South Michigan Street Historic District

- Chapin Park - East Wayne Street - Edgewater Place -
- Howard Park - Lincolnway East - Muessel-Drewery Brewery -
- North Saint Joseph Street - River Bend - Riverside Drive -
- Saint Casimir Parish - Singer Brothers Manufacturing Company -
- South Michigan Street - Taylor's Field - West North Shore Drive -
- West Washington -

The South Michigan Street Historic District is located along the 400 and 500 blocks of South Michigan Street (once known as the Michigan Road and the Dixie Highway).

"Located immediately south of what remains of South Bend's downtown commercial area, the South Michigan Street Historic Districtis the surviving remnant of the downtown commercial district's southward extension. The reconfiguration of the streets and downtown itself -- remnants of a 1970s pedestrian mall linger -- have since cut the district off from the heart of downtown. The earliest development in the 400 and 500 South blocks had been residential along the Michigan Road. Fragments of the nineteenth century neighborhoods still stand to the east; to the west is a mix of cleared blocks and some industry. By the early twentieth century, commercial establishments had begun to infiltrate Michigan Street, sometimes in converted dwellings, eventually in new buildings that replaced the houses. The conversion from residential to commercial blocks was complete by 1930, which is he date of the most recent building in the district, the former automobile dealershipp at 526-528 South Michigan.

The Buildings

Facades of all the contributing buildings in this small district have suffered some loss of integrity on the first story. All were constructed during a period of less than twenty years; all are brick. The southernmost building in the district, the present Hope Rescue Mission at 530 South Michigan, is two-storied, with terra cotta cornice, stringcourse, and ornament. [Terra cotta, glazed in a variety of colors to resemble stone, or often in whiite, became a very popular Midwest building material in the late 1870s until the 1930s. The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 led the way for this new material: it was cheaper to produce than quarrying stone, it could be manufactured to resemple carved stone, and it was fireproof unlike wood. The JMS Building (102-110 N. Main Street) is another excellent example of the use of this material.*] Adjacent on the north is the more recent structure, a one-story structure, whose original facade is completely obscured. North across an alley, is a two-story red brick building with terra cotta trim and a bracketed parapet with a balustrade.

West across South Michigan Street is a two-story painted brick building with three store fronts, 513-517 South Michigan Street, with stone trim and double brackets beneath the cornice. Adjacent to the north is another two-story building with three storefronts displaying some remaining carrera glass and abundant terra cotta trim. [Due to fire damage the building has been mothballed.] Adjacent to the and stretching to the corner of Monroe Street is still another two-story building with three storefronts, 501-505 South Michigan. The storefronts are nor enclosed and unified into one. Around the corner west on Monroe, there is another ornate entrance topped with a bracketed pediment, and two more storefronts. Adjacent to the west of 112 West Monroe is a rather plain brown brick building with stone trim.

North across Monroe Street is a large two-story building with an entrance surrounded by terra cotta centered on the Monroe Street facade. Intertwined above the entrance in terra cotta are the letters "S" and "C". It appears that the north of the entrance there were originally four storefronts (425-429 South Michigan Street), but the facade has been unified with the two-story building on the north (423 South Michigan).

Significance

The South Michigan Street Historic District cotains the most intact and representative collection of early twentieth century commercial buildings that remain on this important thoroghfare. While there are other examples of commercial development from this period to be found in South Bend, those are primarily scattered street car stops and do not represent the rich mixture of use represented by this district, which was a manifestation of the growth of downtown South Bend."

Sources

Excerpts selected from: Glory-June Greiff, Consulting Historian. "South Michigan Street Historic District." National Register of Historic Places Registration Form.

*Mack, Robert C. "The Manufacture and Use of Architectural Terra Cotta in the United States." The Technology of Historic American Buildings: Studies of the Materials, Craft Processes, and the Mechanization of Building Construction." H. Ward Jandl, Ed. Washington D.C.: The Foundation for Preservation Technology, 1983.