HomeMy WebLinkAbout12-21-2007 City buys synagogue for preservation, Coveleski plan o�sou TH
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Office of the Mayor
NEWS RELEASE
December 21, 2007
10 a.m.
City buys synagogue for preservation, Coveleski plan
Contact: Mikki Dobski, Director of Communications&Special Projects, 235-5855 or 876-1564
or Bill Schalliol, City Planner, 235-9371
The City of South Bend has reached an agreement to purchase a former synagogue, the
first in the city, as part of efforts to spur new development in the area surrounding
Coveleski Regional Stadium.
Located just beyond the stadium's left-field wall, the former B'Nai Yisrael (Sons of
Israel) synagogue at 416 S. Williams Street is being sold to the city for $130,000 since its
purchase in 2005 from Historic Landmarks Foundation of Northern Indiana. Current
owner Chris L. Wood has lived in the facility since that time, working to renovate the
structure into a single-family home. The Redevelopment Commission approved the
purchase agreement today.
Built around 1901, the Romanesque Revival brick synagogue remains in excellent
structural condition, despite being vacant for nearly 20 years before it was donated to
Historic Landmarks Foundation. Wood invested considerable resources to stabilize and
repair the building, which was considered in the city's counter offer for the structure and
0.299 acres of land that was appraised at $75,000.
"The opportunity to be a partner in the reuse of the building and preserve it and its place
within the community is an important factor in the consideration of the counter offer,"
said City Planner Bill Schalliol, who is leading the city's planning effort around
Coveleski Stadium. "Its future is undecided but it is secured by our ownership. It's a
building that lends itself to being open to a little more public visibility."
The synagogue's congregation changed its affiliation in the late 1980s from Orthodox to
Reconstructionist Jewish traditions. Dwindling membership ultimately led the synagogue
to end services in 1991 before donating the property to Historic Landmarks Foundation.
The city now is in the middle of a planning process with HOK Sport Inc., based in
Kansas City, Mo., for master plans for the ballpark property as well as the blocks
surrounding the stadium. With the forthcoming move of Gates Toyota to Erskine
Commons and the planned relocation of all Gates properties, the city is seeking to control
and acquire properties north of the stadium for future development.
"While the City wants to encourage downtown living, the structure and the use [as a
single-family home] are projected to be in conflict with the changes to the park and the
area," Schalliol said. "The building has the potential to be used in place as a feature of the
expanded park or could be relocated to another part of the neighborhood to be used for
another use.
Although plans have not yet been made for future use of the synagogue, Schalliol said
possibilities under consideration could include administrative offices or a gift shop for the
stadium or a private use, such as a restaurant.
If the synagogue is controlled by the City, planners for the Coveleski project could have a
better comfort level when developing recommendations that impact the property's future,
Schalliol said.
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