Dayton may invest $748K into site where Wright brothers airplane factory sits

May 8—Dayton is considering spending nearly $748,000 to make improvements to the exterior grounds of the Wright brothers airplane factory site in West Dayton.

The Dayton City Commission this week is expected to vote on a contract with Outdoor Enterprise LLC that would pay for site work and the installation of recreational paths.

The project would include the creation of a new concrete path that connects Frontage Street (along U.S. 35, east of the site) to the new Dayton Metro Library West Branch, says a memo from Todd Kinskey, Dayton's director of planning, neighborhoods and development.

A new gravel path also would be created east of the library, which was built just south of the Wright factory site.

Outdoor Enterprise also would grade and seed the empty land around the hangars that house the historic Wright brothers' airplane factory. New fencing also would be erected.

If the commission approves funding for the outdoor work, the project is expected to be completed in spring 2024.

The two historic Wright hangar buildings and two similar-looking hangar buildings were badly damaged by fire on March 26. A fifth hangar building did not catch fire.

The city is still waiting to find out the extent of the damage and whether the buildings can be saved.

Previous plans by the city and National Aviation Heritage officials were to restore the historic hangar factory buildings to make them part of the Aviation Heritage National Historical Park. Plans called for an aviation museum surrounded by a mixed-use development.