U.S. Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH) announced the potential for $4 million in federal funds to restore the historic Wright Brothers manufacturing facility in Dayton, Ohio, that was damaged in an arson fire in March.
According to a WDTN.com report, Turner lobbied his Capitol Hill colleagues to help finance the restoration of the site where the celebrated aviation pioneers began to manufacture airplanes during the 1910s.
“With the House Appropriations Committee, I have received their support for an additional $4 million that will go to the overall costs of renovating this and putting it back into the ability to tell the story of the Wright Brothers,” Turner said.
The $4 million would be part of an appropriations bill that needs to be passed by Congress and signed by President Biden. Once approved, the funds will be added to $5.9 million pledged by the City of Dayton for the restoration project.
The Wright Brothers’ company produced about 120 airplanes at the site. Over the years, the property changed ownership and for many years existed as an auto parts manufacturing facility. The City of Dayton bought the property in 2018 and it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in the following year. Before the fire, plans were underway to create a museum at the site in partnership with the National Park Service.
Photo: Smithsonian Institution Archives
