A building that has been in Dayton for more than 100 years and demolition crews began to tear it down on Wednesday.
Omega Baptist Church bought Fout Hall from the United Theological Seminary (UTS) in 2005 when UTS moved to Trotwood. It’s one of three buildings left from the seminary.
>> PHOTOS: Demolition begins on 100-year-old building turned eyesore in Dayton
“When the theological seminary had it, it was in its glory,” Andrew Kelly, of Dayton, said.
People who work at or live near the hall on Harvard Blvd. know its history, but also know it needs to be history since becoming an eyesore.
Marcus Ivery, Omega Baptist Church’s Facilities Manager, said he walked around for a “victory lap” before the demolition on Wednesday knowing he doesn’t have to worry about a safety concern anymore.
“I had to make sure people stayed out because they were constantly breaking in, constantly trying to steal metal and stuff,” Ivery said.
Fout Hall is the last eyesore on Omega’s campus. The church has been working to get it torn down for more than a decade. As reported on News Center 7 at 5:00, the Montgomery County Landbank helped get state money to help Omega pay for remediation and demolition.
Kelly said while he has fond memories of the campus, he’s excited for what comes next.
“Joy to see it coming down, because I know they’re going to do something great with this area,” Kelly said.
The demolition will take about a month, according to the church. They don’t have any immediate plans for redevelopment on the site, but they’ll be determining that over the next year or so.
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