Our History
Dayton’s First Skyscraper
Liberty Tower has been a quintessential Dayton landmark for nearly a century. Originally commissioned by the Mutual Home Savings Association, the [then] Mutual Homes Savings Building first opened its doors in 1931. Since its opening, the building has gone through two name changes, becoming The Hulman building in 1949 and then Liberty Tower in 1998.
At the time it was built, the Mutual Home Savings Building was akin to a modern marvel. It was Dayton’s first skyscraper with an impressive 20 floors, and the tallest building in Dayton until 1969. It was also the first building in Dayton to have a parking garage, with two floors available underneath the building for parking, as well as the first building in Dayton to install an early form of air conditioning, an uncommon luxury at the time.
The tower is Dayton’s only example of Art Deco architecture, a classic American architectural style seen in buildings like The Empire State Building and The Chrysler Building. The interior of Liberty Tower also echoes this Art Deco style. In addition to the Art Deco flourishes present throughout the building, our new events space on the first floor, The Grande Hall at Liberty Tower, features breathtaking Italian marble walls and Tennessee marble floors designed with the symmetrical beauty of Art Deco.
During World War Two, the tower was used as the headquarters for the Army Signal Core. The Core had offices in the building and used the roof as an observation deck. For the duration of the war, two watchmen were stationed on the roof 24/7, patrolling the airspace and keeping an eye on Wright Pat Air Force Base, which can still be seen from the roof on a clear day.
In 2017, renovations began on turning the first floor’s main hall into an events space. Although the space had traditionally occupied by a bank, by 2017 the hall and its upper mezzanine had been vacant for years despite its stunning Art Deco features. The decision was made to take advantage of the space’s natural beauty and share it with the Dayton community, turning the once quiet banking space into a vibrant, upscale events hall.
Our Timeline
1929 - New building commissioned by The Mutual Home Savings Association
1930 - Construction begins on the new building
1931 - The Mutual Home Savings Building opens its doors after a speedy 11 months of construction
1949 - The building is purchased by the Hulman family, famed owners of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and renamed “The Hulman Building”
1990 - the building undergoes major renovations to correct and remove previous renovations that hid the building’s original Art Deco features
1998 - The Hulman Building is bought by the Powell Family, owners of Liberty Savings Bank, and renamed “Liberty Tower”
2017 - The building undergoes its second major renovation to convert the first floor’s original bank hall into an upscale events space, now known as The Grande Hall at Liberty Tower
2017 - Scene’s from Robert Redford’s last feature film, The Old Man and The Gun, are filmed on the first floor
2019 - The Grande Hall at Liberty Tower opens its doors and holds its first event
The Old Man & The Gun
In 2017, Liberty Tower was one of the locations used in Robert Redford’s last feature film, The Old Man and The Gun! Some of the film’s most iconic scenes were filmed right inside The Grande Hall on the first floor, and some of the tower’s tenants even got to be extras! To honor this exciting moment in the Tower’s history, one of the historic rooms in The Grande Hall was dubbed “The Redford Room”.
Check out these cool pictures from the set, we hope they seem familiar!
