Inside Look

At our Holiday Open House on December 2, Indiana Landmarks welcomes our members to the 1888 Kizer House in South Bend before renovation begins to transform the grand Romanesque Revival home into our Northern Regional Office.

From 5 to 7 p.m., enjoy food and beverages, and decorate a cookie in the shape of the Kizer House. The adjacent garage (more high-style than the average) – temporary home of our office – will also be open. Architectural renderings of the rehabilitation proposed for both buildings will be on display, along with information about a recently completed Notre Dame Impact Partners study.

The Kizer House in South Bend (Photo: Lee Lewellen)

The Kizer House occupies a key location in the West Washington National Register District, a cultural corridor that includes The History Museum and its historic Oliver mansion, the adjacent Studebaker National Museum, the Notre Dame Center for Arts and Culture, and Indiana University Civil Rights Heritage Center. Tippecanoe Place—the National Historic Landmark home of the Studebaker family—is a star on the street, joining other notable nineteenth-century residences and a house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. The South Bend Museum of Art and nearby Colfax Cultural Center anchor the other end of the street.

The day after our open house, the city’s Historic Holiday Walking Tour on December 3 features several homes, businesses, and churches in the West Washington district, including the Kizer House and the Remedy Building, former home of our Northern Regional Office. Tour-takers will also hear a new organ recently installed at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, a participant in our Sacred Places Indiana Program. And be sure to check out the spectacular Christmas decorations at Tippecanoe Place.

The member open house on December 2 is free, but we’d appreciate an R.S.V.P.

If you’re interested in volunteering at the Kizer House during the member open house on December 2 or the public tour on December 3, contact Todd Zeiger, 574-232-4534, tzeiger@indianalandmarks.org.