Mishawaka's historic, but blighted, 100 Center attracts interest of developer, agent says

Greg Swiercz, South Bend Tribune
·4 min read
The Kamm and Schellinger Brewery building, part of the 100 Center complex shown here, is for sale in Mishawaka.
The Kamm and Schellinger Brewery building, part of the 100 Center complex shown here, is for sale in Mishawaka.

MISHAWAKA — Civic leaders say there is a developer interested in saving the 100 Center, but anyone taking on the task of transforming the pre-Civil War building will face several daunting issues.

Kate Voelker, Mishawaka Common Council member and president of the city's Historic Preservation Commission, said a local Realtor has indicated a developer is interested in the complex's main building.

Calls and an email to the Realtor Voelker named were not returned as of Tuesday afternoon.

Earlier: The historic 100 Center in downtown Mishawaka goes up for sale after decades of decline

100 Center code violations

The 1853 former Kamm and Schellinger Brewery building has been blighted for the past two decades.

Located a couple blocks west of the townhouses, apartment complexes and the city's ice ribbon/event center under construction at Beutter Park, the building sits with broken windows, rotted wooden entrance porches and empty space.

A sign on the 100 Center building still is affixed to the main building March 31 in Mishawaka.
A sign on the 100 Center building still is affixed to the main building March 31 in Mishawaka.

Last month, Mishawaka's code enforcement department resumed its call for AA Access Corp. of LaGrange, Ill., owner of the property, to correct the maintenance violations at the site under threat of fines that have approached $200,000.

The owners were not in attendance. John Roggeman, legal counsel for the city, said the owners have not attended the hearings for the past year.

Code enforcement officers have been asking the owner to repair or replace cracked and broken windows as well as cracks in exterior walls. All walkways at entrances also are required to be repaired, as well as scraping and painting exterior areas, including soffits and fascia areas.

Brewery-turned-mall

The 100 Center transformed during the 1960s from a former brewery to a mixed-use center for restaurants, retailers and other businesses before the Grape Road commercial boom in the 1980s hastened the center's economic decline.

Officials hope it can once again become a business center in an area of the city now seeing strong developmental growth.

An active listing with Cressy Commercial Real Estate states the price is $995,000 for the nearly 100,000-square-foot building that sits on slightly more than an acre. The sale would not include the Kamm Island Apartments, the 100 Center Apartments, the boiler house that most recently housed Smokestack Brew or the Hacienda restaurant that fronts Lincoln Way West.

A representative from Cressy declined to comment when contacted Tuesday.

In a September tax sale in St. Joseph County, Indiana Tax Auction LLC, of Stamford, Conn., paid $499,999 for AA Access' back tax bill that is in arrears, according to records with the county auditor's office. That move set in motion a deadline of one year for AA Access to remedy the tax lien, plus interest, or allow Indiana Tax Auction LLC to apply for the property's deed and full ownership.

Renovate or demolish?

The site is listed as one of the 10 Most Endangered structures in the state as determined by Indiana Landmarks, a non-profit group that tracks Indiana's historic sites that are worth saving.

Todd Zeiger, northern Indiana director of the non-profit group, said that although the property is on the National Register of Historic Places, it does not have historical protection at the local level should the building's condition worsen to the point of demolition.

A goose stands on an electrical box with graffiti in the background at the 100 Center building March 31 in Mishawaka. The old Kamm and Schellinger Brewery building, built in 1853, is for sale and faces an uncertain future as the building is showing signs of blight.
A goose stands on an electrical box with graffiti in the background at the 100 Center building March 31 in Mishawaka. The old Kamm and Schellinger Brewery building, built in 1853, is for sale and faces an uncertain future as the building is showing signs of blight.

Voelker said she was aware of the tax sale, and the commission is monitoring the 100 Center situation, adding that the HPC is ready to step in to protect the historic building should new owners opt to demolish the structure.

But Zeiger also said that although the building is dilapidated, it still has a strong structural base and can be saved.

"It is our feeling that it is still able to be repurposed for a viable use," Zeiger said. "But having broken windows is never a positive. With every winter's freeze and thaw cycles, it can become harder to make repairs."

The proximity to the projects being built to the east near Beutter Park is a plus, Zeiger said. But there is a balance where a developer has to determine the cost of renovation is worth the investment in a historical building.

Ken Prince, director of planning and community development in Mishawaka, has said it may take as much as $20 million for any type of redevelopment there. The city is poised to employ tax abatement, TIF money and other measures to support a developer who has the “vision and the wherewithal” to restore the building.

Email South Bend Tribune reporter Greg Swiercz at gswiercz@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Mishawaka's 100 Center still unsold, but a developer is interested