nation. Memorial Hall was built in 1910 and originally dedicated to local veterans of the Civil and Spanish-American wars.

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