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HomeMy WebLinkAboutEstablishing an Historic Landmark 635 S Main s1 ORDINANCE No. 8267-92 Passed by the Common Council of the City of South Bend, Indiana_ May 26, 92 19 Attest: City Clerk IRENE K. GAMMON Attest: President of Common Council Presented by me to the Mayor of the City of South Bend, Indiana— May 27, 92 19 City Clerk IRENE K. GAMMON Approved and signed by me -111,c1,7 a9 19 % d� Mayor ORDINANCE NO . go2 ‘ 7- 9 , AN ORDINANCE AMENDING THE ZONING ORDINANCE , AND ESTABLISHING AN HISTORIC LANDMARK FOR PROPERTY LOCATED AT 635 S . Main IN THE CITY OF SOUTH BEND , INDIANA . WHEREAS , the Historic Preservation Commission of South Bend and St . Joseph County has petitioned for the designation of the following described real estate as an Historic Landmark under Ordinance No . 5565-73 , as amended , to wit : Bounded on the west by South Lafayette Street , on the east by South Main Street , on the south by Bronson Street and on the north by the Penn Central Railroad tracks . The improvements located upon said land can be commonly described as 635 S . Main Street (The South Bend School Corporation Administration Building) hereinafter referred to as the "PROPERTY . " WHEREAS , the Historic Preservation Commission of South Bend and St . Joseph County has recommended the designation of the PROPERTY as an Historic Landmark . BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COMMON COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SOUTH BEND , INDIANA : SECTION 1 . That the above described PROPERTY be, and it is hereby, designated and established as an Historic Landmark under Ordinance No. 5565-73, as amended. SECTION 2 . That this ordinance shall be in full force and effect from and after its passage by the Common Council , approval by the Mayor and legal publication . . . cu-e- Member of th o Common Council signed only to prov1a nra opportunity foru :_l_ ..3.=e._ and Council action on tie iejs11 ., AREA PLAN COMMISSION RICHARD S. JOHNSON OF ST. JOSEPH COUNTY, IN Executive Director Room 1140 County-City Building South Bend, Indiana 46601 (219) 284-9571 May 6, 1992 Mrs. Irene Gammon, City Clerk 4th Floor , County-City Building South Bend , Indiana 46601 RE: Proposed designation for property located at 635 South Main Street . Dear Mrs. Gammon: The Staff of the Area Plan Commission has reviewed the Historic Preservation Commission 's proposed designation of the above property as an historic landmark with respect to the relationship of said property to any capital improvements proposed for nearby rights-of-way, easements or properties. We find no proposed improvements that will conflict with this structure, and therefore, we return a favorable recommendation to the Common Council . Sincerely, Scott Kug er Planner SK:sr Serving: South Bend, Lakeville, New Carlisle, North Liberty, Roseland & St. Joseph County, IN .! • .,, . • historic p reservation commission of south bend and st. joseph county ROOM 1123 COUNTY CITY BUILDING south bend,indiana 46601 (219) 284-9798 April 22, 1992 Members of the Common Council 4th Floor County-City Building South Bend, Indiana 46601 Re: Recommendation for designation of 635 South Main Street as a Local Historic Landmark Dear Council Members : Attached for your review is a Bill that would designate the building at 635 South Main Street (The South Bend School Corporation Administration Building) as a Local Historic Landmark. After due consideration and having held a Public Hearing concerning the matter on April 20 , 1992 , the Historic Preservation Commission of South Bend and St. Joseph County voted to send to you a recommendation to designate the aforementioned property by ordinance as a Local Historic Landmark . The Commission believes that this structure, built in 1919 as the Studebaker Corporation ' s Administration Building, is significant and worthy of protection for the following reasons : 1 . as the center of the Studebaker firm' s management, planning and social activities in the twentieth century; 2 . as an important landmark of the city ' s built-environment; 3. as a structure designed by one of the Midwest' s influential architects of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Solon Spencer Beman, and; 4. as an exceptional local example of Renaissance Revival -influenced architecture. I will send to each of you a report concerning the structure to aid in your decision; I look forward to discussing this proposal further with you . Thank you for your attention to this matter . Sincerely, Fred Holycross Director Y STUDEBAKER ADMINISTRATION BUILDING 635 South Main Street Historic Preservation Commission of South Bend and St . Joseph County April , 1992 S x i *Yards -. Znmbeer Ybrsts ` - ,, lan r �-i*—Y e v i a•'''p liti"".,,,t 7::17.7.'s ,- • 4: r ill i,1*, --1 t1•1 ff 7 r--,amisQ----- --- ______- . . IA 04141, *' `'`i. ` �Z ---- B0' L�� It p1 �.