AT&T has sold the former Ohio Bell Telephone building downtown to a private investment company.

In today’s Morning Briefing, we tell you more about the deal involving one of Dayton’s historic buildings. We also tell you about Ohio’s first Dick’s House of Sport store which is holding a grand opening this weekend.

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The newsletter should take about 3 minutes, 56 seconds to read.

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AT&T sells downtown building to investment company for $14.9 million

AT&T has sold its Second Street tower in Dayton to a private investment company.

• The building: The 10-story building, at 205 W. 2nd St. downtown, was built in 1930 for the Ohio Bell Telephone company.

• The sale: The building was sold to a private investor, Reign Co2 Propco LLC, for nearly $14.9 million.

• Other AT&T real estate: AT&T recently closed on an $850 million sale and leaseback deal with Oklahoma City-based Reign Capital involving 74 properties nationwide.

• What they are saying: “The uniquely structured deal unlocks value in otherwise stranded commercial real estate space,” Michael Ford, head of global real estate for AT&T, said in a statement. “It’s a creative solution providing both upfront and long-term value through a revenue sharing model that fits with our broader company and transformation initiatives.”

Huge new Dick’s House of Sport store opens at Mall at Fairfield Commons

Lines wrapped around the corner at Dick’s House of Sport on Friday morning, as shoppers waited to get their first look at the newest anchor store at the Mall at Fairfield Commons in Beavercreek.

• First in Ohio: Dick’s House of Sport, described as the “experiential retail” wing of Dick’s Sporting Goods, opens to shoppers this weekend. It is the first Dick’s House of Sport store in Ohio. It is the 21st of its type nationwide.

• First in line: Danny Tipton, a Wright-Patterson Air Force Base retiree, was first in line at 10 p.m. the previous evening. “I wanted to be the first one to enjoy Dick’s Sporting Goods,” he said. “I like the history of it, and I could use some thermal underwear.”

• What’s it like? It goes far beyond the typical Dick’s sporting goods store, with many extra features.

The over 100,000-square-foot facility includes a rock climbing wall, multiple golf bays with TrackMan simulators and batting cages that can be used for baseball, softball, lacrosse and soccer.

The store also has a 17,000-square-foot outdoor turf field, where kids can try out cleats, shoes and equipment to determine if they fit well, or are suitable for their sport.

• What they are saying: “We thought about what would make a store stand out from just a normal shopping experience, where an athlete could come in and try and test the product out, at no other place than House of Sport,” said Kevin Troklus, Field Marketing Manager.

• Timeframe: Opening weekend activities include giveaways for gift cards for adults, DSG soccer balls for children and entries for a cash prize.

What to know today

• One big takeaway: The city of Dayton is going to install a solar array in northeast Dayton to help power a water treatment plant.

• DDN investigation: How much do local universities spend on ‘DEI’? Here’s what we found out.

• Personal Journey: David Long is a Pittsburgh native who took the job of Head of School at Miami Valley School in 2023.

• Dayton Food & Dining: A new restaurant specializing in seafood and pho is coming soon to the Mall at Fairfield Commons in Beavercreek.

• Big move of the day: Winsupply, which supplies thousands of different construction products wholesale to contractors and installers nationwide, has acquired a minority stake in Dayton AI company Mined XAI.

• Average Guy Outdoors: In 2024 the division introduced 46 million fish into Ohio lakes, ponds, rivers and streams. When you’re planning fishing trips, up your chances by going where the fish are.

• Cincinnati Reds: Pitcher Hunter Greene will be the Opening Day starter against the San Francisco Giants on March 27. The club has also named who will be the grand marshal of the 2025 Findlay Market Opening Day Parade.

• Vintage Dayton: The Ohio Statehouse building took 22 years to complete (1839-1861), and a Warren County native was a main driving force.

• Photo of the day: When the owners of The Food Pitt were serving smash burgers and homemade mac and cheese at the Cyan Tattoo Invitational, they made a spur of the moment announcement. Those who got the food truck’s logo tattooed on them could get free burgers for life. A handful of customers took them up on the offer. Read the full story here.