The expansive property includes a large number of buildings, most of which were built between about 1930 and 1960 to fulfill the VA's mission in a variety of ways.

[2] In 1866 the United States Congress established the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers (NHDVS), the precursor of the VA, to provide medical and other facilities for veterans of the American Civil War.

The landscaped grounds of its early days included a conservatory and a small zoo, which were local tourist attractions in addition to providing restorative functions to veterans living at the facility.

In 1930 the NHDVS was merged with other organizations to form the Veterans Administration, and the Dayton facilities underwent a major modernization over the following 20 years.

The facilities were expanded and further modernizes in the 1980s and 1990s, most visibly with the construction of the Inpatient Tower and associated medical complex, which now dominate the western portion of the campus.