DAYTON — People in Dayton say they are heartbroken after a fire destroyed a piece of the city’s history early Sunday morning.
>>PHOTOS: Historic Dayton mansion a total loss after fire
The fire burned what is known as the Traxler Mansion. No one was living there when the fire started.
News Center 7′s Taylor Robertson said the Traxler Mansion on Yale Avenue was built in 1911 and has been used in many different ways.
At one point, the Dayton Philharmonic performed there but for the past 10 years, it’s been empty.
“Everyone in the district, we’re just devastated,” said Fred Holley, President of Dayton View Historic Association. “It’s a tragedy for us in terms of our neighborhood.”
>>Historic Dayton mansion a total loss after fire
Robertson said when Holley got to the mansion, people told him what happened.
“They said every room on all three floors, flames were shooting out of the windows about 20 feet into the air,” he said.
Holley was worried the property could become a target for criminals and urged the owners to install a security system. He also told Robertson the property was scheduled to get to sheriff sale on May 4.
“We had a buyer who was prepared to acquire it and do a restoration,” he said. “A complete restoration and that’s probably fallen off the table at this point. As a member of Preservation Dayton, we’ve tried to work with the owners for several years now.”
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Robertson also spoke with Alfreda Willingham. She has lived across the street from the Traxler Mansion for 52 years and says she’s watched people break into the boarded-up building.
“I see people going in and bringing things out of the house,” she said. “I’d call the police and they would arrest the guys.”
After the fire, Willingham tells Robertson she looks at the mansion and cries.
“It’s sad though because it was a historical monument here for this part of Yale (Avenue),” she said. “Now, I don’t know whether I should move, or go and try to find some other place to go because it’s scary.”
Both Willingham and Holley say they would like to see the historic mansion restored.
“I’d like to think the front façade could be saved and maybe condos or something built,” he said.
“Even if it’s not many floors,” she said. “They could restore it to one or two floors.”
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Robertson says firefighters do not feel what’s left of the mansion has to be knocked down for safety reasons.
They also said the cause of the fire remains under investigation.
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