HomeMy WebLinkAboutLowell Heights Olivet REDRAFT NRform revised with plans
NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018
1
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places Registration Form
This form is for use in nominating or requesting determinations for individual properties and districts. See instructions in National Register
Bulletin, How to Complete the National Register of Historic Places Registration Form. If any item does not apply to the property being
documented, enter "N/A" for "not applicable." For functions, architectural classification, materials, and areas of significance, enter only
categories and subcategories from the instructions.
1. Name of Property
Historic name: Lowell Heights-Olivet African Methodist Episcopal Church
Other names/site number: Olivet African Methodist Episcopal Church
Name of related multiple property listing:
N/A
(Enter "N/A" if property is not part of a multiple property listing
____________________________________________________________________________
2. Location
Street & number: 719 N. Notre Dame Ave.
City or town: South Bend State: IN County: St. Joseph
Not For Publication: Vicinity:
____________________________________________________________________________
3. State/Federal Agency Certification
As the designated authority under the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended,
I hereby certify that this x nomination ___ request for determination of eligibility meets the
documentation standards for registering properties in the National Register of Historic Places
and meets the procedural and professional requirements set forth in 36 CFR Part 60.
In my opinion, the property x meets ___ does not meet the National Register Criteria. I
recommend that this property be considered significant at the following
level(s) of significance:
___national ___statewide x local
Applicable National Register Criteria:
x A ___B x C ___D
Signature of certifying official/Title: Date
Indiana DNR-Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology
State or Federal agency/bureau or Tribal Government
In my opinion, the property meets does not meet the National Register criteria.
Signature of commenting official: Date
Title : State or Federal agency/bureau
or Tribal Government
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form
NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018
Lowell Heights-Olivet African Methodist
Episcopal Church
St. Joseph County, IN
Name of Property County and State
Sections 1-6 page 2
______________________________________________________________________________
4. National Park Service Certification
I hereby certify that this property is:
entered in the National Register
determined eligible for the National Register
determined not eligible for the National Register
removed from the National Register
other (explain:) _____________________
______________________________________________________________________
Signature of the Keeper Date of Action
____________________________________________________________________________
5. Classification
Ownership of Property
(Check as many boxes as apply.)
Private:
Public – Local
Public – State
Public – Federal
Category of Property
(Check only one box.)
Building(s
District
Site
Structure
Object
x
x
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form
NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018
Lowell Heights-Olivet African Methodist
Episcopal Church
St. Joseph County, IN
Name of Property County and State
Sections 1-6 page 3
Number of Resources within Property
(Do not include previously listed resources in the count)
Contributing Noncontributing
1 0 buildings
0 1 sites
0 0 structures
1 0 objects
2 1 Total
Number of contributing resources previously listed in the National Register 0
____________________________________________________________________________
6. Function or Use
Historic Functions
(Enter categories from instructions.)
RELIGION: religious facility
___________________
___________________
___________________
___________________
___________________
Current Functions
(Enter categories from instructions.)
RELIGION: religious facility
___________________
___________________
___________________
___________________
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form
NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018
Lowell Heights-Olivet African Methodist
Episcopal Church
St. Joseph County, IN
Name of Property County and State
Section 7 page 4
_____________________________________________________________________________
7. Description
Architectural Classification
(Enter categories from instructions.)
LATE 19TH AND 20TH CENTURY REVIVALS: Late Gothic Revival
___________________
___________________
___________________
___________________
___________________
Materials: (enter categories from instructions.)
foundation: CONCRETE
walls: BRICK
roof: ASPHALT
other: STONE: limestone
________________________
Narrative Description
(Describe the historic and current physical appearance and condition of the property. Describe
contributing and noncontributing resources if applicable. Begin with a summary paragraph that
briefly describes the general characteristics of the property, such as its location, type, style,
method of construction, setting, size, and significant features. Indicate whether the property has
historic integrity.)
______________________________________________________________________________
Summary Paragraph
Lowell Heights Methodist Episcopal Church was constructed in 1923 in the Late Gothic Revival
style and designed by Frank G. Dillard, the denomination’s architect for their regional office in
Chicago. The building, taking a prominent corner on Notre Dame Avenue, has features of both
Craftsman and Tudor or “English” architecture, as described by the architect. The congregation
consolidated with another in 1968 and the following year the building became home to the Olivet
African Methodist Episcopal Church, the oldest African-American congregation in South Bend.
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form
NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018
Lowell Heights-Olivet African Methodist
Episcopal Church
St. Joseph County, IN
Name of Property County and State
Section 7 page 5
_____________________________________________________________________________
Narrative Description
The Lowell Heights-Olivet African Methodist Episcopal Church is neatly sited on the northwest
corner of Notre Dame Avenue, several blocks south of the University of Notre Dame’s campus,
and Almond Court. The building, which faces east, occupies the corner but is set back from the
concrete sidewalks by greenspace (photos 0001-0002). The building is raised on the front with a
mounded front yard and it has a wide north side yard where a formal side entry is located on the
building. The church has a small parking area west of the building and a private drive/alley that
extends north from Almond Court to South Bend Avenue (photos 0003-0004). The
neighborhood is predominantly residential of the same period as the church, but has had a
substantial amount of new residential construction in the last few years. The site features a brick
and stone sign dating to about the same period as the church in its southeast corner (left side of
photo 0001). It is considered a contributing object. The site also features a memorial garden with
low walls/benches on the north side of the building that was developed over the last two years. It
is considered a non-contributing site (middle of photo 0005).
Exterior
The brown-colored brick building has limestone trim, a raised basement topped by a stone water
table, Gothic arched art glass windows, and a steeply-pitched roof covered with asphalt shingles.
