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, built a house at 300 West Marion Street in South Bend, which became the center of the Elbel family's musical tradition. The Elbel family founded the first choral society in South Bend in 1855. By 1867, nine Elbel families were living in the neighborhood around Marion and Lafayette Streets, which had attracted other immigrants from Arzberg, thus garnering the name Little Arzberg. The Elbel Concert Band and Orchestra, featuring the early Elbel immigrant brothers John, Lorenz, Henry and Wolfgang, performed classical music at South Bend venues from 1858-1918. The Builder and First Owner of 806 Leland: Richard Elbel The Richard Elbel opened a music store in South Bend at 114 North Michigan Street in 1890. His brothers soon joined the business and it was called Elbel Bros. Music Store. The store was in business for 90 years. Richard served as President of the business. Louis Elbel composed the famous University of Michigan Fight Song, "The Victors", first performed by John Phillip Sousa's Band in 1899. Richard Elbel, the builder of 806 Leland, was thus President of Elbel Bros. Music, Director of the South Bend Orchestra and a South Bend Parks Commissioner. Richard Elbel served on the Parks Commission with George M. Platner, W.W. Ridenour and Otis Romine. Elbe was known as the "Dean of South Bend Parks." He was the only charter member of the South Bend Parks Commission to serve continuously until his retirement in 1939. Richard Elbel displaying a love for the development, and preservation, of green space from early adulthood. He served the city without salary and always insisted on paying his own traveling expenses. He was reappointed by four different mayors from different political tickets. In 1920 Richard Elbel was elected President of the State Park Association. He was demonstrative on the need for city planning and in particular for parks and streets. He believed streets should include landscaping and a sensitivity to appearance, thus attaching himself to the landscape and urban parks movements which produced such wonders as Central Park in New York City and Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. He was instrumental in obtaining grants of land 100- 200 feet wide from property owners from Leeper Park northward, providing for the beginnings of what would become the Riverside Drive Parkway. In 1932 he retired from the Parks' Commission and the golf course, then under development on the extreme northwest edge of South Bend, was named in his 2