<601 Park Avenue>
- Date: 1857
- Style: Carpenter
- District: Chapin Park
- Rating: Outstanding
Built between 1855 and 1857 for Horatio Chapin, this house is the oldest existing structure in the District and an important example of the Gothic revival style in Indiana. Chapin was an early settler of South Bend and a merchant, banker, and elder for the First Presbyterian Church. He died in 1871 intestate. Edward Chapin eventually inherited the home and sold it in 1883 to Mrs. Anna E. Meyers. Christopher and Caroline Fassnacht purchased the home in 1888 and lived in it until 1936. They raised three sons, Homer, Paul, and Walter. In the 1890s, Christopher turned the Chapin House 90 degrees to face Park Avenue. He also later added the glass garage. Christopher was a contractor and president of the Indiana Lumber Company. His company built the granite-faced First Presbyterian Church at the corner of Washington and Lafayette and several other buildings in South Bend. He also subdivided a portion of Chapin Park for residential development.
