NEWS
Selling Landmark Properties to Further Our Work
Proceeds from the sale of two historic properties will help fuel additional preservation activities.
Uplifting Cycle
In acquiring properties for use as regional offices, Indiana Landmarks typically picks significant landmarks in need of revitalization and rehabilitates them to spur additional preservation in the surrounding region. When the time is right, we turn these landmarks over to new preservation-minded owners and invest the sale proceeds into other threatened historic buildings. This spring, we aim to carry on this uplifting cycle by selling the Kizer House in South Bend and the Huddleston Farmhouse in Cambridge City.
In South Bend, deterioration and frequent police and fire calls made the c.1888 William and Elizabeth Kizer House on West Washington Street a problematic landmark. In 2012, city leaders recruited Indiana Landmarks to improve the once-grand historic home situated on a prominent corner in the West Washington National Register District.
Indiana Landmarks took possession of the Kizer House and launched extensive rehabilitation, fueled with funds from the sale of our previous northern office, the Remedy Building—a house we moved to save from demolition. Proceeds from the sale and additional funding allowed us to invest in critical repairs at the Kizer House and prepare the property for someone else to step in and finish restoration.
Inside, we removed a dozen apartments and returned the house to its original configuration. Outside, we repaired copper gutters, tuckpointed and rebuilt masonry, restored windows and installed a new architectural asphalt roof to replicate original tile lost in the 1980s. We removed a sea of concrete from the front yard, replacing it with period-appropriate landscaping. We also completely renovated the historic three-car garage and apartment.
Our investment in the Kizer House will give the next buyer a head start on rehabilitating one of South Bend’s most prominent landmarks, located near the Studebaker Mansion and just down the street from the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed DeRhodes House. Now listed for $349,900, the 7,000 square-foot house offers an ideal live-work opportunity for a buyer, with income potential to help fund interior renovation.
Indiana Landmarks holds an even longer history with the Huddleston Farmhouse in Cambridge City, which became home to the organization’s first regional office in 1974. John and Susannah Huddleston built the 14-room farmhouse in 1841 for their family of 13, using part of the home as an inn to serve travelers along the National Road. Four generations lived at the farmstead before it was sold out of the family in the 1930s. Among its many uses over the years, the house served as a local restaurant before Indiana Landmarks acquired the property and invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in a multi-year restoration of the house, barn, carriage shed, smokehouse, and springhouse.
As our eastern regional office, the Huddleston Farmhouse became a hub for preservation in surrounding communities, housing a resources library and hosting workshops to offer insight on best practices. The landmark also served as a museum where visitors could learn about the Huddleston family, pioneer heritage, and travel along the National Road. And it provided the backdrop for harvest suppers, an antiques market, and celebrations of local wine and art. We’ve been working with a committee of local museum professionals and history experts to find the best homes for the farmhouse’s collection of artifacts and exhibits as we prepare the property for sale. Available for $349,900, the Huddleston Farmhouse presents an opportunity to own a high-profile landmark along the National Road.
The sale of these properties aligns with Indiana Landmarks’ 2021-2025 strategic plan goals, which calls for making the organization’s money work harder and faster by increasing available funds to address preservation priorities around the state.
We hold a proven track record of using the sale of our landmark office properties to boost rehabilitation of others. Indiana Landmarks partnered with Jeff-Clark Preservation in the 1980s to restore the fire-damaged 1837 Grisamore House in downtown Jeffersonville as home to our southern regional office. In 2004, we moved our southern office down the block to the 1890s Willey-Allhands House and invested more than $600,000, helping transform the area into a thriving gateway into the city. In 2017, the sale of the Willey-Allhands House allowed us to bring another fire-damaged landmark back from the brink: the Kunz Hartman House, a Queen Anne stunner in New Albany that now houses our southern office.
Both the Kizer House and Huddleston Farmhouse will be sold with Indiana Landmarks’ preservation covenants protecting their architectural character. See additional photos of the properties at indianalandmarks.org/properties-for-sale.
This article originally appeared in the March/April 2022 issue of Indiana Preservation, Indiana Landmarks’ member magazine.
Stay up to date on the latest news, stories, and events from Indiana Landmarks, around the state or in your area.