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HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION OF SOUTH BEND AND ST. JOSEPH COUNTY <br />Phone: 574/235.9371 Fax: 574/235.9021 Email: hpcsbsjc@southbendin.gov <br />STAFF REPORT <br />CONCERNING APPLICATION FOR A <br />CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS <br />Date: January 6, 2025 <br />Application Number: 2025-1230 <br />Property Location: 626 Portage Avenue <br />Architectural Style/Date/Architect or Builder: <br />One story commercial/1927 <br />Property Owner: Cassidy and Rich Fowler - Fowler LLC <br />Landmark or District Designation: Chapin Park LHD, Ord. <br />#9575-05; Chapin Park Register Historic District NR-0407 <br />Rating: Non-Contributing (2005) <br />DESCRIPTION OF STRUCTURE/SITE: The building is a small, one-story, early-20th-century commercial <br />structure with flat roof and a stepped parapet with coping at the front elevation. The foundation is of concrete, ex- <br />terior walls are brick, with horizontal fiber cement siding partially siding the front elevation. Below the parapet is a <br />horizontal band of faux-prismatic glass above a projecting storefront canopy that spans the width of the storefront. <br />Under the canopy, there are three 46”W x 76”H windows railed with 3/4ths height metal bars and a 36’ W glass <br />door to the left. The building retains historic massing and storefront proportions. The existing facade was approved <br />by the Commission in 2013 (2013-0422B), after the then owners consulted with then employee Steve Szaday on a <br />design appropriate for the building and district. <br />DESCRIPTION OF PROPOSED PROJECT: The applicant has requested approval to: <br />Alter the existing, 2013 facade in one of two designs. Final design depends on structural suitability, to be determined. <br />Design 1. Install a centred, wider entrance door (42”W versus the current 36”W); install two 16”W x 84”H win- <br />dows to the side of the proposed door; and install a pair of 24”Wx60”H windows to either side of the entrance. <br />Install new siding where needed, in same fiber cement material as existing. Replace the existing five outdoor lights <br />with updated, zoning compliant down-facing dark sky lights. Windows manufactured by Andersen in Fibrex mate- <br />rial. <br />Design 2. Same as above, with the only change being the recessing of the front, central door with 16”W x 60”H <br />windows on either side. <br />STANDARDS AND GUIDELINES: <br />Commercial Standards, Storefronts: Pages 57-58. <br />SITE VISIT REPORT: On November 3, 2025, Administrator Ross Van Overberghe and Specialist Kate Himick <br />met with the property owners on site. The property owners had been made aware of the Historic District designa- <br />tion through the late-stage proceedings of the Vibrant Places facade grant process. Staff discussed the requirements <br />for commercial properties in a Local Historic District and proposed design ideas that would conform to the local <br />Standards and Guidelines and the National Park Service’s Preservation Brief on historic storefronts. The property <br />owners stated that they would like to have greater safety and usability of the interior space. Property owners also <br />stated that the windows occasionally appear foggy, despite keeping them clean. This is possibly due to a seal failure <br />in the double-paned windows that were installed in 2013.