An architect for the police department and police officials say the design is a work in progress, and community input will help determine what the building looks like.
“We don’t want it to be an eyesore — we want it to be part of the community,” said Dayton police Major Paul Saunders.
Details on new station
The Dayton Police Department proposes to build a new, 10,000-square-foot police station at the southeastern corner of West Third Street and Abbey Avenue on the Wright factory site.
The site is home to the fire-damaged original airplane manufacturing hangars used by Orville and Wilbur Wright, plus some replica hangar structures and the new Dayton Metro Library West Branch, which opened in early 2022. The site is being targeted for redevelopment into a mix of uses.
Conceptual renderings of the proposed station show a one-story structure with a curved roof that looks similar to an airplane hangar.
Aviation is expected to be the theme of the redevelopment of the Wright factory site, and the proposed station resembles a hangar and part of a wing, said Rick Willis, senior project manager with App Architecture, which is designing the station.
The concept design shows the building will have metal panels on the sides, a metal roof and masonry on the north face of the building along West Third Street.
Willis said the new station has to be secure and must meet the needs of the police department for decades to come.
“We want this building to look strong, we want it to be inviting, we want the public to be able to see it,” he said.
New site called better location
Dayton has not had a new police station in 33 years, and police officials say the current West District station is in a non-ideal space at 951 Washington St. that the city rents from Central State University.
Police officials say the station serves a huge area — everything west of the river — but the facility is near the eastern edge of that district, far from most neighborhoods.
The Wright factory property is a much better location from a strategic and tactical standpoint because of its proximity to U.S. 35, West Third Street and Gettysburg Avenue, Major Saunders said. He said the site offers the kind of ingress and egress that police need to quickly respond to calls.
However, Saunders said the most important consideration is that the site is in the heart of West Dayton.
Saunders said the police department and the community have been reevaluating policing for several years.
Dayton launched a police reform process following protests sparked by George Floyd’s Minnesota death in 2020 that led to 142 police reform recommendations.
Saunders said many people who participated in police reform made it very clear that they want the police department to be more involved and engaged with the community.
“We want something that makes it so that the community and the neighborhoods feel like we’re a part of them and not apart from them,” Saunders said.
Saunders said the new police station hopefully will be a community asset and a catalyst for future development for that part of the city. He said hopefully it will make the area feel and actually be safer.
Station design raises questions
During a work session this week, Dayton Plan Board members said they have some problems with the proposed design.
Board member Ann Schenking said the West Third Street section of the building looks “imposing” and uninviting.
The proposed building does not have an entrance on Third Street — it’s off Abbey Avenue.
“What could be done to make it look less like — I think it looks fortressy,” Schenking said.
Plan board chair Greg Scott said the proposed design has elements that do not comply with city rules or board practices, including those related to the placement of building entrances and parking.
The intersection of Third and Abbey is a prominent and important corner that acts as a kind of gateway into multiple parts of West Dayton, some plan board members said.
Willis said they are exploring ways to break up the masonry “mass” along Third Street possibly with signage, artwork or a mural.
Major Saunders said the community will help determine what they want the north face of the building to look like.
About the Author
