02-10-14 Council Agenda & Packet

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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 South Bend City Cemetery St. Joseph, Indiana Name of Property County and State well as a wide variety of tree species. Today surrounded by an urban neighborhood, City Cemetery is a unique representation of this cemetery type rarely seen in a rapidly developing urban setting. Six individually contributing resources are located within the cemetery, including one building (Sexton's Cottage, 1899), two contributing sites (cemetery itself, 1831 and the Kankakee Mill Race, 1835), three contributing structures (main gate and fence, 1899 -1910, a stone bridge built to span the Kankakee Mill Race, ca. 1890 and a Studebaker mausoleum, 1884). The cemetery also contains one non - contributing building (for maintenance, that is of no specific style and is of relatively recent construction, ca. 1990). With the exception of the Kankakee Mill Race being filled in, the demolition of a second Studebaker mausoleum, and the addition of a maintenance building, the site is nearly unchanged from 1910. Although the site is in moderate disrepair with exception of the Sexton's Cottage which was recently repaired, re- roofed and painted, City Cemetery retains its historic integrity as the cemetery itself and additional contributing resources remain essentially the same as the period of significance. Narrative Description Setting and Site Characteristics South Bend, Indiana founded in 1831, is located and named after the "south bend" in the St. Joseph River. Just north of the city was a portage used for the transport of goods and people from the St. Joseph River to the Kankakee River. The area has been the site of some flooding historically, though advances in public works infrastructure has now mitigated that threat. Located in the outwash plain of Lake Michigan, the soil is somewhat sandy, the growing season is fairly typical and the temperatures moderate. Due to South Bend's proximity to Lake Michigan and "subsequent" lake effect, though, winters can bring frequent storms, blizzards and significant precipitation. It is this sandy soil in the vicinity of the cemetery is responsible for the level topography of the site. As the sprawling Main Gate attests, City Cemetery was founded in 1832, the land donated by South Bend's founders Alexis Coquillard and Lathrop Taylor. As was customary, City Cemetery was laid out at the outside the original city limits, but without being so far removed from town that the necessary horse and carriage processions couldn't be too impractical or unwieldy. Though somewhat removed initially, the grounds of the cemetery are now encroached on all sides by an urban neighborhood of small to moderate homes that are in decline. The current size, shape, and perimeter of City Cemetery, as it appears currently, is due to a significant expansion and reconfiguration of the cemetery entrance in 1899. To the north, the site is bordered by La Porte Avenue, on the south by West Colfax Avenue, on the west by North Walnut Street and West LaSalle on the southeast. The cemetery is bounded not only by streets, but also by a number of rear yards. Unfortunately, the condition of City Cemetery reflects the urban neighborhood around it. Many stones, monuments, markers and mausoleums are in significant Section 7 page 5