With the first phase of the restoration of the Dayton Arcade nearing completion, ThinkTV, the Dayton Metro Library and Cross Street Partners have teamed up for a week-long celebration of the history and future of the iconic Dayton Arcade.
An exhibit of the Dayton Arcade’s rich history will be on display at the Dayton Metro Library, 215 E. Third Street. The exhibit, featuring memorabilia from the early history of the Arcade and the Save the Arcade campaign, will be on display through February in the Dayton Room on the Main Library’s second floor. The photographs, art and artifacts can be viewed in the windows of the Dayton Room. Visitors who wish to go inside the room should call the library at 937-463-2665 to schedule a time for their visit.
“We’re pleased to host this look at the Arcade’s grand past,” said Special Collections Manager Jamie McQuinn. “The Dayton Room is home to hundreds of vintage photos of the city of Dayton, and the Arcade has long been one of its greatest gems.”
To continue the week-long celebrating, ThinkTV will premiere the first of their three-part documentary – Dayton Arcade: Waking the Giant – at 9pm on Monday, November 16, on ThinkTV16. It will also be made available on the ThinkTV website and on the PBS Video App. The first part of this exclusive, local documentary gives a behind-the-scenes look at the beginning phases of the restoration of the Dayton Arcade with the remaining two-parts of the documentary expected to premiere later in the year of 2021.
“The Dayton Arcade documentary is a story that reflects the hope, resilience and future of the Dayton community. Capturing this story while this transformation has been happening behind historic walls has been nothing short of a privilege for our team to work on,” ThinkTV President and CEO Kitty Lensman said.
Excitement is stirring in anticipation of the reveal of the Dayton Arcade’s transformation. Cross Street Partners oversaw this massive project from the beginning and have worked to ensure that the historical beauty has been preserved while maximizing functionality.
“Cross Street Partners, Model Group and McCormack Baron Salazar are working to recast the building in much the same way it was initially developed in the first decade of the 20th century — with a mix of retail, offices, event space and apartment housing. The first phase of the project, the South Arcade, will consist of an innovation center with the University of Dayton as a higher education partner in addition to a 110-unit residential LIHTC and market rate development for artists and creative entrepreneurs. The second phase, the North Arcade, will include a shared commercial kitchen program, a marketplace retail and restaurant environment, and micro-lofts or hospitality user space,” said David Williams, senior director of development of Cross Street Partners.
To learn more about ThinkTV’s three-part documentary, visit www.thinktv.org/dayton-arcade. For additional information about the Library’s exhibit, visit www.DaytonMetroLibrary.org or call 937-463- 2665. Details about the renovation of the Dayton Arcade can be found at www.arcadedayton.com and @DaytonArcade on social media.
The Public Media Connect Board of Trustees has named Dorothy “Kitty” Lensman as the next President and CEO of 
ThinkTV and CET President David Fogarty announced that he will be stepping down from his position effective June 30, 2020, after more than 40 years in public media.
Hello Everyone,
The award-winning short film “Sparkle” by local documentarians Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert has been picked up by PBS for viewing across the nation. Premiering February 7 at 9 PM, you can see the short as part of a new show on PBS.