2017 Historic Preservation Award Winners

Brad Miller of Indiana Landmarks delivered an interesting and informative presentation on the common architecture found in Nappanee. 

Jeanie Dudley presents the Historic Educator Award to Vickie Hunsburger, who retired last year after serving as a member of the NHPC for 22 years. 

Don Lehman Presents the Friend of the Nappanee Historic Preservation Commission Award to Paul Hayden, for his service to the commission as our advisor for many years while he was with the South Bend office of Indiana Landmarks.   Paul is now Indiana Landmarks Director of the Northeast Field Office in Wabash.

Living Gospel Church – formerly the First Brethren Church According to “They Called it Nappanee,” the beginning of the First Brethren Church started with two lots purchased on West Walnut Street where a sawmill had previously stood, and by February 1897 a church building was dedicated. A newspaper article of March 1897 stated that it was "made up of people of thrift and economy." At that time the church was served by a circuit pastor. Through the years extensive remodeling programs took place. Unfortunately, the original First Brethren Church burned in a fire in February of 1948, destroying the original building and its contents, landing a devastating blow to the congregation. Joseph Harrison Hossler, a faithful congregant of First Brethren and Chicagotrained cartoonist, was asked to design a new church. He had no architectural experience, but according to his contemporaries, through the help of God and his talent, he designed a beautiful building that stands today as a monument to his faith.

The church building that stands today is a late example of the Art Moderne style made apparent by its geometric-patterned ornament. Art Moderne developed during the 1930s and continued in ever-simplified forms through the 1950s in Indiana. Art Moderne emphasized horizontal lines, often with rounded corners and streamlined decorations. These traits are clear on the Living Gospel Church - where one would expect gothic arched windows and a pointed steeple, this building has tall rectangular stained glass windows and a simple, boxed tower. It is the streamlined limestone columns, however, that grab your attention and welcome you inside. During the last survey of Elkhart County in 2005, the Indiana Historic Sites and Structures Inventory ranked the building a “notable” historic resource, meaning that it was above average as an example of its architectural style and most likely eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. While it may be one of Nappanee’s youngest historic buildings, the Living Gospel is a splendid example of modern architecture in the community and its preservation over time can be attributed to the dedicated congregations that have called it home.

2017 Nappanee Historic Preservation Awards winners

Neighborhood Preservation Award: 555 N Nappanee Street and more about Indiana Limestone

Lawrence and Monroe Counties, which include towns like Bedford and Bloomington, Indiana, are the home of Indiana Limestone, considered the highest quality limestone in the United States. According to the Indiana Limestone Institute of America, pioneer settlers in what would become the state of Indiana used rough cut limestone for the foundations of their cabins, door sills, milling burrs, and memorials. Early quarrying efforts began as early as the late 1820s, before exploding with the arrival of the railroad to the region in the mid-19th century and the growing desire for stone in architectural design across the country because it was easily carved into ornate details and it was resistant to fire. Its popularity continued to grow, especially given its smaller price tag compared to marble and granite. Nationally known buildings constructed of Indiana Limestone include the Empire State Building, the Pentagon, the National Cathedral and a number of state capitols.

 This year the Nappanee Historic Preservation Commission presented the Neighborhood Preservation Award to the home at 555 N. Nappanee St., built by Dr. Fleetwood in 1957, it is the youngest Preservation award winner in the history of Nappanee. The home utilizes Indiana Limestone as a decorative stone veneer that was typical of the time in the 1950s after a large housing boom followed World War II. The house is an interesting blend of a ranch and minimal traditional styling that expresses the functionality of post-war housing and the all important attached garage that shows the new-found dependence of the Automobile in American society. While to most, this era of housing could still be seen as their childhood homes, mid-century homes tell as much a story as those from centuries past and the preservation of whole neighborhoods developed at this time is an important task we have to face in the coming years.

2017 Property Preservation Award: Living Gospel Church

Living Gospel Church – formerly the First Brethren Church According to “They Called it Nappanee,” the beginning of the First Brethren Church started with two lots purchased on West Walnut Street where a sawmill had previously stood, and by February 1897 a church building was dedicated. A newspaper article of March 1897 stated that it was "made up of people of thrift and economy." At that time the church was served by a circuit pastor. Through the years extensive remodeling programs took place. Unfortunately, the original First Brethren Church burned in a fire in February of 1948, destroying the original building and its contents, landing a devastating blow to the congregation. Joseph Harrison Hossler, a faithful congregant of First Brethren and a Chicago trained cartoonist, was asked to design a new church. He had no architectural experience, but according to his contemporaries, through the help of God and his talent, he designed a beautiful building that stands today as a monument to his faith.

