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STAFF REPORT CONCERNING APPLICATION FOR A CERTIFIATE OF APPROPRIATENESS Application Number: 2002 -0717 Property Location: 900 - 924 West Indiana Avenue, South Bend Property Owner: St. Joseph County & City of South Bend Landmark or District Designation: Local Historic Landmark, designated 1982 Rating: S-12 STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE /HISTORIC CONTEXT The oldest part of this building, the present West wing, was built in 1905. In 1922, architects Austin and Shambleau designed and built the present building, incorporating the 1905 building into the much larger structure. Thaddeus Nethercutt was the superintendent of construction for the architects, and H.G. Christman was the contractor. The superintendent of the school corporation was W. W. Borden. In the twenties, Oliver School was one of the most advanced intermediate school buildings in Indiana, offering learning facilities not available in some colleges of the day. It was particularly known for its vocational arts facilities for art, sewing, domestic science, machining, drafting, printing, carpentry, and — cutting edge in those days, but appropriate for an automobile manufacturing town — auto repair. The auditorium has a seating capacity for 800, as does the cafeteria, and there was an area of the building known as the "fresh air section" where the windows were to be left open at all times. The foundation is stone and concrete. The walls are dark red brick with decorative terra cotta trim, and a terra cotta belt course above the second floor windows. There are projecting pavilions at the entrances and pilasters between window groups. The windows, built tall enough to light classrooms without artificial lights, are built in groups of three. The first floor windows were four over four double hung with elongated lower panes, and the second floor windows were four over one double hung. Three leaded and stained glass transoms with medallions are above each set of front entrance doors. The roof is flat, with a brick parapet and terra cotta coping. For 77 years, from 1905 until 1982, Oliver School was still considered one of the finest school buildings in the Midwestern United States. Declining enrollment and shifting population patterns, and perhaps some other factors, caused the school corporation to decide that the building was "excess to the school corporation's needs" (See letter from Thos. Reidy, 4- 20- 1982). At that time, the roof was in need of some routine maintenance and repair, but the corporation decided to give the building away essentially for free, rather than to fix the roof and sell the building for money. Mr. Dwight Macon, doing business as the Michiana Academy for Performing Arts, received the building from the school corporation, and has owned it for most of the last twenty years. During that time, there is no evidence of any repairs or maintenance being performed whatsoever. If the owner has ever given consideration to the fact that his neighbors and the whole city are much greatly harmed by the gradual "demolition by neglect" of this once lovely and majestic building that is not apparent in the buildings present neglected and bedraggled state. At one time, houses built in view or easy walking distance of Oliver School were more valuable because of being in Oliver's neighborhood; vacant and neglected, the opposite has become true. Educators from around Indiana and neighboring states once toured Oliver to study its excellent building design. Now months go by with no one entering it but thieves and vandals. The people of the City of South Bend, including the Olivers, reached into their pockets to build the city school corporation one of the best buildings in the state, and the school corporation, neglecting even to keep it in basic repair, when repair would have been cheap, not only threw away this magnificent building, but threw it away in such fashion that the same city that built it now has to pay to clean up what was trashed.