Substandard houses affect families, neighborhoods, public safety, and community pride. Driven by a passion to act, a group of local citizens and business leaders came together in 2019 to form Kendallville Restorations Inc. (KRI), a 501(c)3 non-profit organization with a mission to eliminate blight while preserving historic integrity to bring more, affordable housing to the Kendallville community.
The goals of KRI, as outlined in the organization’s introductory brochure published in 2019, are to preserve and maintain historic character; gain control over targeted properties, and execute strategies to eliminate blight, restore historic features, and provide affordable housing to eligible persons.
KRI targeted a residential area of about 54 acres just north of downtown. Within the targeted area, they identified more than 40 homes “at risk.” By focusing on that particular part of the city, KRI is transforming a main artery connecting the U.S. 6 commercial sector to one of Indiana’s historically significant downtown districts. Kendallville’s Main Street features one of the longest, contiguous stretches of late 1800s commercial architecture in Northeast Indiana and the state.
The area is so historically significant that, in late 2021, the City of Kendallville was named a Pilot Community and awarded a $2 million competitive PreservINg Main Street grant to facilitate the preservation and restoration of downtown building facades. KRI’s mission contributed to the award because it focused on historic residences along the same corridor.
This year marks five years since KRI first approached Noble County’s economic development corporation (EDC), now known as Be Noble Inc. In July 2019, KRI sought investment of county economic development income tax (CEDIT) from the EDC’s Investment Trust Fund to provide a portion of the “ground floor” funding needed to acquire the first property for rehabilitation. Kendallville Local Development Corporation provided additional funding, made possible by the city’s portion of CEDIT funds.
With over $200,000 in hand, KRI set out to fulfill its first-year goals: to flip at least one house and purchase up to five additional homes. Action plans, as KRI obtained properties, could include restoration or demolition. The group planned to rent newly acquired homes slated for rehab to qualified tenants until restoration could take place.
The first KRI flip was a blighted property at 434 N. Main Street. KRI formed a collaborative partnership with the Impact Institute, an education partner based in Kendallville that serves ten Northeast Indiana school corporations. The Impact Institute offers vocational, competency-based curriculums for high school juniors and seniors. Programs cover a variety of in-demand skills, including Construction Trades and Electrical, Plumbing and HVAC. Students learned by doing and were instrumental in completing the flip. According to Noble County public tax records, the home, built in 1900, was acquired by KRI for $26,712 and sold for $165,000.
Several local organizations were invited to collaborate to support KRI’s charitable mission and the overall betterment of the Kendallville community. Partners that contributed over the past five years include local dumpster and trash removal service providers, lumber companies, contractors – providing concrete, paint, and estate cleanout services – plus lenders, insurance providers, and individual laborers. Gifts and proceeds from rehabilitated home sales are helping to sustain the organization to carry out its mission.
In August 2022, renovations to a home at 420 Krueger Street were completed.
The home, according to public records, was acquired by KRI for $11,000 and sold in October 2022 for $162,900.
KRI’s latest flip was a home at 415 Krueger Street. Purchased for $45,000, after extensive renovations, the home is now for sale with an asking price of $234,900. Work is also underway to renovate homes at 422 N. Main Street and 338 N. State Street in Kendallville.
A few property demolitions have also been facilitated by KRI since 2019. The group makes it abundantly clear that they take every step possible to ensure demolition is the last resort. Only in cases where leaders and investors agree that no alternative, economically viable course of action exists will property be demolished. In those cases, neighbors have enjoyed seeing a new green space where a blighted property once stood.
KRI leaders also note that the work they have facilitated has seemingly inspired other neighborhood property owners to take measures to clean up and improve their properties, evidence that KRI’s desire to build a feeling of community pride is working.
In late 2020, KRI completed a non-residential project in collaboration with the City of Kendallville. A former gas station, unfortunately vacated right next to City Hall, was demolished to make way for a new community green space.
Founder’s Park, at 302 S. Main Street, is a transformational project that provides the community with a place to gather, celebrate, and build community connections. The park hosts the city’s annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony, a mobile stage for live summer performances, off-street parking for food trucks, and portable, seasonal public art installations. Multiple benches and other seating options invite people to meet, eat, and connect.
The like-minded efforts and collaborations seen in Kendallville over the past five years have, no doubt, transformed physical assets and grown the level of community pride and engagement. Historic Downtown Kendallville, the city’s nationally-accredited Main Street organization (an accomplishment achieved in 2023), reported at the end of 2023 that the district on which they focus, comprised of eight city blocks and 90 buildings, has welcomed 11 new businesses and seen a 9.5% reduction in commercial vacancies since 2021. Since establishing a Historic Preservation Commission, the city has issued 39 Certificates of Appropriateness for renovation plans and leveraged more than $2.5 million in public and private investments.
Working side-by-side with KRI, Historic Downtown Kendallville has also adopted housing growth as a strategic initiative. Over the past two years, five housing units have been added to the upper floors of downtown commercial buildings. Many more are envisioned. Such efforts are timely in Indiana, as the state has made a variety of funding opportunities available for communities to help address a shortage of affordable housing options in rural areas, in particular.
KRI offers a variety of investment opportunities for those who want to support their mission. These include one-time or recurring tax-deductible contributions, estate planning assistance, donations of land or property, and volunteer opportunities. Home-owner economic and maintenance education is also available through KRI. To learn more or connect, contact Bob Marshall, Principal Officer, at (260) 349-3468 or 41marshall@gmail.com.
To learn more about the work of Historic Downtown Kendallville, visit kendallvillemainstreet.com.