A wide set of concrete steps lead to up to the entry centered on the front (east) façade (photo
0001). The façade has a steeply-pitched gabled parapet over its central entry bay. The entry is
flanked by two-story pilasters that step in at the top of the first story and are capped with carved
stone gables. The pilasters step in again, with capstone, near the top of the second story and then
are capped at the top with pinnacle-like carved stone gables. The gables are incised with an
arched and rosette design. The gables are carved to create flared bottom edges. This is repeated
in the stepped gabled parapet of the central bay. The entry is composed of a pair of wood doors
composed of planks and iron strap work. Each door has three narrow windows in its top. The
doors are set in a stone surround with segmental arched top. Three recessed panels are in the
stone above the arch just below a stone sill for the second story’s tall Gothic arched window. The
window is divided by stone tracery into four main vertical divisions with awning sashes in the
bottom and Gothic arched tops. The window’s large Gothic arch is composed of two receding
courses of brick and topped with stone trim carved with panels. Flanking the pilasters in the first
story of the central bay are small window windows of art glass with stone sills and lintels. The
central bay’s gabled parapet features flattened shoulders on the outside corners and a steeply-
pitched gable wall capped with stone. The stone cap is shaped with the gable’s brick but
generally follows the rake on top, except at the bottom of the gable which has flared edges. A
cornerstone is located at the bottom of the first story on the north end of the central bay. It is
carved with “ANNO DOMINI 1923” on its east face. To each side of the central bay, the façade
steps back to two-story stair towers that flank the central bay, but face north and south. The
towers are stepped in at the top of the first story with stone caps on the corners. The top of the
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form
NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018
Lowell Heights-Olivet African Methodist
Episcopal Church
St. Joseph County, IN
Name of Property County and State
Section 7 page 6
second story steps in again and features a stone water table. The towers’ parapet is capped with
stone.
The north and south facades are very similarly arranged with stair towers on the east ends and a
projecting, double-gabled bay on the west half. The north bay extends further to the north than
the south bay extends from the building. The south façade’s stair tower features an entry on the
first story (at grade, photo 0002). The entry features a projecting brick surround and deeply
recessed entry with Gothic arched top. The large metal entry door is divided into nine panels and
is topped with a wood panel of board and battens. The surround features buttress-like corners
capped with stone and a gabled parapet, also capped with stone. The tower has corner pilasters,
stepped in at the bottom and top of the second story. A stone sill course/water table is at the
bottom of the second story window. The wood window is divided into two art glass sashes with
pointed tops. The shaped stone lintel features rounded shoulders shaped with the window sashes.
The top of the second story features a stone string course and the tower has a crenellated parapet,
also capped with stone, and a low-pitched stone gable. A stone cross is centered in the top of the
parapet.
The nave is west of the tower. It features two bays divided by a tall brick pilaster capped with
stone. Each bay features a large Gothic arched window composed of art glass divided by tracery
with similar division as the front façade. Two wood basement windows divided into nine panes
is in each bay. The projecting bay with double-gables is in the west half of the south façade
(right side of photo 0003). Its east gable is slightly larger than the west gable. The gabled
sections are divided by a two-story bay (stairway) with a section of shed roof. The east gabled
section features a row of four 1/1 wood windows on the first and second story. The windows
feature a stone sill and lintel of soldier brick. A row of three wood windows, divided into nine
panes, is in the basement. The east gable features a narrow slit window in the top of the gable.
The west gabled section features a row of three 1/1 wood windows in the first and second story.
The windows feature a stone sill and lintel of soldier brick. The basement windows has been
filled in with brick. The bay centered between the gabled sections features an entry with a nine
panel metal door and non-historic gabled metal canopy. A 1/1 window is west of the entry at the
landing between the entry and first story, and 1/1 windows with stone sills are in the two
landings between the first and second story.
The north façade is similar to the south façade with few differences (photos 0004-0005). The east
tower’s first story features a pair of wood casement windows composed of art glass (left side of
photo 0005). The window opening has a stone sill and lintel of soldier brick. The nave and
projecting bay’s gabled sections are identical to the south façade except that there are two
basement windows divided into nine panes in the west gabled section. The narrow section that
divides the gabled sections has a large entry porch with gabled roof and brick front wall with a
steeply-pitched gabled parapet (left side of photo 0004). The porch’s front wall features a large
Gothic arched opening and corner pilasters capped with stone. The entry is composed of a pair of
metal doors divided into nine panels, side-lites (covered with wood), and transom composed of
art glass. Narrow 1/1 wood windows flank the porch’s gabled roof in the landing between the
first and second story. The second story features a three-sided oriel bay covered with wood
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form
NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018
Lowell Heights-Olivet African Methodist
Episcopal Church
St. Joseph County, IN
Name of Property County and State
Section 7 page 7
shingles (centered over the porch). The bay is supported by five wood corbels and it has a pair of
small 1/1 wood windows centered in its front wall. While the double-gabled projecting bay on
the south façade lacks windows in its east-facing wall, the bay on the north façade features a row
of three 1/1 wood windows in the first and second story of its east-facing wall. The windows
have stone sills and lintels of soldier brick. The second story window features a shed dormer
roof. There are two wood windows divided into nine panes in the basement of the east-facing
wall.
The west (back) façade is divided into four bays (left side of photo 0003). The southernmost bay
features a row of three 1/1 wood windows in the first and second story. The windows have stone
sills and lintel of soldier brick on the first story. The bay has two basement windows; one is
divided into nine panes and the other is new and features a single pane. The northern two bays
feature two 1/1 windows in their first and second stories. The windows have stone sills and the
first story windows feature lintels of solider brick. Each bay features two wood basement
windows divided into nine panes; the northernmost bay’s basement windows are slightly taller.
The remaining bay features a tall gable (extension of the nave) and has no windows on the first
and second story. It has a narrow slit wood window in the top of the gable and four basement
windows. The basement windows are wood and divided into twelve panes; the middle two
windows are paired together and are casements. Two square shafts of brick form chimneys
flanking the gable near the ridge of the cross gables extending south and north. The chimneys are
capped with concrete.
Interior
The interior is arranged with a vestibule, or narthex, in the east end which is flanked by
staircases on the south, which leads to a grade-level entry (south side of building), basement, and
balcony, and on the north, which leads to the balcony. See photo 0006 for narthex. A toilet room
is also on the north side of the narthex. A pair of doors flanked by pairs of art glass windows
separate the narthex from the nave on its west side (see photo 0007 of the nave). The nave is
arranged with a central aisle that leads west to a raised platform, altar, and choir loft (photo 0008,
0012). A large Gothic arch centered in the west wall forms a deeply-recessed bay for the choir
loft and pipe organ. The nave’s roof is supported by a steeply-pitched modified scissor trusses
with open framing. Transepts flank the raised platform at the west end of the nave. These have
balconies overlooking the nave on the second story. Doorways lead to staircases in the northwest
and southwest corners of the nave (one doorway off the west wall of the north transept). The
north staircase leads to a formal grade-level entry on the north side of the church as well as the
basement and second story. The south staircase leads to a grade-level entry on the south side of
the church, as well as the basement and second story. The pastor’s office is off the first story
landing in the southwest corner of the church. It has an historic safe tucked into the northeast
corner of the room (right side of photo 0010). An adult classroom is off the first story landing in
the northwest corner of the church (photo 0009). It has a fireplace centered in its south wall and a
closet tucked into the southeast corner of the room.
