Establishing a Historic Landmark for 609 Portage Ave

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• this house , Hans Fick was a partner in the accounting firm of Willet , Fick and Wharton . He was born on March 25 , 1880 in Blaubeuren , Wuerttemberg , Germany . Hans came to South Bend in 1907 . He was then employed as an auditor for Northern Indiana Railway Company . Hans married Emily Johnson in 1908 . The couple then moved to Fort Wayne , Indiana and later Grand Rapids , Michigan before settling here in 1922 . Fick was then associated with Reed and King , Incorporated , later acquiring the firm as part of the aforementioned partnership in 1925 . In 1936 he opened his own accounting firm in the J .M .S . Building . Hans died in October of 1941 . Emily Fick remained in the home until her death in the spring of 1953 . She was born in South Bend on September 8 , 1877 , the daughter of Dr . and Mrs . Henry Webb Johnson . Her father was pastor of the local First Presbyterian Church from 1889 to 1912 . Emily was an 1898 graduate of Fanny Hall in Lake Forest , Illinois . After Emily Fick 's death her son , Henry J . Fick , resided in the house . Like his father , Henry was employed as a certified public accountant. He lived here into the 1960 's; the house was then owned briefly by others before becoming the South Bend Conservatory of Music in 1972 . The Conservatory was originally founded in 1906 by Professor Milton B . Griffith primarily as a school for musical training . Dr . Griffith described the institution as a means of proving that the city was "artistically inclined" and was not only "absorbed in commercialism . " By 1909 the school had a large staff with departments of piano, violin , vocals , theory and sight-reading , and expression and also ran a bureau responsible for arranging local recitals and concerts . The school was first located in the Toepp Building on South Main Street , where they gradually acquired classrooms , a recital hall and other accommodations . The Conservatory later moved to 202 South William before relocating at this site . Ownership and management of the institution had transferred to Monica and Fred H . Ingersoll in the 1950 's . The Ingersolls made this their home as well as a place to operate their school of music . Monica Ingersoll was born on September 28 , 1897 in Morris Run , Pennsylvania and lived in South Bend most of her life . She was a graduate of Memorial Hospital School of Nursing . Monica died in September of 1979 , her husband Fred died sometime in the 1970 's ( biographical information unavailable ) . The house was purchased in 1990 by Tab Roehrs, who remains in 1991 as owner and occupant . Sources: South Bend City Directories: 1904-1988; Portage Township Assessor Reports: 1932 and 1989 ; Plat Book 8 , page 138; Deed Indexes 29 ,3; Deed Books 165 , 223; South Bend Tribune , 6-16-10 ,p .6; 8-28-09 ,p .6; 5-21-27 ; 9-25-28 ,s .2 ,p . 1 ; 10-27-41 ,s .2 ,p . 1 ; 5-13-53( obit . ); 3-19-59( obit . ); 6-14-65 ; 9-19-79 , p .39 ,( obit . );