Vacant for 19 years, Studebaker admin building to be rehabilitated with $4 million in private and South Bend city funds

The city’s redevelopment commission approved an agreement Thursday, July 25 to deal with these concerns and get the building up to basic safety standards. Under the agreement, the redevelopment commission would contribute $825,000 of tax increment finance money for lead and asbestos identification and abatement.

Businessman Kevin Smith, who has invested in the surrounding area with his Renaissance District project, will contribute $3.3 million. This money will replace the roof and replace broken windows with polycarbonate sheets to make the building resistant to extreme weather conditions.

The 120,000-square-foot building was originally built in 1909, just five years after Studebaker began making gasoline cars. It served as the automaker’s headquarters until 1963. From 1970 to 2005, the building housed the headquarters of the South Bend Community School Corporation. 

The Phoenix-based company Dudley Ventures currently owns the four-story building, at 635 S. Main St., south of Four Winds Field at Coveleski Stadium. Smith felt called to get involved because he was working on other projects in the neighborhood, including Studebaker Building 84, which is right across the street on Lafayette Boulevard.