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form
NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018
Lowell Heights-Olivet African Methodist
Episcopal Church
St. Joseph County, IN
Name of Property County and State
Section 7 page 8
The second story features a balcony with tiered seating overlooking the nave above the narthex
in the east end of the building (photo 0011). Staircases flank the balcony and lead down to the
narthex on its north and south sides. Balconies with shaped openings overlooking the nave are
also located in the second story of the transepts and are accessed by staircases on their west side
(photo 0013). Classrooms are located in the northwest and southwest corners of the building and
are accessed by the staircases off their east side. The north classroom features a fireplace
centered in its south wall (photo 0016). A narrow hallway connects the two classrooms along the
west edge of the second story (left side of photo 0017, behind the pipe organ). Small closets are
off the second story landings in the west end of the building. The north staircase (photo 0014)
continues up to a small mezzanine level that includes a toilet room and small closet. Many of the
rooms in the second story have ceilings that are raked on their outside edges with the eaves (best
seen in photo 0017).
The raised basement features a large fellowship hall below the nave. A raised stage is in the east
end of the basement (photo 0019). It has a hallway leading from the fellowship hall to a staircase
on its south side and a storage room on its north side. A doorway is between the stage and
storage room. There are two classrooms under each transept off the west half of the fellowship
hall. These were originally open to the hall, possibly enclosed with curtains, but now walled-off
with block. Doorways in the northwest and southwest corners of the fellowship hall lead to
staircases in the west end of the building. Two serving counters/windows are centered in the west
wall of the fellowship hall (photo 0018). It accesses the kitchen in the west end of the building,
below the choir loft. Toilet rooms are located in the northwest corner of the basement and are
accessed from the stairwell on the north side of the church (photo 0020). A mechanical room is
located in the southwest corner of the building and is accessed from the stairwell on the south
side of the church.
The building has carpets throughout most of the first and second stories. The narthex features
small brick-colored tile on its floor. The balconies, second story classroom in the northwest
corner, fellowship hall and stage feature maple plank flooring (photos 0013, 0019). The
bathrooms and kitchen feature modern tile or vinyl flooring. The building has plaster walls and
ceilings throughout except where new concrete block walls were created to enclose classrooms
in the basement. Tall wood wainscot is located on the narthex, nave and transept walls (sans
balconies, photos 0006-0008). The west wall of the nave and back wall of the choir loft have
painted stenciling in gold and light blue (photo 0012). The pastor’s office features modern (c.
1970) wood paneling on its walls (photo 0010). The plaster ceiling in the narthex has broad
barrel vaulting with arches over the main entry and staircases (photo 0006). The nave’s ceiling is
steeply-pitched and covered with wood. Open trusswork resting on pilasters along the nave’s
north and south walls and purlins support the ceiling (best seen in photo 0011). The pilasters
feature corbels and Doric capitals on which the trusses rest. The transept balconies are likewise
supported by corbels on the pilasters. The balcony walls have simple moldings to create a large
panel on their front walls and are capped with wood (photo 0013). The ceilings in the basement
toilet rooms and pastor’s office are composed of dropped acoustic tiles in metal grids.
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form
NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018
Lowell Heights-Olivet African Methodist
Episcopal Church
St. Joseph County, IN
Name of Property County and State
Section 7 page 9
The building has dark-stained wood trim floorboards and casings throughout. Door and window
casings are fairly simple with flat boards trimmed with narrow boards. The large Gothic arched
windows of the nave are recessed into the plaster walls and feature painted tracery and casings
(photo 0007). The building has wood doors with historic brass hardware throughout. These range
from more formal doors into the nave or in some classrooms with windows of art glass (photos
0006, 0009) to simple two-panel doors in classrooms and closets. Doors added to classrooms in
the basement and their trim boards are lighter-colored pine, c. 1960. The fireplaces in the
classrooms are dark-colored brick with wood mantels. Historic cabinets flank the fireplace in the
first story classroom (photo 0009). The staircase balustrades and newel posts are dark-stained
wood. The newel posts with flat caps and railings are fairly simple. The balusters are composed
of pairs of wood boards at each step sawn to have an open diamond shape near their top (photos
0014-0015). The balustrade curves with the opening at each landing in the northwest staircase.
The pews in the nave have oak ends with Gothic arched tops and carved recessed panel in each
end (photo 0007). Other notable features of the interior include original balcony-style wood seats
in the east balcony (photo 0011) and historic toilet partitions composed of wood planks in the
basement toilet rooms (photo 0020). The building also features several historic light fixtures in
the nave, balconies, classrooms, and landings. The nave’s fixtures are large metal hoops
suspended with chains from which several lanterns with art glass shades are suspended (photo
0007). The balcony and classroom fixtures are more traditional multi-sided lanterns with art
glass shades (photo 0009). Smaller fixtures include simple opal glass shades and metal fittings
are located in landings.
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form
NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018
Lowell Heights-Olivet African Methodist
Episcopal Church
St. Joseph County, IN
Name of Property County and State
Section 8 page 10
_________________________________________________________________
8. Statement of Significance
Applicable National Register Criteria
(Mark "x" in one or more boxes for the criteria qualifying the property for National Register
listing.)
A. Property is associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the
broad patterns of our history.
B. Property is associated with the lives of persons significant in our past.
C. Property embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of
construction or represents the work of a master, or possesses high artistic values,
or represents a significant and distinguishable entity whose components lack
individual distinction.
D. Property has yielded, or is likely to yield, information important in prehistory or
history.
Criteria Considerations
(Mark “x” in all the boxes that apply.)
