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Office of the Mayor
NEWS RELEASE
ApH130, 2007
3 p.m.
8 properties `raise the bar' for design excellence
Contact: Mikki Dobski, Director of Communications&Special Projects, 235-5855 or 876-
1564, or Marco Mariani, 282-1110
SOUTH BEND—The City of South Bend played a role in half of the eight properties who on
Saturday(April 28, 2007)received the first Pride of Place Design Awards from Downtown South
Bend.
From a family's renovation of a former firehouse and a developer's transformation of an office
complex into luxury condominiums to a non-profit's commitment to the beauty of its
neighborhood and large-scale efforts at historic preservation, each of the award-winners shared a
commitment"to raise the bar."
"We've got to raise the bar. We've got to celebrate these people who spent a little more to help
make this community a better place to live. .... We all owe a debt of gratitude,"said Dean
Bergeman, director of design at MPA Architects and chairman of DTSB's Pride of Place Design
Awards committee. "None of these would have happened individually without both public and
private support."
Eight institutions were the inaugural winners of the glass block award, featuring the DTSB red-
and-blue logo, selected from 20 nominees:
• New downtown construction—'the Museums at Washington and Chapin. The boards of
trustees for the Northern Indiana Center for History and the Studebaker National Museum
shared in the award for the combined complex. Designed by James Child Architects and built
by HG Christman Construction, the facility gives each museum a distinctive identity while
sharing one parking lot, entrance, lobby, sign and other features. `'the Studebaker museum ...
is an excellent example of value engineering, having come in$300,000 below budget,"
according to nominating documentation. "In addition, several design features directly
acknowledged the neighborhood context."
• Landscaping—With its Sunshine Clubhouse at Crescent and Niles avenues, Madison Center
transformed an empty lot with a sloped storage head and a piece of heavy equipment into
tranquil gardens, walkways, a pond and a fountain surrounding its new 10,000-square-foot,
lodge-style facility. Kundell Ernstberger was landscape architect, Foegley Landscaping did
the work and Dean Bergeman of MPA Architects designed the facility on behalf of Madison
Center, Jack Roberts, chief executive officer.
■ Historic preservation—Palais Royale, 105 W. Colfax Ave. Closed since 1968 and unused
for 30 years, the Palais Royale under went a $6.9-million public-private renovation effort
from December 2001 through its grand re-opening on New Year's Eve 2002. "The renovation
efforts feature details such as the repair and refurbishment of the Grand Terrazzo staircase,
which creates a grand entrance into the ballroom,"according to nominating documentation.
"Similar palettes, ornaments, techniques and design were used to create a room in which the
charm and grandeur of the original 1920s ballroom are recaptured with historical accuracy."
Forsey Construction, Conrad Schmidt and City Awning were involved in the reconstruction
on behalf of Morris Entertainment Inc. and the Morris Performing Arts Center, Dennis
Andres, executive director. "There's nothing like it anywhere else in the country,"Bergeman
said.
■ Adaptive reuse—South Bend Civic Theatre, 211 W.Madison St., acquired, renovated and
adapted the former Scottish Rite Building along Main Street, originally built in 1916 as the
First Church of Christ Scientist. The 12-month, $4 million renovation was completed in time
for the community theater's 50" anniversary. The historic landmark includes a 209-seat
auditorium; a two-story, 5,000-square foot technical wing; a studio theater as well as a
concession stand and other amenities. Architectural Design Group Inc. was the project's
architect. Majority Builders, Inc., served as general contractor for the renovation and
adaptation.
■ Interior tenant improvement—Two properties received awards in this category:
• Colfax Place, Colfax Avenue and Lafayette Boulevard. Developer John Phair of
Holladay Properties converted the seven-story 1929 building from offices into luxury
condominiums. Today the building, now on the National Register of Historic Places,
features large, custom-built floor plans and"says more about what is the future of
downtown,"Bergeman said.
• Morris Bistro, in the lower level of the Morris Performing Arts Center, opened in 2003,
turning a little-used portion of the historic facility into a 100-seat restaurant and wine bar.
Theater-goers can enjoy dinner and cocktails two hours before the show and since June
2004 it is open for lunch weekdays.
■ Special recognition—Firehouse Hose Co. No. 3, Hill Street. New owners lion and Glenda
Lamont acquired the 1892 building, which they are restoring as a private home with
businesses on the first floor. Working with Kil Architecture&Planning, Kaser-Spraker
Construction, Masonry Cosmetics Inc., and Serenescapes Inc., the couple oversaw the
restoration of this East Bank Village property.
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