Establishing a Historical Landmark - 617 West LaSalle Ave

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617 West LaSalle Historical Context This property is located on the north side of West LaSalle between North Scott Street and North Taylor Street, in South Bend, Indiana. It is described as being lot 3 Studebaker Subdivision to South Bend. The present building was moved to lot 617 W. LaSalle from 404 N. Lafayette some time during the early 1980s. The house proposed for landmark status was built in 1895 on lot 205 O.P. of South Bend, it replaced an earlier structure at this site. Mrs. Evaline Patterson purchased lot 205 of the Original Plat of South Bend from Mr. & Mrs. James Heck in 1872 and built a modest 1 1/2 story frame house. She resided there until 1892 when she sold the property to Charles L. & Emma Goetz for $4,600.00. Mr. Goetz replaced the previous house with the present Queen Anne dwelling. Mr. Goetz was born in Rome, New York, in 1859 and began a trade in the cigar business at age fourteen. He came to South Bend in 1881, and resumed work in the cigar business. By 1885 Mr. Goetz had started his own cigar business which soon employed up to 35 people. The business was named, Goetz Cigar Company, it was located at 307 W. Jefferson Boulevard. Mr. Goetz married Emma Klingel, daughter of a German pioneer, and settler at 404 N. Lafayette in 1895. Mr. Goetz was elected Mayor of South Bend in 1910 and served in this office until his death in 1915. Mrs. Goetz continued to reside at this address until here death in 1932. Upon her death the house was inherited by their son, Philip K. Goetz. Philip owned the house until 1943 when he sold it to Dr. Richard W. & Lillian Holdeman who continued to own the house until the late 1970s. This house remained at 404 N. Lafayette until the early 1980s when it was moved to 617 W. LaSalle. The structure previously located at the new site was removed along the a garage, around 1972. Prior to its removal the house was owned and occupied by William & Eva Swaney, an assistant Street Commissioner in South Bend. They both resided in this house until their deaths, Mr. Swaney in 1960 and Mrs. Swaney in 1969. The house was then sold by executor, J. Clifford Potts, to Chris A. Brooks in 1972. At some point over the next ten years Mr. Brooks sold the house to Oscar T. Brookins, a professor at Notre Dame, and his wife, Kathryn. It is believed that at some point Mr. Brookins came to own both lot 3 of Studebakers Subdivision and the house at 404 N. Lafayette, and that sometime shortly after 1980 he had the house in question moved to the new site on LaSalle Street. Mr. Brookins owned this house on the new site until 1994 when he sold it to C.O. Phillips, who in turn sold it to the Society National Bank of Indiana in 1996. They owned the house for a year, selling it to the current owner, Jeffrey M. Berndt in 1997.