12-21-2007 City buys synagogue for preservation, Coveleski plan

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o�sou TH F dx :J b W eFacE � � y� a 1, a2 1865 Office of the Mayor NEWS RELEASE December 21, 2007 10 a.m. City buys synagogue for preservation, Coveleski plan Contact: Mikki Dobski, Director of Communications&Special Projects, 235-5855 or 876-1564 or Bill Schalliol, City Planner, 235-9371 The City of South Bend has reached an agreement to purchase a former synagogue, the first in the city, as part of efforts to spur new development in the area surrounding Coveleski Regional Stadium. Located just beyond the stadium's left-field wall, the former B'Nai Yisrael (Sons of Israel) synagogue at 416 S. Williams Street is being sold to the city for $130,000 since its purchase in 2005 from Historic Landmarks Foundation of Northern Indiana. Current owner Chris L. Wood has lived in the facility since that time, working to renovate the structure into a single-family home. The Redevelopment Commission approved the purchase agreement today. Built around 1901, the Romanesque Revival brick synagogue remains in excellent structural condition, despite being vacant for nearly 20 years before it was donated to Historic Landmarks Foundation. Wood invested considerable resources to stabilize and repair the building, which was considered in the city's counter offer for the structure and 0.299 acres of land that was appraised at $75,000. "The opportunity to be a partner in the reuse of the building and preserve it and its place within the community is an important factor in the consideration of the counter offer," said City Planner Bill Schalliol, who is leading the city's planning effort around Coveleski Stadium. "Its future is undecided but it is secured by our ownership. It's a building that lends itself to being open to a little more public visibility." The synagogue's congregation changed its affiliation in the late 1980s from Orthodox to Reconstructionist Jewish traditions. Dwindling membership ultimately led the synagogue to end services in 1991 before donating the property to Historic Landmarks Foundation.