2011 Designer's Show House & Gardens

A Home With A Musical History

This year’s Designers’ Show House & Gardens, to be held from April 30 – May 15, 2011, has a long history with both the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra (DPO) and the Dayton Philharmonic Volunteer Association (DPVA).

The home at 230 Haver Road was built in the 1920s in the French Eclectic style with strong Colonial Revival influences. The most dominating feature of the French Eclectic style is its hip roof that is both tall and steeply pitched, creating multi-level eaves. The house is symmetrical and formal with a beautiful Colonial Revival influenced entry porch. The house’s dramatic roofline is further accented by massive paired chimneys and a set of shed-roofed dormers. The French Eclectic style is relatively unusual in the United States but when built are typically in Eclectic suburbs from the 1920s and 1930s like Oakwood. The style was popularized when many of the Americans that served in France during World War I published photographic studies of modest French houses.

The 2011 Designers’ Show House & Gardens was first owned by Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Simonds. From a narrative discovered and given to the DPVA by the current homeowners we learned of this historical connection.

Mrs. Simonds grew up in Dayton and after her marriage to Herbert they resided on Second Street. During the 1913 Great Flood, the family lost all their belongings, including Mrs. Simonds beloved Steinway piano, and moved out of the flood district into her cousin Ed Canby’s house. This was a large stone house on the hill behind the Dayton Art Institute. This home was the site of the fifth DPVA Show House in 1987. The summer after the flood Mrs. Simonds’ father purchased land and moved the families to Oakwood. Mrs. Simonds tells us in her narrative that, after her children were in school, she had time to do “good works”. Her first was the presidency of the Junior League and, following that endeavor, became involved with what is now known as The Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra.

From the DPO archives we learned that Mrs. Herbert Simonds was first on the board of trustees in the 1936-37 season, listed as Mrs. H.R. Simonds. Mrs. Simonds was President of the DPO from 1937 to 1939 and was Executive Vice President during the 1939-40 season. She continued to serve for four more seasons on the "Honorary Council". Mrs. Simonds served again on the board of trustees from 1946 to 1949. Her husband, Herbert Simonds, also served on the board of trustees from 1953 through 1956. These connections to the DPO and the DPVA have given this years’ Show House greater meaning to everyone involved in the project.

Mrs. Simonds’ narrative is a tribute to this era in Dayton, its families, and the importance of music being a part of our great city. You are invited to come and learn more about the wonderful musical associations this family had and see the “home where music was king”.

Floor Plans:

• Level 1 ( opens in new window )
• Level 2 ( opens in new window )
• Level 3 ( opens in new window )