Beeber Center being renovated by son of founder, company says
The iconic Beeber Center, 704 E. Main Street in Trotwood, is being renovated by Gary Beeber, son of the center’s founder William (Bill) Beeber, according to the company.
The 10,330-square-foot structure is diagonally across from the new Trotwood branch of the Dayton Metro Library, adjacent to the Trotwood Senior Loft complex and near the new Goodwill Easter Seals facility and the Montgomery County Municipal Court.
“My family has a long history in Trotwood,” Beeber said in a statement. “My father built the strip mall in 1962 to house Beeber Pharmacy with additional retail spaces for others. There are over two acres at the far end of the property, which were left vacant for further expansion.”
Beeber is working with the city to receive a grant to bring the iconic “Beeber Center” sign back to its original state.
The parking lot is being repaved, and the interior spaces, with the exception of its anchor tenant Subway, have been painted, the floors redone and a new HVAC system installed.
“Parts of the building’s exterior has been refurbished, with the woodwork replaced and re-finished,” Beeber said.
When Community Action Partnership was a tenant, a small part of the wooded area in the rear of the property was planted as a vegetable garden to teach young people how to be self-sufficient. The rest of the wooded property, which had become neglected and overrun with weeds, was cleaned up by landscapers and made ready for a new tenant to use as a park, playground or additional space.
A rich history
When Bill Beeber first built the center, it housed the Beeber Pharmacy, a Dairy Queen, a veterinarian’s office, doctor’s office and a pool hall. Prior to building in Trotwood, Bill Beeber built the original Beeber Pharmacy on North Main Street in Dayton, but later combined both operations in Trotwood.
During its early years, Bill Beeber and his partner, John McKee transformed the computerized pharmacy. At that time, there were no personal computers, or internet. The computer they devised took up a thousand square feet.
They used what was the pool hall for their new computer area which was 2700 square feet, before they took over another 1,800 square feet for a support system. They were also the first ones to create computer forms that were easy to use and became widely used by pharmacies and nursing homes.
This company was called RNA.