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An advisory panel to the National Park Service unanimously voted Thursday to recommend that 266 acres of the Dayton VA Medical Site be designated a National Historic Landmark.

The historic designation would make the site one of fewer than 2,500 nationwide bearing the distinction.

The recommendation will now go to the full National Park Service Advisory Board, which is expected to consider the matter next spring before sending it to the Interior Secretary for final approval.

Thursday’s meeting was considered a key hurdle to overcome to make the site a Historic Landmark.

“With Veteran’s Day celebrations occurring in Dayton tomorrow, this will be welcome news throughout our community,” said Rep. Mike Turner, R-Centerville.

In a 30-minute meeting a block from the White House, the historians and architects on the National Park System Advisory Board Landmarks Committee gave high praise to the Dayton site for telling the story of how care for veterans evolved.

The site is being recommended for reflecting a period of significance spanning from 1917 to 1959 — from when the federal government provided a National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers through the creation of the current Veterans Administration.

The Dayton site served as the central branch, or administrative center, for the entire National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers system.

“Dayton encapsulates the entire history of the VA,” said Bill Montague, director of the Dayton VA Medical Center.

He argued the designation might be helpful in Dayton’s bid to land the archives of the Veterans Administration.

The bid to have the Dayton site named a historic landmark originated with former Rep. Tony Hall, D-Dayton.

In a letter read at Thursday’s hearing, Turner wrote that establishing the site as a National Historic Landmark “will ensure that current and future generations develop a greater understanding and appreciation for the sacrifices made by the brave men and women of our Armed Forces and the dedicated professionals providing them care.”

By Jessica Wehrman, Washington Bureau
Dayton Daily News

 

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