Historic Preservation Commission

COVID-19 UPDATE: OUR OFFICES ARE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC BUT WE ASK THAT YOU STILL SOCIAL DISTANCE OR CALL AHEAD FOR AN APPOINTMENT. ALL MEETINGS WILL BE HELD VIRTUALLY UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE. MEETING LINKS FOR PUBLIC HEARINGS CAN BE FOUND ON THE RESPECTIVE AGENDA. FOR QUESTIONS OR TO SCHEDULE A MEETING WITH STAFF, PLEASE CALL 574-235-9371.

Historic Preservation 2021 Meeting Dates and COA Deadlines

The Commission is granted powers to draft preservation guidelines and plans, advise other agencies on matters concerning historic sites and structures, and assist and educate the public. The Commission’s jurisdiction includes the City of South Bend and the unincorporated areas of St. Joseph County.

The Commission makes recommendations to the Council.  Once a Landmark or District is designated by ordinance, the Commission serves as the agency that administers the preservation standards required by the designation.  These standards are a tool to maintain a structure’s, a district’s, or a landscape’s character defining features. Application for a Certificate Of Appropriateness (COA) is the formal manner through which the Commission monitors the character and condition of a Landmark or District.  The Nine volunteer board members of the Historic Preservation Commission are appointed for three year terms and are knowledgeable in various aspects of local history, historic preservation, and traditional trades.

Eight members are appointed by the legislative and executive branches of South Bend and St. Joseph County governments, two by the County Commissioners, two by the South Bend Common Council, two by the County Council, and two by the Mayor of South Bend. Each body appoints one Democrat and one Republican. The ninth member is the Architectural Historian and is appointed by the Historic Preservation Commission.

Since 1973, approximately 200 Local Landmarks in South Bend and St. Joseph County, 9 Local Historic Districts, and several National Register Districts and properties have been designated. About 6,000 sites and structures have been identified in architectural surveys as Outstanding, Notable, or Contributing resources of the area’s history.

Agendas & Packets

COA Application

Historic Preservation Commission Brochure

HPC APRA form 2020

HPC Current Owner APRA form 2020

Map of Historic Properties

Standards and Guidelines_ChapinPark

Standards and Guidelines_East Wayne Street

Standards and Guidelines_Edgewater Place

Standards and Guidelines_Leeper Park

Standards and Guidelines_Lincoln Way East

Standards and Guidelines_North St. Joseph

Standards and Guidelines_River Bend

Standards and Guidelines_Riverside Drive

Standards and Guidelines_Taylors Field

Standards and Guidelines_West North Shore

Standards_Local Landmarks

Lou Sabo Collection

Building South Bend Past, Present, Future

The administration of the South Bend Historic Preservation and South Bend Historic Preservation Commission, is handled by staff in the Department of Community Investment located on the 14th Floor of the County-City Building.