Preservationists are happy about plans to move a historical South Bend home to a more visible spot that isn’t threatened by redevelopment.
One of the city’s early fire chiefs, Jacob Kerner, built the Craftsman Bungalow at 211 W. Marion St. in 2013. Eight years later he sold it to the Poledors, a family of Greek immigrants who owned The Philadelphia restaurant downtown.
When Theodore Poledor died in 2022 at age 90, St. Clair Development bought the property from his estate and is donating the house to Indiana Landmarks, the historic preservation nonprofit.
Todd Zieger is northern regional office director for Indiana Landmarks. He says the home has more historical value because the family made so few changes to it. It’s one of the city’s best-preserved examples of Arts and Crafts-style architecture.
"It really remains as it was constructed except for the kitchen and the one upstairs bathroom, and even that is minor changes," Zieger said. "It has original woodwork and light fixtures, and there are some wonderful other features in the building that make it one of the most outstanding in town."
Zieger says he’s glad the house will move to a more visible location at the corner of Portage Avenue and Navarre Street, so more people can enjoy its beauty.
"There's currently a parking lot there, and so we're looking forward to taking a parking lot and putting a house on it, which is a great reverse for preservationists, I must say."
The city’s common council approved a rezoning needed for the lot. Indiana Landmarks is targeting this summer for the move.
