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.

2017 Hands On Workshops for Repairs and Restoration of Vintage Homes: April through October

RESTORE MICHIANA: 

a partnership of Indiana Landmarks and 

the Historic Preservation Commission of South Bend and St. Joseph County

An annual series of lectures and hands-on workshops for owners of vintage homes, contractors and students. Learn best practices from experts in the field for a wide variety of repairs and restoration topics. 

Restore Michiana's goal is to preserve existing buildings through education and building skills in the traditional trades.

April 22                   Plaster/Drywall Repair            Paul Hayden

Learn to fix plaster and drywall problems yourself!

Overview of wall materials and lathe types, mixing plaster, modern drywall mud, taping and repair techniques, history of modern drywall and its use in rehab, safe practices and tips for making the tasks more manageable.

9:00 a.m. - noon at Kizer House, 803 West Washington Street, South Bend, IN

June 17                     Re-pointing Brick                                     Mark Johnson   

An all-day, hands-on preservation workshop, to be held at 66401 Walnut Road, Walkerton.

Mark Johnson, from the historic town of Madison, IN, will teach how to mix historic mortar, remove and replace damaged bricks, and re-pointing brick. Tools will be provided so you can learn these techniques yourself, and practice on a Local Landmark.  

9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.  Lunch included.

Sign up today - you can do this!        

August 19                 Window Repair/Restoration       Seth Elder 

Don't believe the hype!  Your old wood windows probably do not need to be replaced!  Seth Elder of Dillsboro, IN, will help you determine the repair ability of your wood windows, and teach the basics of wood window repair and improving their energy efficiency. 

9:00 a.m. - noon at Kizer House, 803 West Washington Street, South Bend, IN

October 21               Woodwork                                      Dave Parcell

Learn to use stock trim to replicate historic trim.

9:00 a.m. - noon at Kizer House, 803 West Washington Street, South Bend, IN

Register today at

https://restoremichiana2017.eventbrite.com

Questions?  Call (574)235-9798

October 9th Event: Night at the Museum

Come take a flashlight tour through the Heritage Collection at the Nappanee Center. For one night only history will come ALIVE!  The 30 minute tour through the museum will take you back in time to meet some of Nappanee's heros and innovators, you will help put out a fire with Nappanee's first smoke eaters, and listen in on the town's people as they chatter about life long ago in Nappanee.

Free tickets with designated tour times will be available at the library on Friday October 9th until 5 pm or at the door of the event.

A cast of over 30 actors dressed in period costumes will take you through time where you will find yourself in the middle of the action!   Night at the Museum has become one of Nappanee's favorite events over the last 5 years. Each year the event features different stories from the year's before.

For more information contact the Nappanee Public Library or Martha Owen at the Nappanee Center.

November 5th Event: The American Front Porch

At 9:30 am on November 5^th the Nappanee Historic Preservation Commission will host a presentation called “The American Front Porch”.  The presentation will be given by Paul Hayden, Preservation Specialist from Indiana Landmarks.  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.

While the concept of the front porch was founded in past cultures and located at various parts of the globe, the front porch took on significant social status & a myriad of architectural styles thanks to American ingenuity.  Attendees will learn how the front porch evolved from the grand verandas of the Deep South before the Civil War era to the quaint bungalow porches of the American Southwest in the early 20^th century.  Of special note are the porches associated with the high Victorian period built in the elaborate Queen Anne style of late 19^th century.  The presentation will conclude with a case study of a large Italianate home in Elkhart that had its front porch removed and then recreated based on historic photographs.

Attendees are encouraged to bring photos of their own front porches to receive an onsite consultation about its care and restoration.