What do you consider to be unique about your specific building compared to other Kirkbrides?

Everything about our building is unique. In fact, that is our tag line “Unique Senior Living”. Here’s the website link https://www.10wilmingtonplace.com/. I’m not that familiar with many other Kirkbrides, but from what I understand, all are very unique. One of our favorite statements is, our center wing was built in 1855, before Lincoln was President!

What has been your greatest challenge in preservation?

As much as we love our building, it’s a real challenge to maintain. We recently had flooding in our finished basement due to very heavy rain. The stacked stone foundation is certainly not water-tight. Also, because the State of Ohio had sand blasted the brick exterior in the 70’s, we have to apply a waterproofing chemical to the brick surface every 7-10 years to keep the brick in good condition. This is a very expensive maintenance item.

How did your community react to the idea of restoration, and did their reactions change after completion of the project?

We’ve been in operation for nearly 35 years and the support has been tremendous. Everyone in Dayton knows of our building and campus. It’s a Dayton treasure.