Apartment Choice

SOUTH BEND — The city's historic preservation agency Monday rejected a request by South Bend schools officials to demolish the old Marquette School building , a plan that has been in the works for years but has met with resistance from preservationists. The South Bend-St. Joseph County Historic Preservation Commission held a public hearing on the South Bend Community School Corp .'s request to demolish the 1937 building to create more outdoor space for the current Marquette Primary Montessori Academy . Elicia Feasel, the commission's executive director, recommended that the panel deny the request. In a report to the commission, she concluded that the school corporation had failed to prove the types of safety issues that would justify demolishing a local historic landmark . The commission agreed and voted 4-1 to deny the district's request for approval to demolish the building. Several members faulted the school corporation for building the new Marquette school in...

SHERMAN OAKS >> Barry Cullison stared at a 3-foot- wide tree stump that once bore the weight of a pine at least six stories tall. Across the historic Chase Knolls Garden Apartments where he lives, dozens of other mature trees were being cut down: eucalyptus, ficus, liquidambar, jacaranda, magnolia and more. “It’s heartbreaking,” said Cullison, 70, a retired actor who has lived at the Chase Knolls complex for 21 years. “This can’t be undone. They’ve decimated the trees. The trees are coming down. And all we can do is listen to the chain saws.” Chase Knolls tenants have been fighting to save the “garden” inside the garden apartments . But the owners of the complex at 13401 Riverside Drive have said they need to cut down trees and destroy 200 carports for new plumbing, power lines and other utility upgrades. • RELATED STORY: Residents of historic Chase Knolls apartments challenge city on expansion Residents have been fighting the changes. A tenant group tried to stop the tree...