A. Owned by a religious institution or used for religious purposes
B. Removed from its original location
C. A birthplace or grave
D. A cemetery
E. A reconstructed building, object, or structure
F. A commemorative property
G. Less than 50 years old or achieving significance within the past 50 years
x
X
X
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form
NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018
Lowell Heights-Olivet African Methodist
Episcopal Church
St. Joseph County, IN
Name of Property County and State
Section 8 page 11
Areas of Significance
(Enter categories from instructions.)
ARCHITECTURE
ETHNIC HERITAGE: Black
___________________
___________________
___________________
___________________
Period of Significance
1923-1971
___________________
Significant Dates
1969
___________________
___________________
Significant Person (last name, first name)
(Complete only if Criterion B is marked above.)
___________________
___________________
___________________
Cultural Affiliation
___________________
___________________
___________________
Architect/Builder (last name, first name)
Dillard, Frank G.
Hay-Weaver Company
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form
NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018
Lowell Heights-Olivet African Methodist
Episcopal Church
St. Joseph County, IN
Name of Property County and State
Sections 9-end page 12
Period of Significance (justification)
The period of significance begins in 1923 when the building was constructed for the
congregation of Lowell Heights Methodist Episcopal Church. The period of significance ends in
1971, the year the Olivet African Methodist Episcopal congregation celebrated its centennial at
the church after it became their home in 1969. Olivet A.M.E. is the oldest African-American
congregation in South Bend.
Criteria Considerations (explanation, if necessary)
Consideration A is made due to the building’s ownership by the congregation of the Olivet
African Methodist Episcopal Church. The building’s rich architecture, a blend of Late Gothic
Revival with Tudor and Craftsman features, and its prominent position in the neighborhood
make it eligible for the National Register of Historic Places.
Statement of Significance Summary Paragraph (Provide a summary paragraph that includes
level of significance, applicable criteria, justification for the period of significance, and any
applicable criteria considerations.)
The Lowell Heights-Olivet African Methodist Episcopal Church is eligible for the National
Register of Historic Places under criterion C using architecture as the area of significance. The
building’s compact form designed in the Late Gothic Revival style includes both Tudor and
Craftsman influence. The building is an example of standardized and prescribed design by
religious denominations in the late 19th and early 20th century. The building’s architect, Frank G.
Dillard, was the Methodist Episcopal denomination’s regional architect stationed out of Chicago.
Dillard raised concerns about congregations adopting the Akron Plan of church architecture
without thought of the church’s actual need. The design of Lowell Heights Methodist Episcopal
Church demonstrates a pushback against the Akron model and embrace of earlier precedents.
The building has an exquisite nave featuring open trusswork and balconies and has had very little
alteration over the building’s 100 year history. The building is also eligible under criterion A
using Ethnic Heritage as the area of significance. The Olivet AME congregation relocated to this
building in 1969 from its original church home-site on the south side of downtown South Bend.
The congregation is the oldest African-American congregation in the city and was actively
engaged in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s.
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form
NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018
Lowell Heights-Olivet African Methodist
Episcopal Church
St. Joseph County, IN
Name of Property County and State
Sections 9-end page 13
______________________________________________________________________________
Narrative Statement of Significance (Provide at least one paragraph for each area of
significance.)
ARCHITECTURE
Lowell Heights-Olivet African Methodist Episcopal Church was constructed in 1923 after the
Lowell Heights congregation out-grew is smaller building south of the present church. In 1919,
the Methodist Episcopal denomination developed regional Bureaus of Architecture for guidance
and design for congregations who were constructing new buildings. The Lowell Heights
congregation fell under the Chicago regional bureau and received their design from Frank G.
Dillard. Dillard, a 1913 Harvard University graduate of their school of architecture, was the first
architect of the Chicago office when the bureaus were introduced in 1919. The building was
designed in 1922 and constructed in 1923.
Lowell Heights-Olivet African Methodist Episcopal Church is an unusual melding of the
traditional 20th century Gothic style for religious architecture with what the architect refers to as
the English type, inferred here as Tudor Gothic (photos 0001-0005). However, the building also
carries features of the Craftsman style, particularly in its interior woodwork. The ususual open
trusswork, jigsawn balustrade, and interior doors with art glass point to a refinement of features.
The early suburban church is located on a corner lot on an important avenue leading from the
heart of Notre Dame University's campus, on axis with the administration building, to downtown
South Bend. The building was designed in a Tudor Gothic style with several Craftsman features
introduced in the interior. The dark-brown brick building is composed of wire-cut (raked) brick
with stone trim. It has a broad front-gabled parapet composing its entry bay, further delineated
with a tall Gothic arch stained glass window divided into lancets, flanked by pilasters with stone
caps with trefoil carvings, and wood doors. The building has a formal composition of narthex,
nave, transept, and chancel. An asymmetrical three-story wing on the back of the building
contains offices and classrooms. The church lacks a formal bell tower, using its grand entry bay
in lieu of an entry tower (photo 0001), but it features gabled parapets and steeply-pitched roofs
covered with asphalt shingles. Notable features that cause the building to lean toward the Tudor
Gothic style are its crenellated parapets with gables on the flanking towers (north and south
facades) and projecting bays with double gabled walls (transept wings). The small oriel bay
between the gables on the north façade is an original feature and is further evidence of Tudor
influence in the design (photo 0004).
The nave features rows of large Gothic arch art glass windows on each side and chancel formed
in the shape of a Gothic arch due to the vault of the ceiling (photos 0007-0008, 0012). The nave
includes interesting open trusswork of the Craftsman style, wood ceiling, and three balconies
(one in each of the transept wings, and the main one at the back). The main balcony features
tiered seating with historic wood theater-style seats (photo 0011). Wood staircases feature
balustrades composed of planks with jigsawn designs (photos 0014-0015). These are located to
each side of the chancel and off the south side of the narthex. Brick fireplaces are located in two
adult Sunday School classrooms (photos 0009, 0016). The pastor's office features an original
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form
NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018
Lowell Heights-Olivet African Methodist
Episcopal Church
St. Joseph County, IN
Name of Property County and State
Sections 9-end page 14
safe (right side of photo 0010). The basement features a maple floor in a large fellowship hall
under the auditorium. It includes a kitchen/pass-thru in its west wall and a raised stage for
performances in its east wall (photos 0018, 0019, respectively). Toilet rooms also have their
original wood partitions and doors (photo 0020). The only minor changes include a c. 1960
concrete block separation for classrooms in the basement in the transept wings (these probably
were divided by curtains but became permanent with block. Many of the light fixtures also seem
to be original.
