Downtown: Not Dead Yet.

More proof that downtown might have bottomed-out.

Dayton Most Metro contributor Metromark reports on things cooking:

Some of this was in the media, like the Friends to Save the Arcade changing their name (slightly) and focus to preserving the public spaces of the Arcade, like the dome, and the re-opening of the McCrory building (with ground floor retail!)

The other news is the possibility of a residential redevelopment of the Fidelity Building at 4th and Main for condos, and a downtown supermarket, perhaps in the old Dayton Daily News annex.

Downtown is already able to support a convenience market (on 3rd, next door to the Arcade) with current population and foot traffic.

If there’s enough residential downtown one can easily see a neighborhood grocery in the heart of Dayton. Not a large suburban big box but more like the smaller urban supers one used to see throughout Dayton and other cities, maybe more Trader Joe’s scale.

All of this is being facilitated by Robert Shiffler, who is becoming the great benefactor of downtown, especially if he manages execute an Arcade revival (this is not a done deal yet as the current owner is still holding out). One has to admire what Shiffler is doing for downtown, stepping in where others in the local real-estate/development community fear to tread

Though Shiffler came to yer humble hosts attention via his downtown renovation work(“who is this guy?!?”), he is apparently a major collector of postwar modern art, of the more avant garde variety.

Check out Bob’s Art. Neat stuff!