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301 S. St. Louis Historical Context This property is located a long the east bank of the St. Joseph River between the Jefferson Street Bridge and the Grand Trunk Railroad, in South Bend, Indiana. It is described as being eleven and a half acres of land along the east bank of the St. Joseph River, in South Bend. Howard Park was named after County Historian, Timothy Howard, who proposed a plan for creating South Bend's first City park to the City Council in 1878. The area selected for the park was a stretch of swampland along the eastern side of the river from Jefferson street to Division Street. The land was described as " an impassable morass, breeding malaria in summer and good in winter for skating only." (Howard's History, page 386) The swamp was used as a city dump through the 1880's to fill and dry the area. By the early 1890's the heap of junk and garbage interspersed by layers of fresh earth began to take shape. The fill was 10 to 15 feet deep in some areas. In February of 1895 a seawall was built, shade trees were planted along the river and the park commissioners asked the city to find a new dumping ground. The park commissioners hired John G. Barker, a landscape artist, to design the walks and plantings for the park, which was completed in 1899. The park was dedicated in an official ceremony on August 18, 1899. Howard Park continued to see improvements over the next seven years, most significantly, the the addition of three Civil War cannons, the construction of a concrete balustrade at the seawall and a large electrically lit fountain made of cast iron and brass which was donated by J.M. Studebaker in 1906. In 1940 an Administration Building was constructed in Howard Park which was designed to resemble a Craftsman style house. The building has been speculated as being a Works Progress Administration Project, however, this notion has never been confirmed. Regardless of the new construction, park maintenance declined during the late 1930's and 1940's resulting in the deterioration and eventual dismantling of the electric fountain. The Park also lost its Civil War cannons which were melted down for scrap metal during World War 11. In the post war years the park was adapted for more recreational uses, leading to the construction of an artificial ice rink, children's playground equipment, picnic tables and recreation building in 1958. Today. the only remaining decorative feature of the park is the seawall which is in need of repair.