Page 160 - History of UB Church in Hburg Region
P. 160
History of U.B. Churches in Harrisonburg-Staunton Region December 26, 2024
Rhodes Brothers on South Main Street (160 and 170 Main Street). Mr. Dove1 of neighboring
Bridgewater built both the Ruebush and Hoenshel houses. Other stylish houses include the Alberta
Coffman House, the two George W. Hedrick houses, and the Perry Heatwole House, all with Queen
Anne detailing, and the C. P. Funkhouser House with some Colonial Revival decoration. A few of these
irregular designs are of brick construction, breaking from the frame-construction tradition, such as the
1898 Professor J. H. Hall House and the James Ruebush House at 315 College Street, along with several
others on the north end of High Street.
By the early 20th century, as architectural tastes became more tame, bungalows and foursquare
houses became more common in Dayton. Many foursquare designs remain on Main Street, the northern
portion of High Street, and along East View Street. These designs exhibit three-bay facades, usually
only with attic dormers and occasional decorative window cornices when of brick construction. The
Shrum Brothers were undoubtedly responsible for many of the foursquare brick houses. Bungalows are
found scattered throughout the district in brick, frame, and stone construction.
Dayton’s store buildings follow the commercial vernacular form, with only a few early 20th-
century exceptions. These local designs are characterized by a three-bay, gable-end facade, with large
plate-glass windows flanking the central entrance, in a two-story, rectangular block. The 1888
Carpenter Store is one of the least altered examples of this form, while Cofelt’s Store reveals the
perseverance of this design into the 20th century. Both of these Main Street examples retain their
original shop fronts. Two local merchants broke from this design in the early 20th century. J. W. Hott,
who aspired to an extensive mercantile trade, built a three-story brick store which combined a store,
storerooms, residence, and large town meeting room. The Bryans, combined brick store and dwelling
on College Street constructed after the 1911 fire, also boasts a larger, more stylish design.
The few surviving turn-of-the-century industrial buildings display an explosion of the
commercial form into a larger structure more suited for industrial use. The Specialty Harness Company
contains a full third story and is lighted by industrial scale windows. The Ruebush-Kieffer Company is
a long two-story block, which further expanded its space by incorporating a full basement level. Four
churches are presently located in the historic district. The oldest church is a simple, rectangular brick
block, now integrated into the northeast corner of the Church of the Brethren. Apparently used by
several denominations when first built, this church follows the common form of 19th-century churches
in the Valley. By the late 19th century, Dayton’s churches reflected the popular Gothic Revival styles.
The Methodist, Presbyterian, and U.B. churches all display rectangular brick forms with corner towers,
pierced by lancet arch windows and embellished with other Gothic detailing. The U.B. Church was
built by the Eutsler Brothers, a well-known local contracting firm from Grottoes at the turn of the
century.
The proposed historic district has not changed dramatically since the 1930s and 1940s.
Residential development since that date has been concentrated in several subdivisions added to the west
side of Dayton. A few houses have been built on vacant lots on East View and High streets in more
recent years. While several Cape Cod-style houses on High and Thompson streets blend fairly well with
the older buildings in scale and style, a few houses do appear obtrusive, especially several recent small
gable-entry houses built on High Street and the prefabricated houses built near the cemetery in the last
few years. Perhaps the most major change to the character of the town occurred with the removal of
Shenandoah College to Winchester. When the campus was sold in 1960, the oldest campus building at
250 College Street was torn down and several new buildings—a duplex, an apartment building, and a
Neo-Colonial house—were built on the old campus grounds. Luckily, the three large brick college
buildings have been adaptively reused quite successfully with little major exterior alterations, two
having been remodeled into apartment houses and one into a furniture showroom. When VA Route 42
was being improved from Harrisonburg to Bridgewater, an Alternate VA Route 42 was created along the
II.B.14 Dayton U.B. Church and SCI 146
Rhodes Brothers on South Main Street (160 and 170 Main Street). Mr. Dove1 of neighboring
Bridgewater built both the Ruebush and Hoenshel houses. Other stylish houses include the Alberta
Coffman House, the two George W. Hedrick houses, and the Perry Heatwole House, all with Queen
Anne detailing, and the C. P. Funkhouser House with some Colonial Revival decoration. A few of these
irregular designs are of brick construction, breaking from the frame-construction tradition, such as the
1898 Professor J. H. Hall House and the James Ruebush House at 315 College Street, along with several
others on the north end of High Street.
By the early 20th century, as architectural tastes became more tame, bungalows and foursquare
houses became more common in Dayton. Many foursquare designs remain on Main Street, the northern
portion of High Street, and along East View Street. These designs exhibit three-bay facades, usually
only with attic dormers and occasional decorative window cornices when of brick construction. The
Shrum Brothers were undoubtedly responsible for many of the foursquare brick houses. Bungalows are
found scattered throughout the district in brick, frame, and stone construction.
Dayton’s store buildings follow the commercial vernacular form, with only a few early 20th-
century exceptions. These local designs are characterized by a three-bay, gable-end facade, with large
plate-glass windows flanking the central entrance, in a two-story, rectangular block. The 1888
Carpenter Store is one of the least altered examples of this form, while Cofelt’s Store reveals the
perseverance of this design into the 20th century. Both of these Main Street examples retain their
original shop fronts. Two local merchants broke from this design in the early 20th century. J. W. Hott,
who aspired to an extensive mercantile trade, built a three-story brick store which combined a store,
storerooms, residence, and large town meeting room. The Bryans, combined brick store and dwelling
on College Street constructed after the 1911 fire, also boasts a larger, more stylish design.
The few surviving turn-of-the-century industrial buildings display an explosion of the
commercial form into a larger structure more suited for industrial use. The Specialty Harness Company
contains a full third story and is lighted by industrial scale windows. The Ruebush-Kieffer Company is
a long two-story block, which further expanded its space by incorporating a full basement level. Four
churches are presently located in the historic district. The oldest church is a simple, rectangular brick
block, now integrated into the northeast corner of the Church of the Brethren. Apparently used by
several denominations when first built, this church follows the common form of 19th-century churches
in the Valley. By the late 19th century, Dayton’s churches reflected the popular Gothic Revival styles.
The Methodist, Presbyterian, and U.B. churches all display rectangular brick forms with corner towers,
pierced by lancet arch windows and embellished with other Gothic detailing. The U.B. Church was
built by the Eutsler Brothers, a well-known local contracting firm from Grottoes at the turn of the
century.
The proposed historic district has not changed dramatically since the 1930s and 1940s.
Residential development since that date has been concentrated in several subdivisions added to the west
side of Dayton. A few houses have been built on vacant lots on East View and High streets in more
recent years. While several Cape Cod-style houses on High and Thompson streets blend fairly well with
the older buildings in scale and style, a few houses do appear obtrusive, especially several recent small
gable-entry houses built on High Street and the prefabricated houses built near the cemetery in the last
few years. Perhaps the most major change to the character of the town occurred with the removal of
Shenandoah College to Winchester. When the campus was sold in 1960, the oldest campus building at
250 College Street was torn down and several new buildings—a duplex, an apartment building, and a
Neo-Colonial house—were built on the old campus grounds. Luckily, the three large brick college
buildings have been adaptively reused quite successfully with little major exterior alterations, two
having been remodeled into apartment houses and one into a furniture showroom. When VA Route 42
was being improved from Harrisonburg to Bridgewater, an Alternate VA Route 42 was created along the
II.B.14 Dayton U.B. Church and SCI 146
