Based on the design of Our Lady of Einsiedeln, a Marianist shrine in Switzerland, Danis began construction on August 11, 1921.
The main portion of the building is E-shaped, with the chapel in the center and offices, classrooms, and dormitories in the outer wings. The exterior of the building and the interior of the chapel are mostly unaltered from their original 1923 construction. The chapel features imported German stained glass windows. The Church bell was blessed in 1922 and the first mass was held on June 2, 1923. The Sisters moved to a facility next door in 1979 and today the building is operating as the Maria Joseph Nursing & Rehabilitation Center.
- Precious Blood Convent - Cost to Build
In 1923, it cost $850,000 to build the Convent. In 2016, 93 years later, it would cost $11,797,404 to construct the same building.
- Precious Blood Convent - Where we are Today
The building is now home of Maria Joseph Nursing & Rehabilitation Center. The Chapel is mostly unaltered from its original construction.
- Precious Blood Convent - Talking Points
An article from an August 7, 1921 issue of the Dayton Daily News says that the chapel will be one of the most elaborate in the city and will seat 1,400 people.
- 1925 – Holy Family Catholic Church
Completed in 1925, this stunning Church was designed in a Byzantine-Romanesque style. The original construction cost was $250,000. It was then dedicated on Holy Family Sunday, January 10, 1926 by Archbishop McNicholas. The Church can still be found on the corner of 5th and Findlay in Dayton and offers a traditional Latin mass.
- 1922 – Tuberculosis Hospital at NHDVS
In December 1921, Danis was awarded the construction of a tuberculosis hospital at the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers (NHDVS) in Dayton. In the late 1960s, the buildings were sold to the University of Dayton and renovated by Danis for use as dormitories and classrooms, becoming the UD Campus West.
Acquired by Danis in 2009, the RN Rouse Company was a third-generation family owned business that has enhanced our centennial journey.
Founder of the company, Ray Rouse started his career in the construction industry just five years earlier where his first project was as supervisor of the Goldsboro Hotel. On February 14, 1929, Rouse founded the RN Rouse Construction Company with just 10 employees and the notion that the company would be built on a reputation for quality. Over the next 80 years, Rouse projects grew from warehouses, garages, and small churches to larger projects for Camp Lejeune, Wayne Memorial, Ocean Creek Resort, SAS, and NC State.
Used as the first home of the Women's College and the first home of the Marian Library, funding for construction was donated by Victor Emanuel, a Jewish philanthropist and UD Alumni, in honor of his father. The original 1927 plans included two wings, but funding was only available for the central portion. Under construction for just over a year, the building was dedicated on June 10, 1928.
- 1927 - Wright Field Laboratory Building
The Wright Field Laboratory Building, known as Building 16 at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, was the first building to be completed at Wright Field following the US Army Air Corps relocation of their Material Division from McCook Field. The original building was approximately 550’x250’. First to occupy the building was the Materials Laboratory of the Experimental Engineering Section.
- 1924 – UD Alumni Hall
The ground breaking for Alumni Hall was held in 1922, and the dedication for the completed project occurred on September 28, 1924. Originally built for use as a student residence hall, the building was later used to house army trainees during WWII. In the 1950s it became a residence for Marianist priests and brothers. Alumni Hall is still in use on the University of Dayton campus.
