Wright brothers’ first bike shop to be demolished in Ohio
It’s fallen victim to the wheels of time.
The Wright brothers’ first bicycle shop is set for demolition in Dayton, Ohio.
The airplane inventors opened the shop in 1892, but their business folded after less than a year, according to the Dayton Daily News. After the Wrights left, an ice cream company took over for seven decades, but the building has been in disrepair for years.
Despite the dreadful state of the structure, preservation groups have argued that the city should attempt to save the facade as part of any proposed development on the property. They pointed out that the city of Dayton has owned the building for years, so it’s the city’s fault it’s in such terrible shape.
Dayton applied to demolish the building, and two commissions ruled differently on its fate. The Dayton Landmarks Commission said the building should stay, but the Dayton Board of Zoning Appeals overruled them.
Arguments that the building is a public safety hazard and could collapse won the day.
Though the Wright Brothers had their famous first airplane flight near Kitty Hawk, N.C., they spent most of their lives in Dayton. They were much better inventors than bicycle salesmen.
With News Wire Services
