Laserfiche WebLink
224 WEST COLFAX <br />HISTORICAL CONTEXT <br />This two-story commercial structure was built in 1921 by two sisters, Edythe and <br />Gertrude Brown. Edythe was a principal in the South Bend Community School <br />Corporation and president of the Elementary Division of the National Education <br />Association. She also wrote a local history text entitled "The Story of South Bend", <br />which was widely used in South Bend Schools. Her sister, Gertrude, was very prominent <br />in many local women's organizations and clubs; she founded the New Comer's Club in <br />1939 to help new residents of South Bend assimilate. For the first twenty-six years, the <br />building was known as Grace's Corset Shop. In 1928, a Typewriter Company moved iri <br />and remained there until it was replaced in 1935 by the Krueger Pharmacy. The <br />pharmacy stayed for eleven years, moving out when Slick's Engraving took over in 1941, <br />by this time the sisters had sold the property to Graham McGovant. Mr. McGovant <br />rented the property to Slick's until 1949 when he sold the property to Edgar Cain who <br />used the building to house is optometrists office. Dr. Cain was born in Ohio in 1899 and <br />moved to South Bend in 1919 where he married Marie Kerr in 1926. Edgar was awell- <br />known optometrist in South Bend for fifty-six years, he ran is practice from this building <br />until 1977 when he retired and leased the building to Szalay's European Custom <br />Tailoring and Academy. Dr. Cain eventually sold the property to Joseph Szalay in 1985. <br />Mr. Szalay was born in Hungary, moving to America in 1959. He opened his tailoring <br />business in 1967, moving it into 224 W. Colfax in 1977. He operated tailoring business <br />from this location until 1999 when he retired and sold the building to the current owner, <br />Beth Elle Enterprises LLC. <br />ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION <br />This property is described as lot 6 and 21 feet mid-point of lot 4 Knoblocks Subdivision <br />of Original Plat of South Bend lots 245-246. It is located on the south side of West <br />Colfax Street near the corner of W. Colfax and Lafayette Streets. <br />This is a two story commercial building with a rectangular plan, concrete foundation and <br />a flat roof with parapet walls that have clay the coping. The first story walls are made of <br />limestone while the second story is covered in brick with Sullivanesque Terre cotta <br />detailing. There are one over one wood double hung windows in the second story and a <br />large nine light fixed window in the first story. The entrance is a large wood double door <br />with multi-paned glass panels, side lights, blind transom and copper awnings. <br />RECOMMENDATION <br />Based on the Historic Preservation Commission's Local Landmark Criteria's adopted by <br />the Common Council, the site and structure at 224 W. Colfax Street should be <br />recommended to the Common Council for designation as a Local Landmark by the <br />Historic Preservation Commission. ~ - - ~' `~" ' <br />~' ...~. <br />4 ~~ r <br />2 ~ ~~a, ~ .s ~00~ ~: <br />c~-.,.;, ~..y t <br />c .,y ., <br />..._.....-...._e.,.....-....,.._.,.,.. _. ....... ..-, ~.. ..._i <br />