Pierre Navarre’s cabin has had a number of resting spots since it was first built in the early 1820s.
First it sat on the north shore of the St. Joseph River, near where Pete Buttigieg’s house sits today But it was moved into Leeper Park in 1904 and then twice more to make room for a water treatment plant.
In a 6-2 vote on Monday, the South Bend’s Historic Preservation Commission approved a proposal that will see the cabin move for the first time with a puprose beyond simply moving it out of the way. In 2024, the History Museum will move the county's oldest surviving structure to its campus in downtown.
There, the cabin will become the anchor of an immersive homestead exhibit that will feature a replica blacksmith’s shop and a Potawatomi wigwam. History Museum director Brian Harding was relieved about the vote Monday evening
“I can tell you this has been a long time coming,” Harding said. “We recognize that this was a difficult decision for this commission. It certainly was a difficult process to work through for us. We are excited the cabin can now fulfill its mission.”
History museum staff has angled to move the Navarre Cabin over the past few years, saying the lack of fences or other measures have led to multiple incidents of vandalism.
Much of the educational programming around the cabin has also diminished since the pandemic as the park’s lack of nearby restrooms or other security measures have become an issue.
Given those challenges, the History Museum told commissioners that if the cabin stayed in Leeper Park, they would have to stop all programming around it, essentially just leaving the building to sit vacant and closed to the public.
Board member Joan Downs-Krostenko called the measure bold and innovative in reimagining what the cabin can do for the city in a new space.
“It’s bold and innovate and that’s always a little scary,” Downs Krostenko said. “But I find it provides for the igniting of interest in history that sadly the current location of the cabin — despite its bucolic beauty — doesn’t allow.”
Behind the museum were numerous members of the public who took up two thirds of the council chambers on Monday evening. When asked to give a show of hands of those in support, every hand went up.
Alyssa Gavin was one of several who spoke in favor, saying she’s a 4th grade teacher who has found it increasingly difficult to make field trips to the cabin.
“It is impossible to overstate the value of living history experiences,” she said. The museum’s plan for the cabin will allow a more immersive and historically accurate experience for our students.”
City officials in South Bend including mayor James Mueller and multiple council members penned letters supporting the move. Both the St. Joseph County Council and Commissioners passed resolutions in the past week supporting the measure as well.
Despite the public’s support, the road to move the cabin has been years in the making and arduous at times.
The History Museum first approached the preservation commission about the move in 2020. But the application was denied due to strict language disallowing alterations to Leeper Park form when the park itself earned landmark status in the 1990s. The museum appealed to the South Bend Common Council, where they garnered some support, but ultimately the move failed.
This going arond, the History Museum’s deputy director Kristie Erickson, however, spoke to original plans and schematics for Leeper Park, which don’t list the cabin at all to make the argument the cabin was never integral to the park.
Elizabeth Hertel and Pete DeKever were the two commissioners to vote against the measure. DeKever said he felt the cabin’s story is closely tied to its proximity to the river, while Hertle had concerns about the cabin losing its landmark status and the upkeep of the building since 2020.
“This work could have been done," Hertel said. "In my opinion, if this building had been maintained, completely separate discussion."
In a final push to get over the finish line, the History Museum committed in writing to reapplying for historical status within a month of the move and to repairing the cabin’s roof by 2025. Harding said he it wouldn't make sense to repair the roof before the structure was moved.
The History Museum estimates it will take around $60,000 to physically move the cabin, while the entire homestead exhibit could cost around $170,000. Restoring the roof will cost approximately $16,000 as well.
