Establishing a historic district at 534 LaPorte Ave

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It is not known who operated the station while under the license of the Indian Oil Company. Steven Starzynski began working as an attendant for the station at approximately the time that Texaco took over the operations. Starzynski who was an electrician by trade lived nearby at 1801 Fasnacht at the time and was presumably lacking work in his trade due to the economic depression of the early thirties.[15] Sometime during the thirties, he bought the business. During the mid thirties the station is identified with Robert Leer in partnership with Stephen Starzynski.[16] In 1939 Starzynski_ is listed as the sole proprietor of the station which continued to be identified with him until near the time of his death. Sometime during the eighties, the petroleum product switched to Marathon.[17] In 1989, Starzynski stated that he would like to have sold the station but that no one seemed interested in assuming the business. At that time he attested to having an average of twenty -five customers a day.[17] Stephen Starzynski passed away on October 11, 1990 at the age of eighty- three.[18] The station remained open for some time under the management of Joseph Morrow but is now closed. Though other similar structures remain in the city which have undergone extensive alteration of appearance and use, this building is the only remaining example of this building type which has been identified in the Indiana Historic Sites and Structures Inventory for retaining the integrity of its original design.[2] Only one other early gas station in South Bend is recognized in the Indiana Historic Sites and Structures Inventory. However that location is of a later design pattern having attached service bays. NOTES 1. Historic Preservation Commission Resolution No.3: Historic Landmarks Procedure Historic Landmarks Procedure (July 14, 1975). 2. City of South Bend Summary Report - Indiana Historic Sites and Structure Inventory (South Bend: 1992). 3. Liebs, Chester, Mainstreet to Miracle Mile (Little Brown & Co., 1985). 4. Vieyra, Daniel I., Filler Up (MacMillan, 1979). 5. South Bend City Directory (Polk, 1912). 6. South Bend City Directory (Polk, 1914). 7. South Bend City Directory (Polk, 1921). 8. Deed Records: 207:284. South Bend City Directory (Polk, 1928). 9. South Bend City Directory (Polk, 1927). 10. Deed Records: 207:284; 221:446. 11. South Bend City Directory (Polk, 1927). 12. South Bend City Directory (Polk, 1931). 13. Deed Records: 245:458. 14. Assessor's Card 15. South Bend City Directory (Polk, 1932). 16. South Bend City Directory (Polk, 1932 to 1938). 17. South Bend Tribune: January 25, 1989 18. South Bend Tribune: (obit; Stephen Starzynski) October 12, 1990.