COA APPLICATION #2020-0302: NORTHERN INDIANA HISTORIC SOCIETY INC. V. SOUTH BEND HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION

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ride to the Museum campus could encompass visits to the Museum, Oliver Mansion, Cabin, and the Studebaker National Museum; whereas, currently, a field trip to the Cabin in Leeper Park East almost always precludes a second stop at the Museum campus. At the moment, the Cabin is only available for school groups as part of the Museum's "Cabin Days" program. Onsite, it can be enjoyed by any visitor to the Museum, and, through the "Discovery Pass" partnership with the St. Joseph County Public Library, any City of South Bend or St. Joseph County resident can visit the museums for free. C. Safety. Often at Cabin Days, the safety of school children has been raised by teachers. The proposed Museum site has accessible restrooms (Leeper Park East has none for students) and concerns have been raised regarding risks due to close proximity to a major roadway and the St. Joseph River, as well as lack of control of access by strangers and passers-by. D. Precedence. HPC noted in the Petition denial that relocation "betrays the ... historic value of the location." However, in its 200 years, the Cabin, now in its fourth location, was moved previous times for the convenience of other projects — and not for historic preservation or due the historic value of the new locations. The Cabin's original site was not even in the park, but on the north side of the St. Joseph River. Though proximity to the nearby river has historic value, the river itself cannot be used for interpretation due to safety concerns. Though the Cabin enjoys National Register and Local Landmark status by virtue of being located in Leeper Park, both listings include criteria for landscape status as listed by the HPC that scarcely mention the Cabin as a contributing factor — only that it exists therein. The crux of both designations is George Kessler's 1915 master plan, in which the Cabin does not appear, despite at r -I