- �. ki: , '\\,\,,1111111 "-�.'`i �� en.�._ ..I :..•..e.. ,, v ' -,�- 1.y41- 6 ,\,, _f\`4`�►`� �L "•� jam, r.Oth f... A 7 ,..... di Et, iliA „ .... , it , to• .d E. A. ./ , �~ _..T . ,....,,,- _____„, T`HE STUDEBAKER CORPORATION ;/, : ..:, I ` SOUTH BEND,INDIANA b "" ✓a�St � f ' 116 t. N: .. o ;i 1 1 1 o'i if;q�i e• �1�J1 � �� 6 &jIl� S;sa til 17 l. ' 1 i y .' ! S d t.1'..,......=,,, = ... 'Vsa sr..!.Yxu E` r x a^ fi te..1 .. 5.---- ;n '�. .r._'.,t CONTENTS 3. Introduction 4. Historic Context 6 . Architectural Context 7 . The Architect : Solon Spencer Beman 9 . Notes 2 Ground was broken July 18 , 1907 for a new Administration Building to house the offices of the Studebaker Bros . Manufacturing Company in South Bend . The company had sold over a million wagons by this time and had begun to make a reputation in the manufacture of automobiles . Ever- increasing business and the need to accommodate a growing white-collar staff influenced the decision to replace the company ' s Italianate-styled office structure on South Lafayette Street with a "thoroughly modern , up to date, office building and repository . "[ 1 ] The decision was finalized at a Board of Directors meeting in March of 1907 ; in May architect Solon Spencer Beman was chosen to design the building ; the Administration Building was completed two years later , in 1909 . Located between South Main, South Lafayette, Bronson Street and what was then the Lakeshore and Michigan Southern Railroad tracks , this substantial structure in 1992 continues to be an integral part of the cultural landscape of South Bend ' s downtown ; the Administration Building remains as the most significant Studebaker building left in the city. It was here that the twentieth-century version of the Studebaker manufacturing phenomenon was organized and directed. It was also here that the company maintained a museum dedicated to the protection and display of their world-famous products . The building is significant and worthy of protection for several reasons: 1 . as the center of the Studebaker firm' s management, planning and social activities in the twentieth century; 2 . as an important landmark of the city ' s built-environment; 3. as a structure designed by one of the Midwest ' s most influential architects of the nineteenth century, Solon Spencer Beman, and; 4. as a local example of Renaissance Revival-influenced architecture. Since 1970 the structure has been occupied by the South Bend School Corporation and is now in use as their Administration Building; it is unknown what future uses the School Corporation may make of the building . Rated as Significant on the Indiana Sites and Structures Survey (S-12) and eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places , the building is deserving of being designated by ordinance as a Local Historic Landmark . The Historic Preservation Commission voted on April 20 , 1992 to recommend to the South Bend Common Council the designation of this important structure as a Local Historic Landmark . Following is a historic and architectural evaluation of the building. • Historic Context When the company decided to have this office structure erected, it had successfully been manufacturing products in South Bend since 1852, beginning as a blacksmith operation building wagons on the side. The company went on to become extremely influential as one of South Bend ' s premier catalysts for growth and success . In 1876 the company claimed to be the largest manufacturer of its kind in the country . By 1889 it was estimated that Studebaker had drawn at least seventy other businesses into the city , helping develop South Bend into one of the Midwest ' s premier , mid-sized industrial towns . Becoming the Studebaker Corporation in 1911 , the firm remained as one of the city ' s most important employers until ceasing automobile production locally in 1963. A 1856 lithograph depicts the H. and C. Studebaker factory (the firm' s first name) which consisted of an one-and-a-half story frame office and "carriage repository" adjacent to a barn and attached shed. In 1868 , after Civil War orders had stimulated expansion, the plant grew to include two-and-a-half and three-story frame factory buildings surrounding the 1850 ' s structures . By 1872 , the Studebaker plant included a Second Empire-styled office attached to mansard-roofed, brick buildings and expanded factory space and lumber yards . A disastrous fire then