Historical Landmark - 127 and 129 Franklin Place and 407 and 409 W. Jefferson

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(407-409 West Jefferson) HISTORICAL CONTEXT This property is located on the north side of West Jefferson Street between Franklin-Place and South William, adjacent to a north/south alley, South Bend, Indiana. The property is described as the east half of lot 8 Vails Subdivision Block 1. John C. Stover purchased all' of lot 8 Vails Sub Block 1, from the estate of William W. Brick, a prominent farmer, in 1888. Mr. Stover was a whole sale lumber dealer and owner of a lumber yard. In 1896 Mr. Stover demolished the structure at 129 Franklin Place and built the currently existing.Queen Anne structure as_his permanent residence. In that same-year he also built an American Four Square style two unit apartment house on the east half of the lot, facing W. Jefferson. Mr. Stover rented the. units to various tenants, for residential use as well as office space.' He owned the house until his death in 1939 at which time .the .house was inherited by his son, Burton H. Stover, a banker. Burton Stover formed a trusteeship with Francis Jackson, Ernest McErlain and the Indiana Savings & Loan Association, that specialized in the buying, selling, and renting of various properties:. This trusteeship rented the house at 407-409 W. Jefferson .Street to numerous short term tenants .until 1945 when it' was sold to Franlc Carpenter, an employee of the Oliver Corporation. i~ir. Carpenter owned the .property until 1971 when he sold the house to Vera C. Yeager: Mrs. Yeager retains this property as well. as 127 & 129 Franklin Place as rentals. The ownership of the properties was placed in a trust "in 1991 which is controlled by 'hrs. Yeager`s daughter, Marilyn Proctor.. ARCHITECTL'P~1L DESCRIPTION This is a -three 'story American Four Square style house with a brick foundation and chimney. The walls have clapboard siding, cornerboards, a flared second story and wood shingled dormers. The house has a steeply .pitched hipped roof with dormers on either side and a central wall dormer facing W. Jeffersoc~. The front porch spans the full width of the .house with a hipped roof, central gable, wood columns on brick piers, wood balustrades and lattice work at the base. The house contains one over one double hung windows with molded heads and tow glazed front doors.