a new chapter

[South Bend, Indiana] — Good Shepherd Montessori School has announced plans to partially demolish and stabilize its distinctive bell tower following extensive engineering consultations and years of repairs aimed at preserving the structure. 

The project will reduce the tower’s height to a safer, more sustainable level while creating an opportunity to honor its unique presence on the neighborhood skyline. Panzica Building Corporation has been selected to complete the partial demolition and stabilization work. The project will start after school lets out in June and will be completed before the next school year starts in August.

Completed in 1970, the bell tower is part of the church building originally constructed by First Christian Church. The congregation sold the church and its 6-acre property to the school in 2009. The tower was designed with an open structural system that exposes portions of its steel framework to the elements year-round. Decades of exposure to northern Indiana’s cycles of heat, cold, moisture, and precipitation have raised concerns about structural components that cannot be fully evaluated while hidden from view. Recent repair and stabilization efforts have included sealing cracks, adding masonry pins, and consulting with engineers to assess the tower’s long-term viability.

“Like many aging structures, the tower now requires intervention beyond what ongoing repairs can reasonably address,” said Head of School Josh Kaiser. “While we are saddened by the loss of part of the original structure, we believe this is the most responsible path forward.”

School leaders emphasized that students, staff, and visitors were never placed in danger and that the school followed the safety measures recommended throughout the evaluation process.

“This decision was not made lightly,” said Board President Amy Langenkamp. “We recognize how meaningful the tower is to many people in our school and the surrounding community. Its design — including the prominent cross and distinctive height — has long been a recognizable part of our neighborhood. At the same time, we have a responsibility to ensure the long-term safety and sustainability of our campus.”

As part of the project, the school is inviting current families, alumni, neighbors, and community members to help shape how the tower will be memorialized on campus for future generations. The school will soon launch a webpage where members of the public may submit ideas and design concepts for how best to honor the tower’s architectural significance. Information about contributing financially toward preservation and redesign efforts will also be available.

“We hope this can become not only a moment of loss, but also a moment of community and shared creativity,” added Langenkamp. “The tower has always represented something larger than the building itself. We want to preserve that spirit even as the structure changes.”

Additional project updates and opportunities for public input will be shared at gsms.org.

Media Contact

Katie Rutledge
Executive Assistant
(574) 288-0098
krutledge@gsms.org
Good Shepherd Montessori School