Another interesting feature of the church, in terms of its site planning, is the use of a mounded
front grade to give it more of a presence, yet it's cut away behind the knoll (photo 0002). This
allows the essentially three-story building to better fit its early suburban neighborhood location,
something that presented itself more frequently as churches expanded into suburban locations in
the early 20th century where before they had often found themselves in more urban settings in
city and town commercial/civic areas.
Frank G. Dillard (1881-1949), the architect, was countering the more commonly-accepted Akron
Plan for church design. Dillard wrote articles and gave lectures about a more appropriate
approach to church architecture in Post-WWI America. This was a time when congregations in
many denominations were going through a building craze. Dillard favored the more traditional
approach of narthex, nave, transept, and chancel with classrooms at the back rather than off the
sanctuary with dividing walls of the Akron Plan. The Akron Plan is credited to Lewis Miller for
his own church design in Akron, Ohio in 1867. Miller was an amateur architect and Sunday
School teacher. His church, First Methodist Church of Akron, was completed in 1872. Miller’s
plan placed the altar in one corner of the sanctuary with sections of pews that radiated out from
that location. Children could also participate in services by the inclusion of large, movable screen
walls at one end of the sanctuary. This provided the ability to close off classroom spaces as
dictated by the flow of the service. Akron Plan floors are also often banked to provide better
sightlines for congregants. Miller’s plan was used with great regularity as Methodist
congregations grew and included Sunday Schools in what they offered during worship services
in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Therefore, it is interesting to note that Lowell Heights, a
Methodist Episcopal congregation, broke from the tradition of the Akron Plan in their new
building. Though it could be argued that transepts and balconies offered some of the
accommodations for Sunday School classes that the Akron Plan offered, but not formalized with
classroom denotation.
In 1921, through the Methodist Episcopal denomination, Frank Dillard issued an illustrated
bulletin named “Better Rural Churches” in the hope that when church communities plan for new
buildings, they take into consideration future growth over immediate resources. The publication
included three designs by Dillard. One was the conversion of a one-room church in Lakeville,
Ohio into a community hall and addition of a sanctuary and entry tower. Another was for a large
church in Cimmaron, New Mexico designed in the Mission Style. The third design was a
recommended prototype design for a small church with a large, front gable, side entry towers,
and transept/bays all in the Tudor Revival style. It is remarkably similar to the Lowell Heights
church. Architectural services were offered through the publication from both the
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form
NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018
Lowell Heights-Olivet African Methodist
Episcopal Church
St. Joseph County, IN
Name of Property County and State
Sections 9-end page 15
denomination’s Chicago and Philadelphia offices, but only if an architect was unavailabe in the
community and the project was under $20,000 in construction costs. This may be why Dillard’s
own work is seldom accounted for, and it is unclear why Lowell Heights, at a cost of over
$40,000 in a city with architects, was designed by Dillard.
Dillard also provided a five-page discertation on proper church building design in a 1922
publication on church architecture. He describes situations in which congregations fall into the
use of the Akron Plan or “some other scheme that is utterly inadequate” for its needs.1 He co-
wrote an article for The Architectural Forum with Elmo Cameron Lowe (of Lowe &
Bollenbacher, architects in Chicago) in April 1924 titled “The Small Church”. The article calls
on better architectural design of churches and describes the previous period of church building
and design a “period of artistic depression”.2 The article goes into specific recommendations on
design including stone-trim on brick edifices, dark interiors, and open trusses. Illustrations and
photographs of the Tudor Gothic style Methodist Episcopal Church in Whiting (designed by
Lowe & Bollenbacher) are included in the article. It is unclear how many churches were
constructed through the denomination's Bureau of Architecture, but the Lowell Heights church
seems to be a notable one based on its refinements, counter approach to the Akron Plan, and its
early origin (designed in 1922 after the bureau's start in 1919). Dillard first practiced architecture
in a firm known as Dillard & Stephans in St. Louis in about 1907-1909. In Chicago, he was in
the partnership of Dillard & Brown during the 1910s, and Rowe, Dillard, & Rowe during the
1920s. Several large Tudor Revival homes were designed by the firm, including the Grigsby
Estate, and the Park Ridge Methodist Church, Park Ridge, IL. He worked for the Chicago Park
System during the 1930s for whom he designed the 55th Street Promontory Pavilion.
The Gothic Revival style had been popularized in house design books in the middle part of the
1800s and became popular in Midwestern towns by the 1850s due to the influence of pattern
books produced during this time. The pattern books gave hints for other building types. A.J.
Davis’ Rural Residences (1837) included a design for a Gothic Revival “Village Church” as well
as Gothic Revival houses. A religious revival in Britain in the early 19th century renewed interest
in church construction and in the English Gothic style. In religious architecture, Gothic Revival
reached full expression in the United States. While Gothic Revival remained a popular choice
with American congregations, toward the end of the century, architects were moving away from
generic Gothic and the more recent Romanesque Revival. Interest in Tudor Gothic Revival was
capturing attention. Collegiate Gothic, inspired by Tudor Gothic architecture took hold at places
like Bryn Maur (Pembroke Hall, Stewardson & Cope, 1894). New churches by Medievalist
Ralph Adams Cram helped set the trend. For example, All Saints, Ashmont, Dorchester,
Massachusetts, 1893, was a purely English-inspired Gothic church.
Given the popularity of the Gothic Revival style in church design, it is no surprise that a city the
size of South Bend would have several examples of Gothic Revival churches. There are
approximately a dozen examples of Gothic Revival churches ranging from impressive, early
1 Dillard, Frank.
2 Lowe & Dillard
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form
NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018
Lowell Heights-Olivet African Methodist
Episcopal Church
St. Joseph County, IN
Name of Property County and State
Sections 9-end page 16
examples like St. Stanislaus Catholic Church built in 1898 to very simple examples like St.
