West Washington

- 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 West Washington National Register District, the first district in South Bend to be listed on the National Register, includes some of the oldest and most prominent buildings in the city.

This area referred to as the West Washington Historic District is located west of the South Bend Central Business District and directly north of what was once the manufacturing district of South Bend. It was an upper and upper middle class neighborhood encircled by middle class and working class homes. These latter residences, though not as spectacular as the upper and upper middle class homes, contribute significantly to the character and cohesiveness of the district.

The first human inhabitants of this area included the Indian tribes of the Ottawa, Chippewa, and Potowatomi. Their reservation was located off what is now the north side of Washington Street near Elm Street. The land was not to be conveyed wiothout permission from the President of the United States. In 1830, the three Indiana Nations and their representative Shaw-we-no-qua received this permission to sell the land. Shaw-we-no-qua sold the land to an unknown buyer who later lost the land in a forclosure to the State Bank of Indiana. The bank in turn sold it to Joseh Rockafeller, a grocer/banker, in 1856. Mr. Rockafeller platted the area in 1861.

The State Bank of Indiana was established on January 1, 1834 and was terminated on January 1, 1857. The main purpose of the bank was to encourage economic development in the state, since there were no private banks yet in existence. At the time of its organization the state bank had a money circulation of $4,208,725, with loans to the citizens amounting $6,095,368. During the years 1857 and 1858, the bank redeemed nearly its entire circulation. The residue funds left in the state bank were appropriated for educational concerns. Six years prior, a general banking law was adopted to allow private institutions to fill in the banking gap.

During its existence, the bank often had to forclose on landowners who were unable to pay their mortages. As a result, the bank found itself dealing in large parcels of real estate. Today evidence of this is found in the West Washington district where remnants of platted sections are still titled "State Bank Outlot."

A Diversity of Homes and People

The district anchor, as suggested by its title, is West Washington Street. Many prominent homes are located on this street. It was originally the main artery through the expanding west side. Street cars once connected this section to the central city, and it was along this route that the newly affluent wished to live.

One of the more prominent homes was built by Joseph Oliver between the years of 1894 and 1896. It was named after his father's hometown in Scotland, Copshaholm. His father, James Oliver, founded the Oliver Chilled Plow Works, the company that was known internationally for its molded plows. The Oliver Chilled Plow Works closed several years ago and the land has been cleared for redevelopment (except for the Boiler House), but the family home is located at 808 West Washington and is now part of the Northern Indiana Center for History.

The Oliver house is in the Romanesque Revival/Queen Anne style and was constructed with Indiana field stone. Lamb & Rich, architects from New York City designed the home. The residence is two and a half stories tall and has a prominent stone tower on the north east facade with a conical tile roof. The house also has a large stone verandah with Corinthian columns that wraps around the north facade. The double leaf doors are topped by leaded glass transoms and surrounded by voussoined stone arches. The home also has notable formal gardens and a stone wall surrounding the property.

The next prominent home in the area was built by Clement Studebaker. C. Studebaker and his brother John Mohler Studebaker founded the Studebaker Manufacturing Company in 1868, which produced carriges, wagons, and later the Studebaker automobile. The company closed in the 1950s.

Clement's residence was also designed in the Romanesque Revival style and built with Indiana field stone. The home is modeled after the architecture of Henry Hobson Richardson of Boston. The home has a massive stone tower with a steep pyrimidal roof. The front entry porch is enclosed by round stone arches supported by chistens of Romanesque columns. The porte cocher has intersecting gables and large arched openings. After several reincarnations, the residence is now Tippicanoe Restaurant.

A few other individuals will also be introduced, who helped develop the West Washington Street area. Horatio Chapin, for whom Chapin Park is named after, was invovled in early banking and religious activity in South Bend. During retirement, Mr. Chapin developed the north west corner of Lasalle and William Street. The Romantic Revival church located at 415 LaSalle is located in the area. Judge Alvin Dunbar platted his subdivision on September 11, 1866. It is located at the northeast corner of Washington Street and Laporte Avenue, and is now known as Dunbar Corner. Alvin Dunbar was once the Deputy Prosecutor for Saint Joseph County in 1853, and later became a judge. He was a founding member of the Saint Joseph County Bar Association.

One of the older homes in the subdivision is located at 840 West Colfax. It is a two-story Neo-Jacobean home with stick style influences built in 1890. Oliver Fry was the original owner and was a saloon proprietor. The saloon was located at 207 North Michigan Street.

The oldest house in the district is in the Bartlett Subdivision. The subdivision itself was officially platted in 1881, but the home was built in 1850. The owner, Joseph G. Bartlett, may have been the grandson if Josiah Bartlett, who was a signer of the Declaration of Independence and the Governor of New Hampshire. Joseph was born in Newburyport, New Hampshire in 1815 and settled in South Bend in 1837. Joseph built a bakery at 68 Washington Street and in the 1850s, the business expanded to include a grocery, general store, and restaurant. The house is two-story cross-gabled cottage built in cream-colored brick with classic details.

The West Washington district is also home to many residences built by South Bend architects and the illustrious Frank Lloyd Wright. The DeRhodes Home, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1906, exhibits the architect's notable and idiosyncratic Prairie style. Ennis Austin, W.W. Schneider, Ernest Young, Freyermuth & Maurer also built serveal notable structures and residences in the district.

In the 1950s and 1960s, the West Washington area fell into disrepair and some of the fine homes were torn down or lost to arson. Over time, the neighborhood has been experiencing a continued revitalization both structurally and in spirit. Historic homes have been moved onto vacant lots to fill in the voids. Many homes have been restored and renovated into single family residences, and others are in the process of completion. Several bed and breakfasts have been established, such as the Oliver Inn, the Rose Inn, and the Queen Anne Inn. The Northern Indiana Center for History has also become an anchor to the neighborhood after Copshaholm became a house museum in the 1990s. Like many historic neighborhoods, it is still a work in progress. -- From the Historic Preservation Commission research files.