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NATIONAL REGISTER NOMINATION STAFF REPORT - - -- - --. -- ---PROPERTY----- - - Wertz-Bestle Farm 51387 Portage Road South Bend, IN. 46628 OWNER Elizabeth Lauber 51387 Portage Road South Bend, IN. 46628 STANDARDS The nomination proposes placement of these buildings and site on the National Register of Historic Places based on Criterion A and C: association with events and embodiment of a specific architectural style. National Register Bulletin 15 - How to Apply the National Register Criteria for Evaluation provides that "Properties may be eligible for the National Register if they a are associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history..." The properties may also be eligible if the "embody the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction..." These characteristics are further described as "The pattern of features common to a particular category of resources." RECOMMENDATION The Staff of the HPC recommends in favor of the nomination of the Wertz-Bestle Farm located at 51387 Portage Road, South Bend, Indiana to the National Register of Historic Places. The property meets Criterion A and C for architectural and agricultural significance. As described in the Statement of Significance section of the nomination, the property is a wonderful example of a late nineteenth century farmstead. The main structure, built in 1872, has stayed intact and is a fine example of a late Victorian Italianate farmhouse. It is architecturally significant for characteristics including a low pitched gable roof, wide overhanging eaves, long narrow, arched windows and wide entablature. The most notable structure on the farm is the remarkably intact barn, which is a great example of the Midwestern variation of a Schweitzer Barn. The Wertz-Bestle Farm is one of the few remaining 1870's farmsteads in German Township of St. Joseph County. A once desirable agricultural area has since lost most of its farmland to new subdivisions. It is the opinion of HPC Staff that these buildings meet the criteria for eligibility for the National Register of Historic Places. Staff recommends that the commission send a favorable ruling to the St. Joseph County Commissioners , Indiana and to the State Historic Preservation Office. RLS -Asst. Director - 8/24/00