SOUTH BEND —Indiana Landmarks announces that it has moved its South Bend office a few blocks down West Washington Street, from the Remedy Building in the 400 block to the Kizer House in the 800 block. The preservation organization is restoring the 1885 Kizer House at the corner of Charles Martin Sr. Drive and West Washington in the National Register-listed historic district.

Indiana Landmarks put the money from the sale of the 1896 Remedy Building—$350,000—into the masonry and roof of the Kizer House, practicing the serial restoration it has engaged in for more than 30 years in South Bend. It sold the Remedy to Senior Helpers, which intends to occupy the building. A preservation covenant attached to the deed of the building ensures that the architectural character of the exterior will be protected.

In 2000, Indiana Landmarks saved the Remedy Building from demolition by moving and repurposing it for its office, with a rental apartment on the third floor, and commercial tenants in other parts of the building. At the Kizer House, the nonprofit’s two-person regional office will occupy the carriage house, a sizeable historic structure, while interior restoration progresses in the main house and on the site.

The Kizer House, built in 1885, resembles a castle with a stone exterior, a tower and a turret. It predates the Oliver Mansion across the street—now part of The History Museum campus—by a decade.

Indiana Landmarks began addressing the building’s pressing rehabilitation needs last summer, repairing and repointing masonry and fixing the roof work. Restoration of damaged copper cornice and the tower roofs is nearing completion.

This summer Indiana Landmarks will work with ND Impact Partners—a partnership with alumni from the University of Notre Dame Mendoza College of Business—on a study to determine the best use of the house. Indiana Landmarks wants to combine areas for community engagement and office uses within the 10,000 square feet of space in the house and carriage house. The results of the study will guide the rehabilitation of the interior.

The first floor of the house at 801 West Washington Street will be open on July 22 during Treasure Hunt North, an antiques and collectibles market on West Washington Street with yard sales throughout the neighborhood.

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Media contacts:
Todd Zeiger, Director, Indiana Landmarks’ Northern Regional Office, 574-232-4534, tzeiger@indianalandmarks.org
Tina Connor, Indiana Landmarks Executive Vice President, 317-822-7903, cell 317-946-3127, tconnor@indianalandmarks.org

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Indiana Landmarks revitalizes communities, reconnects us to our heritage, and saves meaningful places. With nine offices located throughout the state, Indiana Landmarks helps people rescue endangered landmarks and restore historic neighborhoods and downtowns. People who join Indiana Landmarks receive its bimonthly magazine, Indiana Preservation. For more information on the not-for-profit organization, call 317-639-4534, 800-450-4534, or visit www.indianalandmarks.org.