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224 WEST COLFAX HISTORICAL CONTEXT This two-story commercial structure was built in 1921 by two sisters, Edythe and Gertrude Brown. Edythe was a principal in the South Bend Community School Corporation and president of the Elementary Division of the National Education Association. She also wrote a local history text entitled "The Story of South Bend", which was widely used in South Bend Schools. Her sister, Gertrude, was very prominent in many local women's organizations and clubs; she founded the New Comer's Club in 1939 to help new residents of South Bend assimilate. For the first twenty-six years, the building was known as Grace's Corset Shop. In 1928, a Typewriter Company moved in and remained there until it was replaced in 1935 by the Krueger Pharmacy. The pharmacy stayed for eleven years, moving out when Slick's Engraving took over in 1941, by this time the sisters had sold the property to Graham McGovant. Mr. McGovant rented the property to Slick's until 1949 when he sold the property to Edgar Cain who used the building to house is optometrists office. Dr. Cain was born in Ohio in 1899 and --- moved moved to South Bend in 1919 where he married Marie Kerr in 1926. Edgar was a well- known optometrist in South Bend for fifty-six years, he ran is practice from this building until 1977 when he retired and leased the building to Szalay's European Custom Tailoring and Academy. Dr. Cain eventually sold the property to Joseph Szalay in 1985. Mr. Szalay was born in Hungary, moving to America in 1959. He opened his tailoring business in 1967, moving it into 224 W. Colfax in 1977. He operated tailoring business from this location until 1999 when he retired and sold the building to the current owner, Beth Elle Enterprises LLC. ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION This property is described as lot 6 and 21 feet mid -point of lot 4 Knoblocks Subdivision of Original Plat of South Bend lots 245-246. It is located on the south side of West Colfax Street near the corner of W. Colfax and Lafayette Streets. This is a two story commercial building with a rectangular plan, concrete foundation and a flat roof with parapet walls that have clay tile coping. The first story walls are made of limestone while the second story is covered in brick with Sullivanesque Terre cotta detailing. There are one over one wood double hung windows in the second story and a large nine light fixed window in the first story. The entrance is a large wood double door with multi -paned glass panels, side lights, blind transom and copper awnings. RECOMMENDATION 1 Based on the Historic Preservation Commission's Local Landmark Criteria's adopted by the Common Council, the site and structure at 224 W. Colfax Street should be recommended to the Common Council for designation as a Local Landmark by the Historic Preservation Commission. 2