Mary’s Polish National Church built in the Late Gothic Revival style in 1915. Several examples
are comparable to Lowell Heights Methodist Episcopal Church and date to about the same time
period it was constructed. These include Epworth Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church (1911),
St. Adalbert Catholic Church (1923-1926), Grace Evangelical Church (1926), St. Peter’s Church
(1927), Zion Evangelical Church (1930), and Emmaus Evangelical Lutheran Church (1938).
Most of these examples include square entry/bell towers and steeply-pitched gabled parapets.
Lowell Heights is different in that it diminishes the importance of the bell/entry tower and gives
the parishioners a formal entry in its gabled-front wall upon climbing a step set of steps. Most of
the South Bend examples seem to be influenced either by their denominational preference for
building arrangement, such as the Catholic churches, or by the Akron Plan. A few late examples
of the Late Gothic Revival style include Our Redeemer Lutheran Church (1954) on 29th Street
and the First Evangelical United Brethren Church on Inwood Drive (1951). The latter became
home to the merged congregation with Lowell Heights in 1968 to for Evangel Heights. Both of
these buildings use Bedford stone and have similar entry/bell towers.
Lowell Heights & Olivet A.M.E. Congregations
The Lowell Heights Methodist Episcopal congregation had formed more than twenty years prior
to the construction of their building in 1923 and saw tremendous growth in the first decades of
the 20th century, in part because of spiritual revival movements in the denomination and city-
wide. The congregation took its name from the village on the high east bank of the St. Joseph
River, known as Lowell Heights, later annexed into South Bend. The congregation formed from
“cottage prayer meetings” held in 1899 in homes on the east side of South Bend as part of revival
efforts being undertaken by the First Methodist Episcopal Church of the city. These prayer
meetings were formalized into Sunday School classes by April 1899 and a building was erected
that summer. The simple frame building was built on the southwest corner of E. Miner and N.
Frances Streets for a cost of $1400 and the first service was held the last Sunday of September in
1899 with a membership of 26. Their first church, with simple Gothic Revival features, was
formally dedicated with a service in July 1903, when the congregation burned the mortgage held
on the building. Over 400 attended the service. In 1907, revival services were conducted and the
congregation grew rapidly. An addition to the building and a parsonage were constructed in
1912. The growing congregation numbered more than 100 by 1917.
In 1920, plans were made for a new building and in 1921, four lots were purchased at the corner
of Almond Court and Notre Dame Avenue. The congregation raised over $20,000 from other
city churches and in 1923, a contract for $42,000 to build the new building was made with the
Hay-Weaver Company. It was designed by Frank G. Dillard, architect in the denomination’s
Chicago office. The new church was dedicated on December 9, 1923. The pastor during the
construction and dedication was Reverend William Brandon. While a new parsonage and
community hall were originally envisioned, the hall was never constructed. A parsonage was
built c. 1955 on the east side of Notre Dame Avenue. A merger of the Methodist Episcopal
denomination with the Evangelical United Brethren denomination resulted in the merger of
Lowell Heights M.E. Church with the First Evangelical United Brethren Church (built in 1951)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form
NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018
Lowell Heights-Olivet African Methodist
Episcopal Church
St. Joseph County, IN
Name of Property County and State
Sections 9-end page 17
nearby at 114 N. Ironwood Drive on the city's far east side. This occurred on April 21, 1968 and
the new name of Evangel Heights United Methodist was adopted.
ETHNIC HERITAGE
The building on Notre Dame Avenue was sold to the Olivet African Methodist Episcopal
(A.M.E.) congregation who held dedication rites on December 7, 1969. Reverend Roderick
Johnson was the pastor during the move from downtown South Bend to the Notre Dame Avenue
building. The move was considered necessary for the city’s planned downtown renewal program.
That program was never fully implemented to cause the removal of the congregation’s old
building on Monroe Street. The church’s membership was 326 when it changed locations to the
former Lowell Heights building, and had always “directed its programs of activities toward the
religious and social improvement of local black residents.”3 The African Methodist Episcopal
denomination traces its history to 1787 when its founder, Richard Allen, was excluded from a
white congregation in Philadelphia of the same denomination. During the late 1860s, Bishop
William Paul Quinn of the A.M.E. denomination visited Northern Indiana and Southern
Michigan and encouraged the establishment of several churches, including what would become
the Olivet congregation. A total of 20 congregations were established during that time of
missionary outreach including those located in Elkhart, Gary, Michigan City, LaPorte, Kokomo,
Fort Wayne, Niles, Cassopolis, and Three Rivers.
The Olivet A. M. E. congregation first formed in 1870. It was the first, and for many years the
only, African-American congregation in South Bend/St. Joseph County. It was the center for
social, political, religious, and civic life for the city’s African American population.4 Some of its
original nine members were part of the Huggart settlement, the first settlement of free African-
Americans in St. Joseph County, while others were some of the city's earliest residents and first
burials in the city cemetery. The first trustees were Mr. and Mrs. Farrow Powell, Mr. and Mrs.
James Jackson, Mr. and Mrs. Jesse Bridgeman, Mr. J.B. Lott, Mr. James Hurst, and Mr. John
Powell. The first pastor was Revered Bundy. The congregation was the only church for African-
Americans for many years and was simply known as "the colored church" on the city's near
southwest side. Once other African American churches formed, the first church became known
as Olivet Chapel. The trustees purchased property at 310 West Monroe Street for the
construction of a church building in 1872. The cornerstone was laid on August 7 of that year.5
The Olivet congregation replaced the 1872 building with a new building in 1917, which is extant
at the Monroe Street site.
Olivet A.M.E. has been at the center of the Civil Rights Movement in South Bend. The local
branch of the NAACP met in the congregation’s home in the early 20th century. Hazel Hunter, a
steward of the church, had worked for the national NAACP before locating in South Bend and
joining the Olivet congregation. In 1923, attorney Charles Wills, a member of the church, was
3 Pontius, Gertrude 5 Dec 1969 South Bend Tribune
4 Bryant, John Charles Official Olivet A.M.E. Church History 1870-2020
5 Bryant, John Charles Official Olivet A.M.E. Church History 1870-2020
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form
NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018
Lowell Heights-Olivet African Methodist
Episcopal Church
St. Joseph County, IN
Name of Property County and State
Sections 9-end page 18
attorney-elect for the fight against the Ku Klux Klan when the organization fought to stop the
building of First A.M.E. Zion Church. Planning meetings for that were held at Olivet. During the
1950s, YMCA programming for the city’s African American population were held at Olivet
while members of the congregation led to the desegregation of South Bend’s Public Natatorium.6
In 1957, the Olivet congregation hosted a concert at the Morris Civic Auditorium by noted
songstress Mahalia Jackson.
