SOUTH BEND − A statewide conference on historic preservation is coming to South Bend on Sept. 27-30 that’s open to the public, featuring tours and talks and drawing an estimated 250 attendees from across Indiana.  

Sessions will take place at the Scottish Rite building, 427 N. Main St. in downtown, and at the University of Notre Dame. Tours and other events will highlight the West Washington Street Historic District, Tippecanoe Place, Palais Royale and The Lauber Kitchen & Bar, which had been a 19th-century sheet metal company. 

After Mayor James Mueller welcomes attendees at lunch Sept. 28 at the Scottish Rite, Studebaker National Museum Archivist Andrew Beckman and photographer Louis Sabo will present a photographic history of South Bend. On Sept. 30 at Notre Dame, there will be a talk from 9 to 10 a.m. on preservation’s role in promoting sustainability, followed by a tour of the Basilica of the Sacred Heart.  

“South Bend took an early lead in adapting historic spaces for new use, including transforming the Indiana & Michigan Power Company into the successful Commerce Center in the 1980s,” Marsh Davis, president of the nonprofit Indiana Landmarks, noted in a press release.  

Cost is $200 per person and $125 per student, which includes all sessions, a reception, luncheon and two dinners. Register and find the full schedule at indianalandmarks.org/preserving-historic-places-conference. 

The conference’s organizers are Indiana Landmarks, the Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology at the Indiana Department of Natural Resources and Indiana University.