Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutJ.D. Oliver House_Staff ReportSTAFF REPORT ON THE NOMINATION OF J.D. OLIVER HOUSE TO THE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES HISTORIC NAME OF PROPERTY: J.D. Oliver House (Copshaholm) ADDRESS: 808 West Washington Street, South Bend BOUNDARY DESCRIPTION: Beginning at the southwest corner of the intersection of West Washington Street and Chapin Street, on the west edge of the curb on Chapin Street, face south and follow a line with the curb 240 feet to the north property line of 121 Chapin Street, then turn west and follow the north property line of 121 Chapin Street 124 feet to its west property line. Turn south and follow the west property line of 121 Chapin Street 56 feet to the north property line of 125 Chapin Street, then turn west and follow the north property line 30 feet to the west property lines of 125, 127, and 131 Chapin Street. Turn south and follow the aforementioned west property lines approximately 124 feet to the south property line of 131 Chapin Street, then turn east and follow the south property line of 131 Chapin Street approximately 156 feet to the edge of the west curb on Chapin Street. Turn south and follow the west curb of Chapin Street approximately 230 feet to the north curb of Thomas Street, then turn west and follow the north curb of Thomas Street approximately 425 feet to the east property lines of 911 and 915 Thomas Street. Turn north and follow the east property lines approximately 192 feet until the line of 915 Thomas Street jogs slightly southwest 10 feet, then continue north approximately 212 feet, following the east property lines of 122, 128, 132, and 134 Laurel Street to a line extended east approximately 14 feet from the south property line of 120 Laurel Street. Turn west and follow the line to the east property line of 120 Laurel Street, then turn north and follow the east property lines of 120 and 112 Laurel Street and 916 West Washington Street approximately 248 feet to the south curb of West Washington Street. Turn east and follow the south curb of West Washington Street approximately 448 feet to the west curb of Chapin Street, or the place of beginning. DATE OF STAFF REVIEW: September 9, 2024 CASE HISTORY: Consultant Mr. Kurt Garner was hired by The History Museum to write the formal nomination for The J.D Oliver House. Mr. Garner submitted a nomination for listing of the J.D. Oliver House located in South Bend, Indiana, to the National Register of Historic Places to the Staff of the Historic Preservation Commission of South Bend & St. Joseph County on August 5, 2023. The nomination has been reviewed by staff and is formally submitted for public hearing at the September 16th, 2024, Historic Preservation Commission meeting. CRITERIA FOR EVALUATION: In order to be considered eligible for inclusion in the National Register, an historic property should be at least 50 years old and must possess local, state, or national significance in relation to at least one of the following criteria: Criterion A is associated with the events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history; or Criterion B is associated with the lives of persons significant in our past; or Criterion C 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; or Criterion D has yielded, or is likely to yield, information important in prehistory or history. Ordinarily, cemeteries, birthplaces, graves of historical figures, properties owned by religious institutions or used for religious purposes, structures which have been moved from their original locations, reconstructed historic buildings, properties commemorative in nature, and properties which have received significance within the last 50 years, shall not be considered eligible for the National Register. However, such properties will qualify if they are integral parts of historic districts which meet the criteria or if they fall within the categories established by the National Park Service as Criteria Consideration/Exemptions. EVALUATION OF THE NOMINATION: Staff has reviewed the nomination and associated materials as provided by Kurt West Garner. The initial application for the J.D. Oliver House in South Bend, Indiana, was applicable for Criteria A, B and C. Criteria A is met due to its significance as a monumental building that represents the wealth produced during the golden age of industry in the United States as it relates to the importance and growth of agriculture. The home’s opulence is best representative of the Oliver contribution to the industrialization of agriculture through development of plows that transformed the United States ushering in the golden age of agriculture. All that remain of Oliver’s national and international manufacturing prowess are a boiler plant and smokestack (c. 1920) from a plant that once stretched over vast acres of South Bend’s southwest side. The house therefore best represents the significance of the Olivers’ industry in the United States through its scale and refinements. For similar reasons, the property qualifies under criterion B, naming Joseph D. Oliver as a significant person due to his leadership in the industry. The house best exhibits Oliver’s stature in manufacturing and his contribution to South Bend’s golden age of industry, aligning with the Golden Age of Agriculture in the United States. The Oliver House is also an important example of mansion houses built during the industrial era, both for its scale and refinements. This allows the property to qualify using criterion C under the area of architecture. The home’s unusual cut granite fieldstone walls, some in patterned stonework, on this grand scale of Richardsonian Romanesque execution is significant. Particularly combined with its other stone features such as the perimeter site wall and carriage house, the Oliver house gains significance under architecture on the exterior. The house design and interior composition of spaces by noted New York architects Lamb & Rich, as well as its interior design and carved millwork also raise the level of significance. STAFF COMMENTS: Staff has evaluated the submitted nomination according to procedures, policies, standards, and criteria established by the National Park Service and the Division of Historic Preservation & Archaeology pursuant to Certified Local Government and applicable federal regulations. The contextual development, format, supplementary documentation, and information presented are considered accurate and appropriately executed. Staff has also determined that the J.D. Oliver House meets the applicable criteria as defined in this review and considers the area, as delineated by the justified boundaries, to be eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places. Staff has also determined that despite additions to the carriage house by a breezeway, the modern museum buildings to the south are not overly visible from the house or grounds. This leaves the appearance of the carriage house as it was when built and does not negatively affect its historic character. Staff recommends the structure be rated contributing. Public officials and interested parties have been notified by letter of the pending nomination. All have been given the opportunity to provide the Historic Preservation Commission of South Bend & St. Joseph County with written comments or objections. To date, no submissions have been presented. STAFF RECOMMENDATION: It is recommended that the Historic Preservation Commission concur with staff that the property meets the criteria for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places under Criteria A, B and C. Staff requests that the Commission direct staff to submit the appropriate report of the public hearing, including public comments, to Mayor James Mueller for his concurrence, in compliance with Indiana’s Certified Local Government regulations. The Certified Local Government Report on the Nomination of the J. D. Oliver House to the National Register of Historic Places will then be forwarded to the Indiana Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology for further review, followed by consideration of the nomination by the Indiana Historic Preservation Review Board.