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Again, parking is limited to the few spaces on the street and with relatively little presence of pedestrian traffic needed to support this and other business. Some parking could be created in the rear, but access to the building and number of spaces are both limited. The difficulty many owners have found with this location is probably due to the sparseness of apartment and residences in immediate area that house a concentration of people who would frequent any business located nearby. The dangerously fast speeds of the traffic on S. Michigan/ US 31 also persuade people not to stop unless they have significant need and desire to do so. The final real estate to be discussed on S. Michigan Street in the 500s block is currently occupied by Fat Daddy's Outlet, a surplus clothing store. This business is located at 501/503 S. Michigan on the corner of this main road and Monroe Street. It too has neo-classical style due to its brick and terra cotta details: brick pilasters with decorative terra cotta capitals, stringcourses at comice line and sill level, and a centered medallion and brackets below the sill string course. Three groupings of four 1/1 double hung windows provide ample light to the second story and to any commercial operation housed there. The north side of the building also has many windows arranged in the same manner, a terra cotta stringcourse as a comice line and original detailing surrounding an entrance. Prior to 1914/1915, a residence had been built on the property. Between 1912 and 1914, this structure had been split into apartments, where as Albert Morgan had been the sole resident until 1911-12. In 1912, Morgan sold the property to Myer Seeberger, who apparently transformed the house into apartments and then had the three commercial storefronts built around 1915-1916. In 1916, the building housed several businesses including a pharmacy and American Express. Around 1919, the Edgar G. Coates, Drugs pharmacy operated from 501 S. Michigan. It remained a lasting establishment and neighborhood pharmacy into the 1940s. Coates was a founding member of the South Bend Pharmacy Club and served as its long- time treasurer. He passed away in 1940 (b. 1875- d. 1940). In the 1950s, it became Harmony Pharmacy. From the exterior, this building seems strong, well built and in good condition, though interior repairs and rehabilitation would probably need a good amount of investment. The storefronts located here benefit from their comer location and visibility from both streets. This location also provides more on -street parking, though more may be found further on Monroe. This building is part of a grouping of three gems, a rarity in South Bend's urbanscape that should be preserved, rehabilitated for reuse, and used as an anchor for the neighborhood. Luckily, the opposite corner is also visually maintained by another 1920s building. The presence of the Post Office and Express Tire pull the corners back from Michigan Street and deeper into their lots. Due to code violations in the late 1990s, Code Enforcement sought to have many of these historic structures demolished. It was deemed that it would be more cost effective to teardown these structures than to rehab and retain. However, what would have been lost in historic quality of construction will could never be rebuilt today with the modern penchant for efficiency and savings. The HPC and its director at that time worked to keep the wrecking ball from touching these important buildings. Hopefully, the coming years will be kind to them as well. Because several historic storefronts and commercial businesses stand along the 500s block of S. Michigan Street including the Landmark Monarch Printing Company, it would be lovely to see investment put into their rehabilitation as well as the renovation of the streetscape. If the storefronts along this block could all improve and if less transient businesses found, then the city would have a lovely area of shops and perhaps restaurants in a district that dates to the 1920s. Perhaps, the creation of South Michigan Street into a boulevard and the addition of apartments and new storefronts to fill in the gaps could tum this area into a small, revived neighborhood close to the entertainment, commercial and governmental operations of the city. -5-