2. Taylor's Field Historic District - National Register Nomination

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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 Taylor’s Field Historic District Saint Joseph County, IN Name of Property County and State Section 7 page 11 brick enframed with brick and stone quoins in the corners. The first story group features 1/1 windows that flank a wider window with transom, all composed of stained art glass. The second story group has the same configuration but feature a full-round arch composed of brick and stone keys. The metal cornice, painted white, features rows of brackets. The front (west) façade is symmetrical and is divided into three sections. The wide, middle section is divided into three bays by two-story pilasters with stone bases and capitals. The middle bay has a raised entry with a wide set of steps flanked by low brick walls capped with stone. The entry is composed of a portico with stone Doric columns that support a metal entablature and pediment flanked by short piers. The entry has a pair of mid-century wood doors and side-lites with Craftsman-inspired narrow windows. The doors and side-lites have transoms composed of stained art glass. The entry surround is composed of soldier brick. A full-round arched window matching those described in the second story rises above the portico roof. The bays flanking the entry feature groups of basement, and first and second story windows in slightly recessed bays matching those described previously. The middle section features a wide gabled pediment enframed with the metal cornice at the top of the second story walls. The pediment’s tympanum is brick and features a roundel, covered with wood, with brick surround with keystones. The sections flanking the center section feature one bay of basement, first, and second story window groupings as previously described. Two cornerstones are located on the façade. One is located in the northwest corner of the raised basement. The other is located on the northwest corner of the center section. The basement stone has the date 1910 when the church was constructed while the other stone is carved with 1910/1927 from the time the congregation was renamed. The first religious service conducted in the building was held in the basement on August 14, 1910, while the sanctuary was still being completed. The church was constructed as Memorial United Brethren Church. The dedication was held on September 4, 1910. The congregation was fairly new in South Bend, having been organized during the winter of 1904, and this building was their first permanent church after using a house converted into a church for a brief time. When the church was constructed, it was called unique in the city due to its Colonial Revival style and because the parsonage was incorporated into the main building. A detailed description of the building appears in an August 1910 newspaper article and includes an architect’s rendering of the facade.10 The cornerstone was laid in front of an estimated 500 people on Easter Sunday, March 28, 1910, by Bishop Matthews of Chicago and Pastor Mull of the South Bend congregation. Construction was estimated to cost $18,000.11 614 St. Joseph Street. Hiller House, Free Classic, 1907, Contributing. Second from right side of middle in photo 02 618 St. Joseph Street. Four Square, 1912, Contributing. Right side of photo 02 10 “New Church Unique” South Bend Tribune. 13 Aug 1910. Pg. 11, col. 1 11 “Bishops Lay Cornerstone” South Bend Tribune. 28 March 1910. Pg. 8, col. 2