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When a civilization ends, it does not leave behind a tombstone. Instead, it leaves stackings of stones (i.e. buildings.) We lose the remembrance of individual people, the things they said, did, and wrote, but we remember what they built because those things endure for much longer. The Ancient Greeks and Romans tell us about themselves through their Classical Architecture. We remember the Medieval period in Europe from its castles and Gothic Cathedrals. We remember the early 20th century from the Art Deco buildings it left behind. The style tells us something about their priorities, what they believed, what they knew, and what their hopes were. In a sense, the buildings a culture leaves behind are a kind of epitaph.
Let’s look through the structural epitaphs of our ancestors.
Tippecanoe Place (South Bend, Indiana)
| Location | 620 W. Washington Ave., South Bend, Indiana |
|---|---|
| Coordinates |  41°40′30″N 86°15′30″W |
| Area | 2.6 acres (1.1 ha) |
| Built | 1889 |
| Architect | Henry Ives Cobb; Christopher Fassnacht & Robert Braunsdorf |
| Architectural style | Romanesque, Richardsonian Romanesque |
This beautiful Gilded Age mansion is notable for a couple of historical reminders. The first is that its name will probably conjure up a memory of your high school history teacher saying “Tippecanoe and Tyler, too!” The Battle of Tippecanoe was fought in Indiana Territory in 1811 between American forces against the Shawnee Tribe (led by Tecumseh) and several other tribes.
Tecumseh was so well thought of after the battle by all sides (he’s considered both an Indigenous and American folk hero) that the American settlers gave their children his name. The most famous of these men was William Tecumseh Sherman, a Union General during the American Civil War.
So… given that Tippecanoe was found in Indiana, one should not be surprised to see it gracing the name of a famous building in South Bend.
The other interesting historical element tied to this building is its original owner. This mansion was built for Clement Studebaker, the only wagon / carriage manufacturer who successfully transitioned into the manufacture of automobiles. The South Bend based company continued producing cars until 1966.
The mansion itself is worth remembering, too. It was built in a Richarsonian Romanesque style and it’s an absolute beauty.
(more via wiki)
Tippecanoe Place is a house on West Washington Street in South Bend, Indiana, United States. Built in 1889, it was the residence of Clement Studebaker, a co-founder of the Studebaker vehicle manufacturing firm. Studebaker lived in the house from 1889 until his 1901 death. The house is one of the few surviving reminders of the Studebaker automotive empire, which was the only major coach manufacturing business to successfully transition to the manufacture of automobiles. In 1973, the Richardsonian Romanesque mansion was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was further recognized by being designated a National Historic Landmark in 1977. It is located in South Bend’s West Washington Historic District.
History
The house was built in 1889 on a parcel purchased by Clement Studebaker in 1868. Studebaker lived in the previous house on the lot until 1886, when it was moved to South Scott Street to make way for construction of the present house. The house remained in his family for many years. His son George lived there until 1933 when he lost the structure due to bankruptcy. For several years, the building stood vacant but, in 1941, E. M. Morris purchased it and gave it to the city as a school for handicapped children. During World War II, however, it served as Red Cross headquarters. In 1970, possession passed to Southhold Restorations, Inc., a local historic preservation group.
The Tippecanoe Place Restaurant operated in the house from 1980 to 2026.
The house is one of the only surviving elements of the Studebaker family’s manufacturing success. None of their original carriage manufacturing facilities survives in unaltered form, and none of the houses of Clement’s brothers (also involved in the business) survive.
Architecture
The house is a four-story masonry structure, which presents three stories to the south and west due to the sloping terrain of the lot. The foundation and walls consists of glacial boulders set in concrete, with trim of Indiana Bedford limestone. The building is a somewhat rambling irregularly massed structure, covered by tiled roofs that are either hipped or gabled, and punctuated by a number of chimneys. Prominent features include a large porte-cochere on the west side, the main entrance with its heavy double doors, and the conical tower at its northeast corner.
The house was designed by Chicago architect Henry Ives Cobb, who Studebaker selected after viewing high-style houses of the period in the Chicago area. Construction took three years.
