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1031 E. JEFFERSON HISTORICAL CONTEXT This property was part of the large tract of land owned by John Mohler Studebaker since the 1880's. In 1899 he commissioned architects, Dirham and Schneider, to design this thirteen room, Queen Anne style house and carriage house, which he sold to his nephew, George M. Witwer, upon its completion. George Witwer was born in November of 1858 and attended public schools in South Bend. He became associated with the Studebaker Brothers Manufacturing Company in 1880 as the private secretary to his uncle, J.M. Studebaker, until his death in 1917. He then served the Studebaker family as an advisor and continued with the corporation until 1935 when he resigned in order to devote more time to the Studebaker family business and to personal affairs. He was a director of the St. Joseph Loan and Trust Company and a trustee of the St. Joseph County Savings Bank. Mr. Witwer married Mary Viloette in 1885 and had one son. George Witwer died on May 28, 1942, his funeral was held in this house. Mary continued to reside here until 1945 when she sold it to David Heeter, an inspector for Bendix. He lived here until 1953 when the house was divided up for commercial offices and eventually sold to Robert Place in 1968. Mr. Place converted the house into four apartments, which he rented to various tenants until 1979 when it was sold to Peter and Doretta Helmschrott, who sold it in 1988. It was at this time the house and carriage house underwent vast renovations; which included the restoration of the front porch. The property was recently sold to the current owner, Suzeraine Properties Inc. ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION This is a two and a half story Queen Anne style house with irregular plan and rough-hewn stone foundation. The walls are clapboard with corner boards, wood shingles in peaks, dormer and wide wood cornice line. The roof is hipped with slate shingles, front and side gable, gable dormer, bracketed overhang, top peaks with copper finials and copper flashing. The front entry has a wood door, two ionic columns all in deep reveal. The house has one large picture leaded transom, a large fixed sash window with side double hung sash, leaded transom, a first and second story projecting bay and a Palladian window with diamond mutins at west gable. The remaining windows are one over one double hung with the exception of the attic windows, which have diamond mutins. The front porch was removed sometime prior to 1988 when it was sold to Charles and Peggy Jo Trader. Mr. and Mrs. Trader subsequently restored the front porch. It is full length with a slight wrap around the corners. It has eight sets of double ionic support columns and two sets of triple ionic columns flanking the entry stairs, which are concrete. The roof is slightly pitched with a gable facing the entry. The porch also boasts decorative rails with turned members. The carriage house is two -stories tall with a square plan and fieldstone foundation. The first floor is clapboard siding with conerboards and the second floor has 4