destroyed over two thirds of these "manufactories" in 1874; the company promptly rebuilt "on a grander scale" than before. In 1876 the rebuilt plant facing Lafayette Street had become a truly mammoth complex with an Italianate-styled office building and acres of manufacturing buildings connected by rails . [ 2] In the early 1870 ' s the company also began building branch offices and showrooms around the country. The first, in St. Joseph, Missouri , was joined by many other "repositories" (as the firm insisted on calling their showrooms) in major cities around the country. The twentieth century also saw branches built in London, Buenos Aires and Sydney, Australia. [3] The new Administration Building was first occupied on June 26, 1909 . The company had formed a special committee to assign offices ; the president of the firm' s office was in the southeast corner of the fourth floor . Ushers were hired to conduct visitors to and from the various departments and offices . Visitors were not allowed on the third floor , the location of the "machine operating rooms" housing typewriters , adding-machines and the like. The third floor also housed the company ' s "sensitive materials" secured in storage vaults . The building was designed to be more than just an office complex . As a company with the reputation for having relatively good employee relations , Studebaker encouraged the formation of clubs promoting "fellowship, loyalty and enthusiasm. " These organizations , called the Studebaker Club (men) and the Mary Ann Club (women) , were also accommodated in the basement . 4 These recreational accommodations included a bowling alley, billiard tables and an exercise-bicycle room. Dressing rooms and toilet facilities were also added amenities . The facilities were gender-segregated and were exchanged between the sexes once a week . The company also provided space outside the building for croquet wickets and other outdoor sports . This effort to be a benign employer is perhaps balanced by company policy that forbade employees , except for executives, from decorating their offices with calendars or personal pictures . In addition, it is unlikely that the recreation facilities were intended for the use of all employees-- including factory laborers . Another rule that might be interpreted as revealing a overly paternalistic streak in company policy was the requirement of department heads to maintain all curtains in the building at a uniform height at all times . The building was to remain in every way a symbol of a company highly organized and in complete control . [4] The Studebaker firm, recognizing their part in the historical development of South Bend and their role in American transportation, set aside a portion of the building from the beginning for use as a museum dedicated to the display of Studebaker products . The company also commissioned the painting of a historical mural in the building that depicted the history of transportation--beginning with a pre-Egyptian mode of transport and ending, of course, with a Studebaker automobile. The company museum, located on the west side of the first floor , displayed Studebaker wagons , carriages and automobiles . The museum also displayed carriages used by various historical figures , including Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, Indiana Governor Oliver P. Morton and the Marquis de Lafayette. [5] A Studebaker press release from 1941 , noting the building ' s "historic" place in Midwest architecture, mentioned it as being only the "second poured-concrete, four-story structure [built] in the Middle West. " This document further characterizes it as being "well-known to thousands of motorists who have visited the Hoosier city. " It seems evident that the building was considered even then as being a notable South Bend landmark . This same document goes on to suggest that one could see "the character of Studebaker . . . reflected in the building. " It was described as being a "strong structure, ruddy and robust, but not fancy or smeared with gadgets. " This image was said to be further maintained by the " immaculate cleanliness of everything in the building . "[6] The company made every effort to keep the building "up to date. " The press-release quoted above was circulated to announce the "facelift" of the venerable building . This project replaced oaken paneling, window trim and " 1910 furniture" that was seen as being old-fashioned by the 1940 ' s . In this effort to update the 5 • i P w t building ' s amenities , Studebaker employed a staff of "uniformed receptionists , one a former airline stewardess" in place of the former "ushers . " [7] When the