Started in 1919, the social club was designed to “promote polo, hunting, riding and other outdoor sports and for the entertainment of the members and their guests,” the club’s charter reads. But like many social clubs in the area, the organization has been hit hard by the economy and lack of new memberships.
Located in bustling Miami Twp. at 2465 Keystone Club Drive, the club is tucked into 22 acres west of NCR Country Club near Alex Bell Road. The club is hidden by 36 large pine trees that were collected from members in 1959 and planted around the club entrance.
“I’ve talked to people who have lived here for 60 to 70 years who didn’t know this place existed,” said White, vice president of Iuvo Logistics.
The property includes the clubhouse, a swimming pool, clay tennis courts and a platform tennis court.
George Mead, who ran Dayton-based Mead Corp. in the early 1900s, and Harold Talbott, the first Oakwood mayor, imported a team of polo ponies to Dayton, and the first matches were arranged in 1916 by Fred Patterson at Community Field, which is now the public golf course.
Following the formation of the club, the grounds offered polo games with clubs located throughout the United States. Polo has not been played at the club since the early 1940s.
Due to the location of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Dayton became popular to servicemen throughout the country following World War II, and club membership skyrocketed from families of military men and women.
“Unfortunately, the club’s membership has been falling for many years. It’s too bad. My family comes out here in the summer and it’s like being in a remote area. It has a great atmosphere,” White said.
When the Great Recession ended in 2009, many country clubs in the Dayton area began offering reduced membership rates and lowered requirements to join.
“We had many people leave us at that time, and we have not been able to recover,” White said.
Around 20 families are currently members and the club has around 140 other members who signed to lifetime memberships.
“We still have a lot of families who made Dayton famous. The Ketterings used the grounds for a wedding recently,” White said.
The original grounds were designed by the famous landscape architect Frederlick Law Olmstead, who also designed the Dayton Country Club and the Art Institute in Dayton. Some of his most famous designs include New York Central Park and the 1893 Chicago World Fair.
The club has not had a caretaker or staffing for several years. A majority of the work around the grounds and in the clubhouse is done by volunteers who are members, White said.
“We’ve taken our issues to the membership, but we haven’t received a lot of feedback,” he said.
A lien has been placed on the property because the club has not been able to keep up with its taxes, according to White. The club has no solid plans for its future and is looking for ideas or organizations that would want to take the property over. White is open to suggestions or inquiries. He can be reached by email at poloclub1919@gmail.com.
The club has offered to donate the property to Dayton History and NCR Country Club. White said both organizations turned the offer down.
“We just want to preserve the history of this property. It doesn’t have a lot of development value, and we would like someone to keep the property in place for others to enjoy,” White said.
Rich Gillette is the Dayton Daily News business editor. He can be reached at (937) 225-0623 or rich.gillette@coxinc.com
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