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STAFF REPORT
<br />CONCERNING APPLICATION FOR A
<br />CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS
<br />Date: October 16, 2003
<br />Application Number: 2003-0919-3
<br />Property Location: 322 West Marian Street, South Bend, IN
<br />Property Owner: Doug MacDonald
<br />Landmark or District Designation: Local Landmark; Southold Easement; Chapin Park National
<br />Registry District
<br />Rating: S —12 Italianate, built in 1876
<br />STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE/HISTORIC CONTEXT
<br />This is one of the oldest and most architecturally interesting and significant houses in South Bend.
<br />Mr. John Greene, one of the first settlers in Sumption Prairie, built it for himself and his family, and
<br />another just like it for his children and their family. The children's house has been demolished long ago.
<br />After the Greene family, the Wunderlich and Pine families resided in this house.
<br />Architecturally, this house is highly unusual in that most Italianate houses are two stories or more
<br />in height. South Bend had, and still has, a number of interesting Italianate houses, because the style was
<br />much in favor during the city's greatest initial period of growth and prosperity. However, in the whole area
<br />only two one-story Italianate houses are known to have been built. With its flat roof, concealed, boxed -in
<br />gutters, regularly spaced elaborate (!) paired roof brackets against a very simple cornice board and cove
<br />molding, and with the very long vertical lines of the doors and windows contrasting with the strong
<br />horizontals of the porch, roof, and cornice, it can truly be said that every single feature of this house
<br />contributes significantly to defining its style and character. The architect did not include a single element
<br />that was out of place.
<br />Formerly, this house was located at 112 East Navarre Street. It was moved from that location to
<br />accommodate an expansion of Memorial Hospital, and the partial closing of Navarre Street. Memorial
<br />Hospital paid part of all of the cost of moving it to its present location, including providing the new
<br />foundation, in a brick style consistent with the style of the period. Also, South Hold Restorations
<br />performed a substantial amount of restoration work, including installing a new roof, with appropriate
<br />gutters and downspouts, repaired the plaster, refinished interior woodwork, and Al Choitz had good black
<br />dirt hauled in and a lawn planted in the new location on West Marian Street. In 1983, South Hold
<br />Restorations, as the owner of this house, and consented to local landmark status for it., At the time, its
<br />intact condition, including the intact original front door and windows, were noted as particularly
<br />distinguishing characteristics.
<br />In 1997, the then owners, a Mr. & Mrs. Mauch, apparently fell upon hard times, and began to have
<br />difficulty keeping the property up, as is evidenced by action taken in that year and subsequent years by
<br />Code Enforcement to require maintenance and repair to the paint, the roof, the gutters, and the downspouts.
<br />In 2001 and 2002, the elderly widow living there was constantly under threat of foreclosure due to
<br />unpaid back -due property taxes, which she generally managed to barely pay at the last minute allowed for
<br />redemption. Code Enforcement was unable to collect or threaten fines, because the owner had no funds
<br />subject to garnishment, and seemed hardly able to find funds for food to eat, let alone home maintenance.
<br />Recently, the present owner purchased this house from a realtor, hoping to use it as a rental
<br />investment. He claims that there was no legal trace of an easement, nor of landmark status, on this
<br />property.
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