The church building that stands today is a late example of the Art Moderne style made apparent by its geometric-patterned ornament. Art Moderne developed during the 1930s and continued in ever-simplified forms through the 1950s in Indiana. Art Moderne emphasized horizontal lines, often with rounded corners and streamlined decorations. These traits are clear on the Living Gospel Church - where one would expect gothic arched windows and a pointed steeple, this building has tall rectangular stained glass windows and a simple, boxed tower. It is the streamlined limestone columns, however, that grab your attention and welcome you inside. During the last survey of Elkhart County in 2005, the Indiana Historic Sites and Structures Inventory ranked the building a “notable” historic resource, meaning that it was above average as an example of its architectural style and most likely eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. While it may be one of Nappanee’s youngest historic buildings, the Living Gospel is a splendid example of modern architecture in the community and its preservation over time can be attributed to the dedicated congregations that have called it home.

New Member Appointed to the Nappanee Historic Preservation Commission

NPHC would like to welcome our newest member, Ryan Smith, who was appointed by Mayor Jenkins and approved by city council in February 2017. 

Ryan and his wife Lindsay have lived in Nappanee since 2000, moving to the area from Northwest Ohio. It was a call to serve the Nappanee First Brethren Church, as the youth pastor, that brought them to Nappanee. Ryan served the church for thirteen years, before accepting a position with the Brethren Church National Office in 2013. Ryan and Lindsay, have a daughter, Lily. In his free time, Ryan enjoys getting outdoors geocaching, grilling and spending time with family and friends. 

Congratulations and Welcome Ryan!

House Detectives:July 10th at 6 pm at the Nappanee Center

Every house has a story. Come for a night on how to discover your house's story. Donny Aleo has been working on his working on his house's history and has gone as far back as finding the original land contract for the land. You will learn how to start researching your own house! 

July 10th at 6 pm at the Nappanee Center. located at 302 West Market Street, Nappanee, Indiana 46550.

Learn how Donny found the clues that helped him learn the story of his house.

Nappanee Historic Preservation Awards Night 2017: May 23, 7pm at The Nappanee Center

At 7:00pm on May 23rd the Nappanee Historic Preservation Commission will honor those who contributed to the preservation of the city's history at the annual awards night. The evening will also include a educational presentation by Brad Miller, community preservation specialist from Indiana Landmarks.  Refreshments will follow. 
The event is open to the public at no charge and will be held at the Nappanee Heritage Center located at 302 West Market Street, Nappanee, Indiana 46550.

Vernacular Architecture of Nappanee

By Brad Miller, community preservation specialist, at Indiana Landmarks

While driving through a historic town, it is easy to get distracted by the ornate details of a Queen Anne house or the unending layers of a clay-tile roof, and not recognize the real character-defining buildings of a community. Nappanee has numerous landmark buildings that certainly catch the curious eye of the passerby, but a quick double-take and trip beyond Main and Market Streets opens up a much deeper look at the vernacular architecture of a community that emerged with the arrival of the railroad.

Most of the buildings in Nappanee and towns alike would not have been designed by an architect, but rather built by craftsmen following a stock design or relying on their experience of what a building should look like and how it should function. The resulting vernacular architecture does not always get the same attention as high-styles of architecture, even though most buildings in the United States would fall under this category. While it is easiest to define vernacular as common, simple, or everyday architecture, it is better to see it as universal and functional architecture. It is tried and true.   

A Field Guide to American Houses by Virginia and Lee McAlester

A popular vernacular housing style residents constructed in Nappanee in the latter half of the nineteenth century, was that of the gable-front and wing. The name explains it all: the house consisted of an either one or two-story gabled front with a wing that extends from the back. Bedrooms were typically located on both floors in the front, while the kitchen and parlor were located in the back wing or an extended ell to rear. The practical design and wood-frame construction provided a reliable house form and easily obtainable materials that followed the expansion westward with the railroads. The layout also created a natural corner for a front porch and the opportunity for a property owner to individualize their homes with decorative wooden millwork.

A single gable-front wing house may keep the stories of the many families that called it home, but it does not visually conjure up images of the past. When we step back and see the forest for the trees, however, these houses scattered across the Eastside Historic District, greater Nappanee, and the country, become a story that connects us all to a shared heritage. A history of “every day” homes, where the working class people that kept the wheels of Nappanee turning, raised their families and fostered a greater sense of community that residents strive to continue today.