Construction by the B.G. Danis Company began in 1939 for the new Univis Lens Company in Dayton and various construction projects continued at the plant into the 1940s.
Located in the McCook Field District, the plant construction required 130 tons of steel that was ordered from the Oregonia Bridge Company. Employing both men and women, Univis employed 800 workers and produced a variety of lenses for both military and civilian use. The plant was the site of the historic 1948 United Electrical Workers’ union strike over contract negotiations. Supported by the UE union members from Frigidaire and Delco, the strike lasted for three months and ended with 1,200 armed National Guardsmen patrolling the streets to break up the strikers.
- 1939 – East Dayton Tool and Die
In 1939, the East Dayton Tool & Die Company contracted Danis to build an addition to their existing plant, located in the McCook Field District. Being developed as an industrial park, this area was also home to Univis Lens Company. The building addition has a one- and a two-story section along with a basement and adjoining boiler house. The addition cost $65,000, including equipment.
- 1932 – Dayton State Hospital Ice Plant
The Dayton State Hospital opened in 1855 as the Southern Ohio Lunatic Asylum and operated as a mental health facility until 1978. In 1932, the State of Ohio contracted Danis to build and complete plumbing, heating, and electrical work for an ice plant and store room at the Dayton State Hospital. It is worth considering the difficulty of this work in a building designed in the mid-1800s.
In 1872, the Lowe Brothers founded their Dayton-based paint store. In 1892, the brothers wanted to begin manufacturing their own paints and formed the Lowe Brothers Paint Company. Incorporated in 1893, it was nationally known before being sold to Sherwin-Williams in the late 20th century. The brothers hired Danis to remodel their executive offices building at E. 3rd and Wayne Ave in 1935.
- Lowe Brothers – Cost to Build
In 1935, it cost $100,000 to remodel the executive offices building. In 2016, 81 years later, it would cost $1,730,051 for the same renovation.
- Lowe Brothers – Where we are Today
The building still stands and is home of The Cannery; renovated urban loft apartments and small retail and business locations.
- Lowe Brothers – Talking Points
The Lowe Brothers Paint Company was known nationally before being sold to the Sherwin-Williams company later in the 20th Century.
Former Ohio Governor James Cox, owner and publisher of the Dayton Daily News, purchased a Pennsylvania radio station in September of 1934 for $75,000.
After making the radio station purchase, Cox made plans with the FCC to bring a radio station to Dayton. Groundbreaking for the new transmitter house and towers took place on December 1, 1934. The WHIO station came on the air at 4pm on February 9, 1935, with a prayer by Rev. Herman Page. The station originally broadcast on AM 1260, as an NBC affiliate, and reached over 1 million listeners. In the early 1940s, the frequency became AM 1290. Dayton resident, Phil Donahue, started on this station as a weekday talk show host.
