In July 2012, Miami Valley Housing Opportunities purchased the four-story building at 907 West Fifth Street from the Dayton Urban League. The property is home to MVHO’s administrative offices, as well as to several additional nonprofit tenants. The Opportunity Center serves as a central location where several organizations can provide services to citizens in our community.
Building History
The Opportunity Center is the former home of the 5th Street YMCA. Opening in 1928, the building has inscribed in the exterior the names of four renowned black men: Booker T. Washington, Frederick Douglass, William A. Hunton, and Paul Lawrence Dunbar.
The National Park Service’s African American Civil Rights 2020 Grant Program awarded funding to help preserve sites and history related to the African American struggle for equality. MVHO received a grant for The Opportunity Center. The money awarded to this former YMCA site will go to the initial planning stages to preserve the building, including developing plans for a new HVAC and roof.