HPC of South Bend and St. Joseph County - Standards Update Draft

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City of South Bend and St. Joseph County Historic Preservation Guidelines 163 District Addendums: Leeper Park Local Historic District Standards and Criteria for Leeper Park 9 .1 Introduction 1 . In these guidelines the verb Should indicates a recommended course of action; the verb Shall indicates those actions which are specifically required to preserve and protect significant architectural elements. 2 . The intent of these standards and criteria is to preserve the overall character and appearance of Leeper Park including its spatial organization, topography, vegetation, circulation and features . 3 . The standards and criteria acknowledge that there will be changes to the landscape and are intended to make the change sensitive to the historic character of the landscape . 4 . Each property will be separately studied to determine if a later addition(s) and/or alteration(s) can, or should, be removed . 5 . Since it is not possible to provide one general guideline, the following factors that will be considered in determining whether a later addition(s) and/or alteration(s) can, or should, be removed include: a . Compatibility with the original property’s integrity in scale, materials, and character . b . Historic association with the property . c . Quality in design and execution of the addition/alteration . d . Functional usefulness . 6 . Recreational facilities which exist should be allowed to remain as long as they serve substantial community functions . In some cases these features can be redesigned to be more compatible with the overall landscape . 7 . Additions to existing recreational facilities shall not be allowed unless such additions make the facilities more compatible with the over-all landscape . 8 . The development of additional facilities for active recreation or single purpose uses for limited user groups shall not be allowed . 9 . Proposals for special activities and events which cause significant impacts or require permanent or even semi-permanent (seasonal) structures or facilities shall not be permitted . 10 . The Historic Preservation Commission of South Bend and St . Joseph County recommends that the work proposed to the landscape be executed with the guidance of landscape professional with expertise with historic landscapes . 11 . The land, streets, island(s), street lighting, park lighting, topography, vistas, vegetation, architectural elements, structures, spatial orga-nization, street furniture, sewer covers, electrical and water vault and/or manholes covers, parking areas are subject to the terms of the landscape guidelines herein stated . 12 . Items under Historic Preservation review include but are not limited to the following: 9.2 Spatial Organization (includes Views, Vistas, Landscape Spaces, etc) Refer to sections 9.3, 9.4, 9.5, 9.6, 9.7, and 9.8 for additional Standards and Criteria that may apply. 1 . Views and vistas are among the most important aspects of a landscape, therefore, they should be maintained and preserved . 2 . All views, vistas, landscape spaces located in the eastern section and central section of Leeper Park shall be preserved . All views, vistas, landscape spaces located north and east and west of a line designated as the northern fence of the tennis courts located in the western section of Leeper Park shall also be preserved . This shall include the island(s) located in the St . Joseph River and the slough which lies between the island(s) and the mainland . All views, vistas, and landscape spaces shall also include the entirety of the riverbank as well as the area lying between the roadway of Riverside Drive up to and including the riverbank and cut stone wall along the riverbank . Leeper Park Local Historic District DRAFT