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Jun 27, 2023

Birdsell Mansion, a South Bend landmark, is to be converted to rentals

SOUTH BEND — For the second straight year, South Bend's Birdsell Mansion is included on a list of the 10 most endangered historic landmarks in Indiana. But its longtime owner rejects the label and

SOUTH BEND — For the second straight year, South Bend's Birdsell Mansion is included on a list of the 10 most endangered historic landmarks in Indiana. But its longtime owner rejects the label and says he plans to soon convert the late 19th-century building into short-term Airbnb rental units.

Indiana Landmarks, a nonprofit that advocates for the preservation and reuse of historic buildings, writes that the Birdsell Mansion “stands out for all the wrong reasons” in the Near West Side neighborhood, a certified national historic district.

Built in 1898 at 511 W. Colfax Ave., the Birdsell is one of several elaborate homes that serve as relics of the city’s industrial heyday, according to Todd Zeiger, director of Indiana Landmarks Northern Regional Office.

But unlike Tippecanoe Place and the Oliver Mansion, two mansions built during the same period that now operate respectively as an upscale restaurant and a museum, the Birdsell has sat mostly vacant for more than a decade.

Top 10:The most endangered historic properties, according to South Bend preservation agency

Temporary uses, like when it hosted an art exhibit in 2014, have cycled in and out. The Birdsell's latest function is as a supposedly haunted site for private ghost tours. (Tickets for an “overnight ghost hunt” near Halloween at “Haunted Birdsell Mansion” are on sale for $100.)

Meanwhile, Zeiger worries about the plywood and trash bags that cover missing windows. He frets about the water that could seep in from leaky gutters and mar delicate interior finishes.

“It’s a significant property that is languishing,” Zeiger said. “It’s not going to disappear tomorrow. It's landmarked. It's more of a slow and steady loss. It doesn't get any easier as the years go by and nothing gets done.”

Steve Mihaljevic bought the Birdsell mansion for $360,000 in 2007, and property records show the building is officially owned by his wife, Anisah.

Mihaljevic told The Tribune he and his wife plan to convert the building into short-term rental units with Airbnb. He projects the renovation will take about two years and cost half a million dollars.

Stewing over Indiana Landmarks’ new list, Mihaljevic said the building is “nowhere near endangered.”

In 2017, Mihaljevic said, he spent $200,000 to put a new roof on the mansion, a crucial step to prevent water from damaging its interior. This June, he got the necessary certification from the historic preservation commission to restore the building’s windows. He has a year to finish that job.

He said full restoration has been delayed by two major economic upheavals: first the Great Recession, then the COVID-19 pandemic.

A 48-year-old father of two young girls, Mihaljevic said he’s also chosen to prioritize time spent with family, along with renovations to a number of other properties he and his wife own, over the Birdsell project. He’s remodeled eight rental homes in South Bend and owns other properties near Chicago, he said.

Mihaljevic, who has a home in South Bend but mostly lives in Highland Park, Ill., said he’s allowing the ghost hunter to use the mansion for tours in exchange for keeping an eye on the place.

“I’m not happy that this property’s not done yet,” Mihaljevic said. “If everything was perfect in life, we probably would have had this done three years ago. But things aren’t perfect. My kids are getting older, and we have other investments we had to make.”

The Birdsell Mansion was built in 1898 for J.B. "Ben" Birdsell, a son of agricultural inventor John C. Birdsell, who built a machine for threshing and hulling clover. The mansion on Colfax rivaled Clem Studebaker's Tippecanoe Place and Joseph D. Oliver's opulent home, dubbed Copshaholm.

The structure was converted from a residence to an office building in 1928, according to Adam Toering, South Bend's historic preservation administrator. It was last used as office space more than a decade ago, Toering said.

“We understand preservation is a long game,” Toering said. “It’s a long-term process and projects can take a long time. But there needs to be movement. You need to be making efforts to do these things.”

Top 10 "Most Endangered" Landmarks in Indiana

Historic fraternal lodges, across the state

International Harvester Engineering Building, 2911 Meyer Road in Fort Wayne

Thomas and Louisa Little House, 5328 E. U.S. 40 in Plainfield

Starr Historic District, in Richmond

State Theater, 1303 Meridian St. in Anderson

Birdsell Mansion, 511 W. Colfax Ave. in South Bend

Hulman Building and Garage, 20 N.W. 4th St. and 109-111 N.W. 3rd St. in Evansville

Knox County Poor Asylum, 2830 Arc Ave. in Vincennes

First Friends Church, 1501 S. Adams St. in Marion

Stinesville Commercial Buildings, 8200 block W. Main St. in Stinesville

Email South Bend Tribune city reporter Jordan Smith at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter: @jordantsmith09