Historic May House reaches its new resting place in nearby Chapin Park neighborhood

SOUTH BEND ― House moves generally don’t happen often.

After all, they’re expensive and take a lot of time to plan out since they generally require street closures and the removal of overhead wires, tree branches, street signs and lamp posts in addition to protection for underground utilities.

As a result, they’re generally reserved for buildings of historical significance such as the May House, which spent more than 90 years of its existence sitting at 130 Park Lane in what was once a neighborhood just north of Memorial Hospital.

Because of the rarity of such events, a crowd of neighbors and historic preservation enthusiasts was expected for the Thursday move of the stately Georgian Colonial about two-tenths of a mile to its new home at 919 Riverside Drive in the Chapin Park Historic Neighborhood. 

New life:Indiana Landmarks finds new neighborhood for May House

But the May House got parade treatment, as more than 600 students, faculty and staff from Madison STEAM Academy lined the streets to watch the 2,400-square-foot home slowly creep by.

That decision was almost inevitable because students likely would have had a hard time not looking out the windows as the home passed by between the school and Leeper Park along Park Lane.

About 25 second-graders under the supervision of Kathleen Avery and Socorro Limon were among the students patiently watching as the home crept by ― sometimes pausing for the removal of tree branches that created an unexpected obstacle.

"Some of what they saw will likely be used in the curriculum,” Avery said.

There are engineering and history lessons to be learned.

Ciara Kanczuzewski brought her two young children to witness the move, but she was also happy to see the home being saved and relocated to a nearby historic neighborhood. “We live nearby in a house that was built in 1904, so we really appreciate historical homes,” she explained.

At the top of Riverside by the new resting place of the May House, neighbors Vi Albright and Sheree LaPorte sat waiting for the home to arrive. Both have lived in the Chapin neighborhood for many decades, and they were happy to see the lot getting filled.

And even better to gain new neighbors.

If not for the intervention of Indiana Landmarks, the May House might not have had a future.

Built in 1929 for a prominent local attorney, the May House was once part of a neighborhood, but in recent times, it was left stranded at the edge of a parking lot at the north end of the Memorial Hospital campus.

Todd Zeiger, director of Indiana Landmarks’ northern regional office, knew that would put the home in jeopardy and began working with Memorial to find a solution while also looking for a new location for the stately Georgian Colonial.

Memorial acquired the property in 1994, and allowed the Junior League of South Bend to use the home for its offices until the organization relocated in 2019. After that, the empty building ultimately became a liability for the hospital.

But it also didn’t want to see the structure demolished.

Memorial donated the house to Indiana Landmarks, but it also contributed what it would have had to spend for its demolition and removal. That came in handy, as Zeiger estimated the move alone will cost in excess of $100,000.

Zeiger estimated it will take at least a few months to complete foundation work, tie in utilities and prepare the home for eventual sale.

Unlike most homes Indiana Landmarks aims to save, the May House is in remarkably good condition. It includes an on-suite master bathroom, detailed tile work and rich wood floors and woodwork. 

Zeiger hopes to eventually list the sale for somewhere around $350,000, aiming to recoup only what the nonprofit preservation organization will have invested in the property.

“This was the eighth site we investigated,” Zeiger said of the home’s new location. Other sites were rejected because the logistics were too difficult to overcome or the costs of relocation were simply too high.

“It’s going to fit in very well in its new neighborhood,” Zeiger said. “The Chapin community has been great. They’re excited to have a new neighbor.”

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Madison students watch and learn as South Bend's May House rolls by