Studebaker Corporation put the building up for sale in 1965 , it had again been redecorated and updated on the interior . The company marketed the structure as " 150 , 000 square foot of modern office space . . . that could accommodate a work-force of over six-hundred . " [8] They evidently had some difficulty selling the structure, however , as the School Corporation, the next occupant , did not occupy it until 1970 . Architectural Context The building stands on a strip of land directly east of the company ' s older office structure on Lafayette Street (now the location of the Shetland Building, 1923) . It is 80 feet high (four stories) with an irregular "footprint" measuring 320 by 110 feet . This plan was designed to fill as much of the lot , circumscribed by three streets and the railroad tracks due north (elevated in 1928) , as possible. [9] The Wills Brothers , a contracting firm based in Chicago, constructed the building . It was built of reinforced concrete from top to bottom, including all walls, floors , ceilings and supporting columns . The facade is faced with brick and Bedford stone. The project took the better part of two years due to the necessity of transporting the concrete to the site by wheelbarrow and ramps and that work ceased during the winter months and inclement weather . - The architect ' s design mimicked the form of Renaissance palaces found in Italian metropolises. The design was, like those structures, meant to be symbolic of business success and power . Also similar to its European prototypes , the building ' s footprint following existing lot lines results in a trapezoidal , hence " irregular, " plan. The masonry wall treatment is accentuated by a rusticated base or first story, a second story stone sill course, and a larger intermediate, molded stone belt course. Openings are arranged in a rhythmic, two-tiered arcade. The two -story arches are accented by keystones; those corresponding to the lower tier are reflective of Mannerism--a late Renaissance style. The lower tier is also characterized by heavy stone blocks that emphasize the spring line of the arcade. Most of the actual window sashes have been replaced . The sashes on the upper portion of the lower tier originally filled the entire arch . Sashes on the upper tier were three-over-one, double-hung sashes ; some of these are still in place . 6 An interior court , resembling the typical Renaissance palace court yard, is a major interior feature. The upper zone of the space is adorned with the Holloway mural cited above. This two-story space, beginning at the third level , was probably lit at one time by clerestory windows in the mechanical space, or observation deck , at roof level . The balcony that surrounds the space is protected by a wrought- iron railing topped with globed lights on ornate, wrought- iron posts at one end and a four-sided clock of matching materials at the other . The artist responsible for the Administration Building mural , Charles S . Holloway ( 1859-1941 ) , was a Chicago-based artisan who worked in art glass and was an oil painter and cartoonist as well as being a muralist . Holloway painted murals in many theaters in Chicago as well as the Court House in Fort Wayne, Indiana, the old Post Office in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and the State Capitol in Pierre, South Dakota. His stained-glass windows were installed at Northwestern University and the Keeley Institute in Dwight, Illinois . He was a member of the National Society of Mural Painters and received a gold medal at the 1900 Paris Exposition. [ 10] This mural remains significant as one of South Bend ' s few remaining works of "public art . " Its depiction of Studebaker ' s place in transportation history is evidence of a company that viewed itself as being profoundly influential beyond the bounds of local commerce. It is quite evident that by 1907 the Studebaker firm saw itself as having already made a major contribution globally . Both the mural and the building itself were intended to reflect stability and confidence and to command respect . The Architect: Solon Spencer Beman Solon Beman ( 1853-1914) ranks as one of the nineteenth-century Midwest ' s premier architects . He is most famous for being the designer of Pullman, Illinois--the planned manufacturing community built for business tycoon George Mortimer Pullman, manufacturer of the famous Pullman railroad car . Beman, along with landscape designer Nathan F . Barrett, was hired in 1880 to design this new town south of Chicago on the west bank of Lake Calumet that would contain Pullman ' s new manufacturing facilities as well as housing for his workers . Historian