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NPS Forth 10-900-a ' (8-86) United States Department of the Interior • National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 Section number 8 Page 4 Dille/Probst House, St. Joseph County, Indiana Prior to the death of Colonel Otto Probst, this house enjoyed the luxury of being well attended to for almost a century. It was built by a well-known local politician, Christian Dille, who also was renowned as a butcher shop owner and real estate prospector. An immigrant from Austria and a bachelor, it is obvious that Dille's intent in building this house was to showcase his achievement of the American Dream. Upon his demise, the house was sold to another immigrant, Henry Probst. Henry also worked in the meat industry. His family was of upper middle income, but they did face some tough financial times whereupon they took boarders into their large house. Henry was adamant that his children be well educated, and sent his sons to the University of Notre Dame. His oldest son, Rudolph Otto, graduated with an engineering degree, and went on to serve in World War I in the Navy, and World War II in the Army. Otto, who later inherited the house, went on to achieve fame through his golf memorabilia collection. He decided he wanted to learn the game in 1923, and acquired instructional books. As his obsession with the game grew, so did his collection of golf implements, books, magazines, and artwork. His collection was sold in 1973 to the Professional Golfer's Association (PGA) and is now housed in the PGA Museum in Pinehurst, North Carolina. Colonel Probst's collection has been described as "the largest and most complete collection of golf literature, equipment, incunabula, ephemera and memorabilia in the world." His collection even included such rare items as a 1597 Beerstratten painting of a Dutch golf scene, and books from as far back as 1556, one of which mentioned the Laws Enact of Scotland that prohibited the game in that country for a short time. In combination, all of these factors contribute to the Dille/Probst House's eligibility for the National Register under Criterion C. This house was outstanding at the time it was built, and is even more so today. The use of bricks made from materials from the Notre Dame campus was very rare on houses, and of the five remaining houses made of this material in South Bend, the Dille/Probst House is the most notable. It is the largest in size, and the most architecturally detailed. The Eastlake details featured on the house are absent not only from South Bend, but also St. Joseph County. The oriental balustrade and sunflower motifs that are featured on the outside are carried to the interior of the house, and used on the front stairway balustrade (photo 6) and the corner blocks of the windows (photos 7 and 8). Despite the fact that the house was moved and then stood • vacant for five years, there was very little vandalism, and the interior stayed remarkably intact. All of the woodwork in the house is original, including the wainscoting (photo