During the 1960s, workshops and testimony on fair housing were held and received at Olivet and
congregation member, Fred Coker, became state president of the NAACP.7 In 1968, the
congregation participated in a city-wide rally on civil rights. The rally included Mrs. Frankie
Muse Freeman, the only woman appointed to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. The
congregation hosted “A Pageant on Negro History” during the rally. Also in 1968, upon the
death of Martin Luther King, Reverend O.L. Powell, pastor of Olivet during the 1960s, led a
march in South Bend.8
The pastor at the time of the move to Notre Dame Avenue, Reverend Roderick Johnson, led
South Bend’s local civil rights organization during the 1960s, but stepped away from its
leadership to focus on the congregation’s new home. The assistant pastor in 1970, L. J. Perry,
was elected the first African American president of the city’s Rotary Club.9 On December 16,
1971, the Olivet congregation celebrated the church’s 100th anniversary.10 Under the leadership
of Reverend Clarence G. Robinson, the $60,000 mortgage on the Notre Dame Avenue building
was paid off and burned in April 1976 after a celebration banquet was held at the Indiana Club in
South Bend. The building on Notre Dame Avenue continues to serve the Olivet A.M.E.
congregation today as they celebrate their 150th year anniversary (2020) and near the building's
centennial in 2023.
Developmental History/Additional historic context information
6 Powell, Alma. Interview with South Bend Civil Rights Heritage Archivist Scott Shoger
7 Powell, Alma. Interview with South Bend Civil Rights Heritage Archivist Scott Shoger
8 Powell, Alma. Interview with South Bend Civil Rights Heritage Archivist Scott Shoger
9 Powell, Alma. Interview with South Bend Civil Rights Heritage Archivist Scott Shoger
10 Bryant, John Charles Official Olivet A.M.E. Church History 1870-2020
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form
NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018
Lowell Heights-Olivet African Methodist
Episcopal Church
St. Joseph County, IN
Name of Property County and State
Sections 9-end page 19
______________________________________________________________________________
9. Major Bibliographical References
Bibliography (Cite the books, articles, and other sources used in preparing this form.)
(1903) ‘To Burn Mortgage’ South Bend Tribune. 11 July 1903. Page 9, column 6.
(1923) ‘Will Receive Bids for Lowell Heights Church Construction’ South Bend Tribune 07 Jan
1923. Page 23, columns 3-4.
(1923) ‘To Build Church at Once’ South Bend Tribune. 23 Feb 1923. Page 1, column 1.
(1923) ‘Will Dedicate Lowell Church December 9’ South Bend Tribune. 02 Dec 1923. Page 27,
column 1.
(1968) ‘U.S. Official is Rally Speaker’ South Bend Tribune. 01 Feb 1968. Page 21, columns 6-8.
Bryant, John Charles. Official Olivet A.M.E. Church History 1870-2020
Dillard, Frank “Buildings for Church and School” The Sunday School Journal. Cincinnati
January 1922. Pages 10-14.
Division of Natural Resources, State Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology,
South Bend Community Development, and St. Joseph Board of Commissioners. City of
South Bend Summary Report: Indiana Historic Sites and Structures Inventory. Rep. 2006. Print.
McAlester, Virginia & Lee. A Field Guide to American Houses. New York: Alfred A. Knopf,
2006.
Lowe, Elmo Cameron & Dillard, Frank G. “The Small Church” The Architectural Forum. Vol.
XL No. 4. New York: Rogers & Mason. April 1924. Pages 149-152.
Pontius, Gertrude. ‘Olivet AME Church Sets Dedication Rite’ South Bend Tribune. 05 Dec 1969.
Page 28, columns 3-6
Powell, Alma. Interview with South Bend Civil Rights Heritage Archivist Scott Shoger, August
2020.
Sandborn Fire Insurance Map for the City of South Bend, 1917.
Vogt, Paul PhD. ‘Building for the New Day’ The Christian Advocate. New York. Sept. 23, 1920.
Pages 1277-1279.
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form
NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018
Lowell Heights-Olivet African Methodist
Episcopal Church
St. Joseph County, IN
Name of Property County and State
Sections 9-end page 20
Wensits, James. ‘Olivet African Church Detest Being in Debt’ South Bend Tribune 28 March
1976. Pages 131-133, all columns.
___________________________________________________________________________
Previous documentation on file (NPS):
____ preliminary determination of individual listing (36 CFR 67) has been requested
____ previously listed in the National Register
____ previously determined eligible by the National Register
____ designated a National Historic Landmark
____ recorded by Historic American Buildings Survey #____________
____ recorded by Historic American Engineering Record # __________
____ recorded by Historic American Landscape Survey # ___________
Primary location of additional data:
____ State Historic Preservation Office
____ Other State agency
____ Federal agency
x Local government
____ University
____ Other
Name of repository: _____________________________________
Historic Resources Survey Number (if assigned): 201-597-11065
______________________________________________________________________________
10. Geographical Data
Acreage of Property Less than one acre
Use the UTM system
UTM References
Datum (indicated on USGS map):
NAD 1927 or NAD 1983
1. Zone: Easting: Northing:
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form
NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018
Lowell Heights-Olivet African Methodist
Episcopal Church
St. Joseph County, IN
Name of Property County and State
Sections 9-end page 21
2. Zone: Easting: Northing:
3. Zone: Easting: Northing:
4. Zone: Easting : Northing:
Verbal Boundary Description (Describe the boundaries of the property.)
Beginning on the northwest corner of Notre Dame Avenue and Almond Court, face west and
follow a line with the north side of Almond Court approximately 111’ to the southwest
corner of the property at 719 Notre Dame Avenue. Turn north and follow a line 112’ to the
northwest corner of 719 Notre Dame Avenue, then turn east and follow a line 111’ to the
west side of Notre Dame Avenue. Turn north and follow a line with the west side of Notre
Dame Avenue approximately 112’ to its intersection with Almond Court, or the place of
beginning. The property is generally identified as Lots 2, 3, and 4, of W. A. Bugbee’s 1st
Addition and includes the east half of a vacated alley along the west side of the property.
