June 2000 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

Evergreen Hill Property Name Form 10-900 10-90) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES CONTINUATION SHEET Section number 8 Page 1 Statement of Significance St. Joseph. Indiana County and State OMB No. 1024-0018 Evergreen Hill farm is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places under criteria A and C. The house and outbuildings have been altered only slightly and retain a high degree of integrity. The house is an outstanding example of Italianate architecture, featuring many elements common to that style. Most of the outbuildings The farm was one of the earliest white settlements in the South Bend area, and has stayed in the same family since the original land grant was given to Peter Rupel in 1831. Architecture There have been three houses on the property known as Evergreen Hill. The fust was a cabin built by Peter Rupel in the early 1830s, which has since been demolished. Architectural evidence points to the one -and -a -half story rear portion of the -sting house as the second residence. The ceilings in this area are lower than in the Italianate portion -of the house, and UK floorboards are wider. The simplicity and small size of this construction are additional indicators that this portion of the house is older than the Italianate portion. The ground floor of this small building serves as the kitchen today. A summer kitchen was built to the west of this construction; the construction date is unknown. The summer kitchen was demolished to make space for the new addition. The third residence constructed at Evergreen Hill was the Italianate house that serves as the primary residence today. This house was.adjoined to the existing story -and -a -half structure when it was built around 1873. Italianate architecture was popular in the United States in the second half of the nineteenth century. Some features of. the style include shallow- pitched hallowpitched roofs; cornice brackets; decorative friezes; tall, narrow windows; and window hoods. The house at Evergreen Hill is an outstanding example of Italianate architecture. Elements of the house contributing to the style are the shallow -pitched hipped roof, cornice brackets, decorative frieze carvings, and window hoods. There have been three other periods of construction at the site. Sometime after the Italianate house was built, two small rooms were added to the south of the kitchen. One room served as a pantry and the other as a bathroom Around 1918 a sunroom replaced a bay window on the south side of the Italianate house. Today (May 2000), a family room and bathroom addition is being constructed to the west of the kitchen where the summer kitchen used to be. The house has undergone minor renovations in the past, but has retained its integrity. Though plans for the current restoration project called for the removal of the kitchen's west wall, the project maintains the overall integrity of the house. The interior spaces have not been divided, so the original plan for the house is intact. The additions to the house have had a minor impact on the original layout and details of the house. Most of the original doors and windows, with their ware, are unaltered. nstruction dates for the outbuildings are unknown. For the most part, these buildings have maintained their integrity. The large shed and smokehouse have been moved to new concrete foundations, but are otherwise unaltered. The cottage has been resided, but has its original details including the fieldstone fireplace inside. The cottage maybe a converted