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CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS STAFF REPORT PROPERTY -- 635 S. Main Street South Bend, IN 46601 OWNER -- South Bend School Corporation DESIGNATION -- Local Landmark STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE/HISTORIC CONTEXT The Studebaker Administration Building was designed by the noted 19th century architect Solon S. Beman. Beman worked primarily in the midwest and is most noted as the architect and design planner of Pullman, Illinois; the planned industrial community built for George M. Pullman, manufacturer of the Pullman railroad car. Beman was only 27 years old when Pullman, Illinois was planned, he went on to design buildings for Proctor and Gamble in Cincinnati. Among his other projects was the Connecticut State Capitol. The Studebaker Administration Building was built between 1907 and 1910. It is a Renaissance Revival structure. The walls are of concrete and steel faced with brick and stringcourses and keystones of limestone. The building is four stories with rusticated base, wireglass sidelights and a concrete monitor 15' above the roofline. The building has been occupied by the South Bend School Corporation since 1970. In 1992 the Historic Preservation Commission recommended that the building be made a Local Landmark by ordinance. The building which was rated S/12 on the Indiana Sites and Structures Inventory was so designated later that year. PROPOSED CHANGE The applicant proposes construction of a ramp of wood deck type material from sidewalk level to the first floor level in order to satisfy the requirements and standards of the American Disabilities Act. The proposed ramp is to be located in the alley on the north side of the building and will require the alteration of the following existing features: 1) Removal of one window sash (fixed) & glazing, stone window sill, and a section of the masonry wall below the existing window to create a door opening for installation of aluminum store front type door similar to the main front entry. 2) Removal of a section of the concrete retaining wall located at the edge of the sidewalk to allow access from street level to the ramp. 3) Removal of a section of existing.concrete pavement, base, and subsoil as required to bring alley down to sidewalk elevation. Area where pavement is to be removed is to receive new gravel paving. Directional signage will be installed as required by A.D.A. STANDARDS The standards state that (page 4, Group B, Section C,1) "Necessary structural improvements where safety demands should be accomplished in such a way as to cause minimal visual change to the original style and construction" and (page 4, Group B, Section C, 2) "All work shall be done in the architectural style and in a technique compatible with that of the original structure.... A change that adds detail of another style shall not be permitted".