NEWS
Connecting Buyers with Historic Properties
To preserve them, Indiana Landmarks sells properties in Attica, Beverly Shores, Wabash, Carmel, and Bedford.
Well Matched
When saving meaningful places means identifying new owners, Indiana Landmarks’ real estate program makes the connection. Sometimes we take on projects no one else will, landmarks that require significant repair before they’re ready for buyers to finish the work. In other cases, Indiana Landmarks receives landmark properties as estate gifts donated by owners who trust us to find new caretakers to carry on their legacy of good stewardship, knowing proceeds from their sale will benefit our mission. Last year, Indiana Landmarks sold two such properties in Attica and Beverly Shores.
In the late 1980s and ’90s, Attica native and renowned interior designer John Cottrell restored a collection of c. 1850 Greek Revival-style buildings, a beloved community gathering space known as Cottrell Village that included the Attica Presbyterian Church, Norman and Maria Brown House, and William and Emeline Brown House. Prior to his death in 2021, Cottrell arranged their donation to Indiana Landmarks with covenants to protect the village’s architectural character.
After his passing, Indiana Landmarks worked with affiliate Fountain County Landmarks to chart Cottrell Village’s future, investing more than $100,000 in repairs and arranging for the local group to continue managing the church as an event space. We found ideal new owners for the residential properties in architects Jeff Harting and John Toniolo, whose expertise includes historic restoration through their firm GTH Architects.
After years of living in a Tudor Revival-style house in Highland Park, Illinois, the couple was ready for a new home within the Midwest. A Google search led them to Cottrell Village, where they found the landmarks’ vintage charm and Attica’s small-town atmosphere appealing. Since acquiring the properties last summer, they’ve completed rehabilitating the William and Emeline Brown House as their home, in consultation with Indiana Landmarks.
“We saw our job as taking a puzzle and putting it together to make things work and fit. We saw immediate solutions that were sympathetic to the house and functional for us,” says Harting. “This is our final move. Famous last words.”
In Beverly Shores, Jim Morrow—a longtime supporter—bequeathed the 1949 Horner House to Indiana Landmarks. Designed by Swiss architect Otto Kolb as a vacation home for Hungarian emigrants Imre and Maria Horner, the house’s glass walls and open layout maximize views of Lake Michigan, features that caught the attention of self-proclaimed architecture nut Anthony Schreiber and partner Philip Pierce, who—like the Horners—were seeking a weekend getaway from Chicago.
“We’d been on a quest to find an architecturally significant house in the area for some time. When we saw this listing, we knew it was perfect,” says Schreiber. “It’s such a warm and inviting space to look over the lake. The way light moves through the house is just incredible,” adds Pierce.
After purchasing the house in September, the couple immediately began making plans that will make the home their own while respecting the original design. They’ve also begun researching Kolb and the Horners, delighted to discover the Horners’ Chicago home was only a block from where they live today. “We plan on owning this house for however long we live and want to pay homage to the Horners’ vision,” says Schreiber.
When we listed New Albany’s c.1860 Smith-Phillips Farmhouse for sale in early 2024, we knew it would garner attention, but we didn’t expect the property to land on the front page of the local newspaper, generating same-day offers.
The centerpiece of a large farm for years, the handsome brick I-house was targeted for demolition in 2022 when, backed by a community petition, we convinced developer Hogan Real Estate to relocate the 185-ton farmhouse and donate it to Indiana Landmarks. We sold the property to Witten Builders who are repurposing it for their company headquarters.
In June, South Bend residents lined the streets to watch the c.1913 Poledor House roll slowly from its original home on Marion Street out of the path of development. We’ve put the property—one of the city’s best examples of Craftsman-style architecture—on a new foundation in the Chapin Park neighborhood, where we’ll offer it for sale in 2025.
In the past year, Indiana Landmarks also sold historic properties in Carmel, North Manchester, Richmond, Bedford, and Wabash, attaching covenants to ensure their long-term preservation.
This article first appeared in the January/February 2025 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.