Lowell Heights-Olivet National Register Nomination and site plans

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United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Lowell Heights-Olivet African Methodist Episcopal Church St. Joseph County, IN Name of Property County and State Section 7 page 5 _____________________________________________________________________________ Narrative Description The Lowell Heights-Olivet African Methodist Episcopal Church is neatly sited on the northwest corner of Notre Dame Avenue, several blocks south of the University of Notre Dame’s campus, and Almond Court. The building, which faces east, occupies the corner but is set back from the concrete sidewalks by greenspace (photos 0001-0002). The building is raised on the front with a mounded front yard and it has a wide north side yard where a formal side entry is located on the building. The church has a small parking area west of the building and a private drive/alley that extends north from Almond Court to South Bend Avenue (photos 0003-0004). The neighborhood is predominantly residential of the same period as the church, but has had a substantial amount of new residential construction in the last few years. The site features a brick and stone sign dating to about the same period as the church in its southeast corner (left side of photo 0001). It is considered a contributing object. The site also features a memorial garden with low walls/benches on the north side of the building that was developed over the last two years. It is considered a non-contributing site (middle of photo 0005). Exterior The brown-colored brick building has limestone trim, a raised basement topped by a stone water table, Gothic arched art glass windows, and a steeply-pitched roof covered with asphalt shingles. A wide set of concrete steps lead to up to the entry centered on the front (east) façade (photo 0001). The façade has a steeply-pitched gabled parapet over its central entry bay. The entry is flanked by two-story pilasters that step in at the top of the first story and are capped with carved stone gables. The pilasters step in again, with capstone, near the top of the second story and then are capped at the top with pinnacle-like carved stone gables. The gables are incised with an arched and rosette design. The gables are carved to create flared bottom edges. This is repeated in the stepped gabled parapet of the central bay. The entry is composed of a pair of wood doors composed of planks and iron strap work. Each door has three narrow windows in its top. The doors are set in a stone surround with segmental arched top. Three recessed panels are in the stone above the arch just below a stone sill for the second story’s tall Gothic arched window. The window is divided by stone tracery into four main vertical divisions with awning sashes in the bottom and Gothic arched tops. The window’s large Gothic arch is composed of two receding courses of brick and topped with stone trim carved with panels. Flanking the pilasters in the first story of the central bay are small window windows of art glass with stone sills and lintels. The central bay’s gabled parapet features flattened shoulders on the outside corners and a steeply- pitched gable wall capped with stone. The stone cap is shaped with the gable’s brick but generally follows the rake on top, except at the bottom of the gable which has flared edges. A cornerstone is located at the bottom of the first story on the north end of the central bay. It is carved with “ANNO DOMINI 1923” on its east face. To each side of the central bay, the façade steps back to two-story stair towers that flank the central bay, but face north and south. The towers are stepped in at the top of the first story with stone caps on the corners. The top of the