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CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS STAFF REPORT • APPLICATION -- 1997-0502-3 PROPERTY -- 16581 Chandler Blvd. Mishawaka, IN 46544 OWNER -- Peter DeKever DESIGNATION -- Local Landmark/WPA House RATING -- not in survey STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE/HISTORIC CONTEXT Several projects were constructed for the City of Mishawaka's Water Department by Works Progress Administration (WPA) during the 1930's including a storage building, a dual main feeder system for the city's reservoir and the reservoir caretaker's house on the east side of Chandler Blvd. The WPA was federally funded public works program designed to provide employment for workers suffering from the consequences of the Great Depression. The WPA provided salaries only, while sponsoring jurisdictions were required to provide the materials for the projects. The average monthly wage of a WPA worker was $55. The reported total cost of the caretaker's house was $9,834, or about $9.50 per square foot. Construction of the caretaker's residence began in late 1937 and was completed in 1938. The project took approximately sixty days to complete with a reported thirty workers participating in the work. The house served as the • caretaker's residence for over fifty years with only one caretaker who served the entire period. Following the death of the caretaker, his widow remained in the house which came to be locally known as Mabel's house. She remained in the house until about 1990. In 1994, the City of Mishawaka determined that the vacant building was an attractive nuisance and advertised the availability of the house with the provision that it be removed from the reservoir property. With financial assistance from the Landmarks Foundation of Indiana, Beiger Heritage purchased the house and relocated it to its present location on the north side of Chandler Blvd. less than a half -mile from the reservoir. Today it is situated on a hill above the Chandler Boulevard creating a very similar appearance to its original context. The house was purchased from Beiger Heritage by Peter DeKever in 1996. PROPOSED CHANGE Applicant wishes to construct a garage on the cement pad and foundation that already exists. This will be a detached garage. The garage will have tan vinyl siding and brown/tan asphalt -type shingles. There will be two windows, a steel service door and a raised panel overhead door. To corespond to the existing house, there will be no roof overhang. The roof will have an 8:12 pitch. STANDARDS The Preservation Guidelines for Local Landmarks state: Group B Standards: C.) Renovation and Additions: • Additions to landmarks should not detract from the original form and unity of the landmark and should be added in a manner that does not disrupt the visible unity or overall appearance of the site. The proportions, materials and