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Historic Preservation Commission ®f South Bend & St. Joseph County Fall 2003 Newsletter �, sfr: c �,'<ZiScr, ��%ha rit.,S OLD GERMAN TOWNSHIP SCHOOL GRANTED FOCAL LANDMARK STATUS In October 2002, the St. Joseph County Council, at the recommendation of the Historic Preservation Commission, and on a motion made by council member Randy Przybysz, adopted a County Ordinance designating the Old German Township Schoolhouse a Local Landmark. The local historic value of this building is immense, as it is one of the oldest public build- ings remaining in the County. Not only was it built at a period significant to the formation of the County, it was also built at a place and time when there was still substantial overlap ween the new settlers of the county, and indigenous peoples. The lands attached to and immediately surrounding the old school- house are believed by long time residents who are descended from original settlers to be Native American burial grounds. The first school building built on this site was constructed in 1878. A schoolmaster's house was erected next door, at 53081 Olive Road, at the same time. About twelve years later, in 1890. one or both buildings were substantially amend- ed — possibly re -built or replaced. In particular, the foundation of the schoolmaster's frame house, which was probably a rubble foundation originally, and is now rock -faced cast brick, may have been an 18 modification. S c-h�-tel When thg buildin aseto be used as a school, it passed into private hands and an addition was built onto the back. In 1949 and 1950, private owners made several significant changes, including building an addition onto --the north side hely which nearly doubled the size of the building. The character of the addition is completely unlike that of the original structure, and is in many ways more highly unusual and e*en-reere represen- r,}ye of a unique historic periodate ikeeif. A fountain and outdoor pond on the prop- erty date to the same period as the 1950 addi- tion, and are likewise distinctively characteris- tic of the post World War II period. There is also a non-contributing shed or pe1hape twox on the property. The total property is about 62 percent of an acre, with a fence defining the front edge ofthe property along Olive Road. This fence is an excellent example of a Civil War era fence. It has a foundation and regularly spaced piers built of brick and cast concrete, with holes in the piers to receive poles running between them. Presently, and for at least the last forty years, those poles have been wooden. However, pic- tures of other such fences from the 1860s through the very early nineteen hundreds typi- cally show large cast iron poles running between the piers. It is known that Saint Joseph County residents donated large amounts of household and farmyard iron to scrap metal drives during World War II, so it is possible that original iron poles were replaced with wood at that time. The original building is a Greek -Revival style one -and -a -half story brick rectangle, facing Olive Road on the East. The original front of the house had a gable front, and a slightly offset double door, and a smaller door or window. In the gable peak are a pair of narrow arched windows. The original doorway opening, topped by hand -carved dentil molding, remains, though it has been con- verted into a Window � ...... 1, dL.."d. The North and South walls of the school had three tall arched windows that possibly lit not only the classroom on the main floor, but the half - floor above as well. Those have now been convert- ed into first -floor windows only, and dormers have been added to light the second floor. The 1950 addition, though also brick, is clearly differentiated from the original struc- ture, which assists in observing the history of the building, and differentiating the separate areas of historic significance. It has a number of features unique to, or typical of, the post - World War II period, including glass block win- dows along most of the north face, many built- in interior elements, a great deal of tile, and a fish -pond in the kitchen. It was featured in a home -design and decorating magazine shortly after the addition was completed. It would be highly interesting on its own even if it were not attached to an historic school, and would be worthy of landmark status simply for its archi- tectural interest. AXTELL HOUSE DECLARED LOCAL LANDMARK RECOMMENDED TO STATE REGIST: On Portage wo Avenue there �� are a number - - of exquisite ■� J Queen Anne ■s (I,= ' . ■ style houses, reminiscent of a particular era of historic significance to the then -developing City of South Bend. One of the more interesting and intact remaining houses of that era is the Axtell House. Recently, the South Bend City Council recognized the his- toric significance of that house by declaring it a Local Landmark. Built in 1905, the Axtell House still has essentially its original yard and carriage house, being Lot 5 and a sie of Lot 4, Bulla & Patton's Addition to the City of South Bend, Indiana, commonly known as 1021 Portage Avenue, South Bend. The Historic Preservation Commission of South Bend and St. Joseph County, after due study, and in agreement with its present own- ers, recommended the designation of the prop- erty as an Historic Landmark. The Historic Preservation Commission has also recommended the Axtell House to the State Department of Natural Resources, to be placed on the State Registry of Historic Places. The State DNR has recommended instead that we should seek such designation for either a neighborhood or a "multiple resource district" of similar houses on Portage Avenue, or in that same Portage Avenue neighborhood, provided we can show that there is such a definable group of houses sharing the same historic sig- nificance. That project is in process.