Richard C. Wade has described Pullman as both "an attempt to establish a new system of labor relations [and] an experiment in town planning . " Beman ' s plan for the city was everything that typical nineteenth-century industrial towns were not-- it was "planned, orderly, antiseptic" and thus could be seen as a possible "agent of fundamental social reform. " [ 11 ] 7 Beman was just twenty-seven years old , although a seasoned architect, when he took on this immense project . The town that resulted was two-and-a-half by one-half miles in size . He designed the broad range of buildings necessary for the development of a manufacturing town including factories , residences and community structures . By April , 1882 over five million dollars and three million bricks had been expended on the town . Beman ' s design for Pullman was intended to be primarily functional . He eclectically chose from the broad range of styles and influences typical to his time and tried no innovative plans . The end result was considered "competent and credible" by his contemporaries . [ 12] He continued this borrowing of historic styles with his use of Renaissance ideas in the design of the Studebaker Building . It too is an attractive and functional building that is stylistically conservative, relative to its time, serving to fulfill its intended function and exude an air of quiet authority . Beman went on to design many other buildings for Pullman as well as the Proctor and Gamble factories in Cincinnati , the Connecticut State Capitol and many other structures throughout the country . Beman also designed the South Bend Y.M.C.A . ( 1908) that was donated to the city by the Studebaker firm. It , unfortunately, no longer exists . The Administration building remains as the single local example of this important architect ' s body of work . F . Holycross J. Pastor 8 NOTES 1 . Public notice of the company ' s intention to erect a new structure can be found in : "Erecting an Office" South Bend Tribune 7- 18-07 : 1 . Other relevant information can be found in Jeanne Denham, Studebaker Administration Building Tour , (Studebaker National Museum Archives , South Bend, IN : n . d. ) . 2 . A series of lithographs depicts the changing Studebaker manufacturing facilities from the 1835 shop and home in Ashland, Ohio to the mammoth twentieth-century facilities in : Albert Russell Erskine History of the Studebaker Corporation (South Bend: The Studebaker Corporation , 1918) . Other sources for Studebaker history, of varying quality , are: William A. Cannon and Fred K . Fox, Studebaker : The Complete Story (Blue Ridge Summit , Pa. : Tab Books , 1981 ) ; Kathleen Ann Smallzried and Dorothy James Roberts, More Than You Promise: A Business at Work in Society (New York : Harper and Brothers , 1942) ; Michael Beatty, Patrick Furlong and Loren Pennington, Studebaker : Less Than They Promised (South Bend : And Books , 1984) ; 100 Years On The Road (South Bend: Studebaker Corp . , 1952) ; Asa E . Hall and Richard M. Langworth, The Studebaker Century : A National Heritage (Contoocook , N . H. : 1983) . 3. History : 64-66 ; an advertisement showing "principal repositories" can also be seen in : Stephen Longstreet A Century on Wheels : The Story of Studebaker (New York : Henry Holt, 1952) : illustrations , center fly- leaf . 4 . Denham, 3. 5 . "Morton Carriage Now in Collection, " South Bend Tribune 8- 1- 11 : 15 . 6 . Studebaker Trade Papers Release (April , 1941 ) ; location: Studebaker National Museum. 7 . Studebaker Trade Papers : 2 . 8 . Studebaker Sales Brochure, Administration Building, (South Bend: n . d. ) : Location: Studebaker National Museum. 9 . Studebaker Corporation , South Bend , Indiana Yard and Floor Plans ( 1912) ; location: Studebaker National Museum, South Bend, Indiana. 10 . Who Was Who in American Art (Madison, Conn. ; Soundview Press , 1985) : 288 . 11 . Richard C. Wade in forward to: Stanley Buder Pullman : An Experiment in Industrial Order and Community Planning, 1880- 1930 (New York : Oxford University Press , 1967) : viii . Beman ' s career is also discussed in : "Solon Spencer Beman, President of the Illinois Chapter A. I . A, " Architecture News 10-22-04 : 291 . 12 . Buder , 74. 9 (innm tnn itrpnr# Uhl the (gammon &unril of tlpr ettH of£+outs .end: Your Committee of the Whole to whom was referred BILL NO. 35-92 SECOND READING ON A BILL AMENDING THE ZONING ORDINANCE, AND ESTABLISHING A HISTORIC LANDMARK FOR PROPERTY LOCATED AT 635 S. MAIN IN THE CITY OF SOUTH BEND, INDIANA. • Respectfully report that they have examined the matter and that in their opinion This bill should be recommended to the Council favorable. Ann Puzzello Chairman