Washington Township near Dayton in Montgomery County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Normandy Farms
Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, May 27, 2024
1. Normandy Farms Marker
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Industry & Commerce. In addition, it is included in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1929.
Location. 39° 38.719′ N, 84° 10.149′ W. Marker is near Dayton, Ohio, in Montgomery County. It is in Washington Township. It can be reached from West Alex Bell Road 0.1 miles east of Cranford Drive, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 450 W Alex Bell Rd, Dayton OH 45459, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Ohio’s Miami Valley. It is also in the American Midwest and in the Corn Belt. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, and the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Sugar Creek Baptist Church Cemetery (approx. 0.8 miles away); New Centerville Cemetery (approx. 1.3 miles away); Centerville Veterans Memorial (approx. 2.1 miles away); David's Cemetery Veterans Memorial (approx. 2.2 miles away); Sugar Creek Friends Cemetery (approx. 2.3 miles away); Remembrance Circle (approx. 2.3 miles away); David's Cemetery - Established in 1826 (approx. 2.4 miles away); Mad River Road / Road from Cunninghams to Mad River (approx. 2.4 miles away).
this page online
Regarding Normandy Farms. Excerpts from the National Register nomination:
The Normandy Farms, formerly the mansion of Richard H. Grant, Sr. represents an estate home built in the late 1920s in the English Manor styling popular at this time. Because of its extraordinary structural, decorative and inventive convenience elements it stands out on a regional and perhaps statewide basis. Furthermore, it is important as the home from 1929 to 1955 of industrialist and inventor Richard Grant, a vice-president of the General Motors Corporation in charge at various times of all sales operations.
The home was reportedly the first full air-conditioned home in the United States, and has automatic closet lights, which come on when the door is opened. Mr. Grant carried his idea of this automatic switch over to the Chevrolet auto. The home has dual furnaces and water systems, clever door openers, concealed closets, private gymnasium, stair railing of nickel-silver, four built-in safes, one of the first push button radios, a two story pewter chandelier, and an automatic push button garage door opener with an interesting mechanism.
Also see . . .
Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, May 27, 2024
2. Normandy Farms Marker
1. Normandy Farms (PDF). National Register nomination for the property, which was listed in 1983. (Prepared by Gloria Clouse, Normandy United Methodist Church; via National Archives) (Submitted on June 21, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)
2. Richard Hallam Grant. Richard Grant was born November 26, 1878 in Ipswich, MA. He graduated from Harvard in 1901 and after several sales positions in the East he took a job in Dayton, OH with NCR in 1904, as a clerk for John Patterson, the company president. (Jerry Strange, Centerville-Washington History) (Submitted on June 21, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)
Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, May 27, 2024
3. Normandy Farms
The house is now used as a church.
Credits. This page was last revised on June 21, 2024. It was originally submitted on June 21, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 1,697 times since then and 146 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on June 21, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