Boundary Justification (Explain why the boundaries were selected.)
The boundaries include the church and land the congregation of Lowell Heights Methodist
Episcopal Church purchased in 1923. It also includes the vacated portion of an alley along
the west boundary which now belongs to the current congregation.
_____________________________________________________________________________
11. Form Prepared By
name/title: Kurt West Garner
organization: Olivet AME Church
street & number: 12954 6th Road
city or town: Plymouth state: IN zip code: 46563
e-mail: kwgarner@kwgarner.com
telephone: 574-936-0613
date: October 1, 2020
___________________________________________________________________________
Additional Documentation
Submit the following items with the completed form:
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form
NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018
Lowell Heights-Olivet African Methodist
Episcopal Church
St. Joseph County, IN
Name of Property County and State
Sections 9-end page 22
• Maps: A USGS map or equivalent (7.5 or 15 minute series) indicating the property's
location.
• Sketch map for historic districts and properties having large acreage or numerous
resources. Key all photographs to this map.
• Additional items: (Check with the SHPO, TPO, or FPO for any additional items.)
•
Photographs
Submit clear and descriptive photographs. The size of each image must be 3000x2000 at 300
ppi (pixels per inch) or larger. Key all photographs to the sketch map. Each photograph must
be numbered and that number must correspond to the photograph number on the photo log.
For simplicity, the name of the photographer, photo date, etc. may be listed once on the
photograph log and doesn’t need to be labeled on every photograph.
Photo Log
Name of Property: Lowell Heights-Olivet African Methodist Episcopal Church
City or Vicinity: South Bend
County: St. Joseph State: Indiana
Photographer: Kurt West Garner
Date Photographed: February 13, 2020
Description of Photograph(s) and number, include description of view indicating direction of
camera: Looking west at front facade
1 of 20.
Date Photographed: February 13, 2020
Description of Photograph(s) and number, include description of view indicating direction of
camera: Looking northwest from intersection of Almond Court and Notre Dame Ave.
2 of 20.
Date Photographed: February 13, 2020
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form
NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018
Lowell Heights-Olivet African Methodist
Episcopal Church
St. Joseph County, IN
Name of Property County and State
Sections 9-end page 23
Description of Photograph(s) and number, include description of view indicating direction of
camera: Looking northeast from Almond Court
3 of 20.
Date Photographed: February 13, 2020
Description of Photograph(s) and number, include description of view indicating direction of
camera: Looking southeast at back (west) and north side of building
4 of 20.
Date Photographed: February 13, 2020
Description of Photograph(s) and number, include description of view indicating direction of
camera: Looking southwest at front (east) and north side of building
5 of 20.
Date Photographed: December 20, 2019
Description of Photograph(s) and number, include description of view indicating direction of
camera: Looking southeast in narthex
6 of 20.
Date Photographed: December 20, 2019
Description of Photograph(s) and number, include description of view indicating direction of
camera: Looking east in nave
7 of 20.
Date Photographed: December 20, 2019
Description of Photograph(s) and number, include description of view indicating direction of
camera: Looking west in nave
8 of 20.
Date Photographed: December 20, 2019
Description of Photograph(s) and number, include description of view indicating direction of
camera: Looking south in first story northwest classroom
9 of 20.
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form
NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018
Lowell Heights-Olivet African Methodist
Episcopal Church
St. Joseph County, IN
Name of Property County and State
Sections 9-end page 24
Date Photographed: December 20, 2019
Description of Photograph(s) and number, include description of view indicating direction of
camera: Looking northeast in Pastor’s office
10 of 20.
Date Photographed: December 20, 2019
Description of Photograph(s) and number, include description of view indicating direction of
camera: Looking south in main balcony
11 of 20.
Date Photographed: December 20, 2019
Description of Photograph(s) and number, include description of view indicating direction of
camera: Looking down into nave (west) from main balcony
12 of 20.
Date Photographed: December 20, 2019
Description of Photograph(s) and number, include description of view indicating direction of
camera: Looking southeast from north balcony into nave
13 of 20.
Date Photographed: December 20, 2019
Description of Photograph(s) and number, include description of view indicating direction of
camera: Looking up/southwest in stairway on northwest corner of building
14 of 20.
Date Photographed: December 20, 2019
Description of Photograph(s) and number, include description of view indicating direction of
camera: Looking up/north at the top of the staircase in southwest corner of building
15 of 20.
Date Photographed: December 20, 2019
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form
NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018
Lowell Heights-Olivet African Methodist
Episcopal Church
St. Joseph County, IN
Name of Property County and State
Sections 9-end page 25
Description of Photograph(s) and number, include description of view indicating direction of
camera: Looking west in classroom on third story-northwest corner
16 of 20.
Date Photographed: December 20, 2019
Description of Photograph(s) and number, include description of view indicating direction of
camera: Looking north in classroom on third story-southwest corner
17 of 20.
Date Photographed: December 20, 2019
Description of Photograph(s) and number, include description of view indicating direction of
camera: Looking west in basement toward kitchen
18 of 20.
Date Photographed: December 20, 2019
Description of Photograph(s) and number, include description of view indicating direction of
camera: Looking east in basement toward stage
19 of 20.
Date Photographed: December 20, 2019
Description of Photograph(s) and number, include description of view indicating direction of
camera: Looking northwest in basement toilet rooms
20 of 20.
Paperwork Reduction Act Statement: This information is being collected for applications to the National Register of Historic
Places to nominate properties for listing or determine eligibility for listing, to list properties, and to amend existing listings. Response
to this request is required to obtain a benefit in accordance with the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended (16 U.S .C.460
et seq.).
Estimated Burden Statement: Public reporting burden for this form is estimated to average 100 hours per response including
time for reviewing instructions, gathering and maintaining data, and completing and reviewing the form. Direct comments regarding
this burden estimate or any aspect of this form to the Office of Planning and Performance Management. U.S. Dept. of the Interior,
1849 C. Street, NW, Washington, DC.