The Restoration Of
The North Dayton Patriots Memorial
The North Dayton Patriots Memorial
Since 1944, the North Dayton Patriots Memorial has stood at the corner of Keowee and Valley Street as a lasting tribute to the men and women from Dayton, Ohio, who served the United States during World War II and beyond.
Decades of weather, wear, and well-intended but imperfect repairs left parts of the monument difficult to read.
In late 2023, Jennifer Evans, head of the Old North Dayton Neighborhood Association reached out to The Modern Monument to help add missing names to the memorial and address visible damage. As conversations continued, the community rallied, raising enough funds to do something bigger resulting in the restoration of the entire memorial.
Restoring the North Dayton Patriots Memorial required careful planning, specialized techniques, and close collaboration with our team at The Modern Monument and the Old North Dayton Neighborhood Association. Due to the monument’s size, complexity, and historical significance, this project was completed in several distinct phases each addressing a critical part of the restoration process.
Resurfacing
The restoration began with resurfacing all eight faces of the memorial to remove weathering, inconsistencies, and damage accumulated over decades. Because of the monument’s size and complex shape, our team developed a custom process to evenly restore the stone while preserving its structural integrity and preparing it for precise engraving.
Engraving
After resurfacing, each face was carefully measured and laid out to ensure accuracy and balance. Names and service details were verified in collaboration with the Old North Dayton Neighborhood Association before stencil was cut. Custom sandblasting techniques were then used to engrave the memorial and restore key design elements, including enhancing the globe’s details.
Surrounding Work
Work extended beyond the monument itself to improve and preserve the surrounding site. This phase included repairing the steps leading up to the memorial, cleaning and restoring nearby donor memorials, and applying a protective anti-graffiti coating to help safeguard the area for years to come.
Reinstallation
The final phase involved returning the restored memorial to its original location. Careful coordination was required to safely set the pedestal and precisely align and secure the globe. Once reinstalled, the memorial once again stood complete and restored to its place as a lasting landmark within the community.
Completion
For everyone involved, this project was more than just a standard restoration job. It was about restoring names, correcting history and returning a community landmark to the dignity it was always meant to carry. The North Dayton Patriots Memorial now stands renewed once again honoring the service and sacrifice of those it was built to remember, and reminding the neighborhood that history, when cared for, can endure.
But even as the restoration drew to a close, the memorial still had one more story to tell one that had stayed hidden for decades.....
A Time Capsule to Be Unearthed!
Flag Day Celebration 2026
Time Capsule Opening
This discovery came to light thanks to the family of Tony Stein, Dayton’s only World War II Medal of Honor recipient. The Stein family informed the Old North Dayton Neighborhood Association about a sealed capsule believed to have been placed near the memorial's steps during its original construction. The association then contacted The Modern Monument to verify its existence, and our team was honored to confirm that the time capsule was indeed there.
On Flag Day, June 14, 2026, The Modern Monument joined community leaders, organizers, veterans, and local residents at the North Dayton Patriots Memorial to honor the brave men and women whose names are engraved on the memorial and to witness the opening of the long-hidden time capsule. Inside were a variety of historic artifacts, including newspapers, letters, and religious books. The contents have since been entrusted to Dayton History, where they continue to be carefully examined and preserved.
