DAYTON — The public auction to sell a historic mansion in Dayton will move forward, even after a devastating fire.
>>PHOTOS: Auction of Historic Dayton mansion to go forward after devastating fire
Flames ripped through the Traxler Mansion on Yale Avenue early Sunday morning.
News Center 7′s Mike Campbell spoke with neighborhood and city-wide groups who have been working to preserve the mansion.
The Traxler Mansion is in the Dayton View Historic Neighborhood and was classified as a historic structure.
It started in 1909 and took three years to complete the three-story master piece.
Campbell said it took only a few minutes Sunday morning for the flames to wipe it out.
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“I was devastated, as was the rest of the neighborhood,” said Fred Holley, President of Dayton View Historic Association.
“It was tragic,” said Monica Snow, President of Preservation Dayton. “It didn’t have to happen.”
Campbell was at the burned out mansion Monday and spoke with both Holley and Snow.
Both the Dayton View Neighborhood Association and Preservation Dayton have worked intensely for three years to return the treasured building to productive use.
“This property has always been an anchor for this neighborhood,” said Holley.
>>PHOTOS: Historic Dayton mansion a total loss after fire
The Traxler Mansion was built in a chateauesque style for Leo Traxler, who owned a chain of dependent stores in Dayton. It’s gone through several owners.
Preservation Dayton shared of what it looked liked in years between 1979 and 1982 but the property has been vacant for about 10 years.
The current owners, the Moore family, are several years behind on tax payments.
“We helped drive it through the foreclosure process, so it could go to auction,” Holley told Campbell.
“We had two viable, credible buyers who have a proven track record right here in the neighborhood,” said Snow.
>>Historic Dayton mansion a total loss after fire
News Center 7′s check of records shows more than $36,000 of back taxes is owed and it would have been the minimum bid at auction.
A buyer may have had to spend $500,000 to $1 million more dollars to restore the property.
Campbell says once the fire roared through the mansion, everything changed. The roof and most of the third floor caved in and is now gone.
Now, any restoration price may be doubled, if not simply an impossible job.
The auction was scheduled for just two weeks after the fire.
The flames hit a building with no active utility service, raising suspicions of how the fire began.
“Flames shooting out of all three stories, so the question is, was an accelerant used?” asked Snow.
“Nothing was turned on,” said Holley. “Somebody or something had to spark the fire.”
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Campbell says the Dayton Fire Department is leading the investigation into the cause of his fire, which is undetermined right now.
The public auction is still scheduled for May 4 on this property but it is unclear if the handful of interested buyers will still be on-board.