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By Times Staff Report | Wednesday, July 28, 1993 | (No comments posted.)
CROWN POINT - It was nearly two decades ago that the five-bedroom home with
a parlor, dining room, kitchen, sitting room - and dozens of jail cells - sat
neglected.
Today, the unique 111-year-old structure that once housed Lake County
sheriffs, their families and prisoners - all under one roof - is struggling to
come back to life with the help of a private foundation.
"We're just renovating it as we can do it, as we can raise the funds," said
John Heidbreder, director of the Old Sheriff's House Foundation Inc.
The foundation was formed in 1988 in an attempt to rehabilitate the
home/jail built in 1882 at 226 S. Main St.
So far, most of the work on the all-brick structure has focused on the
exterior. The foundation must first get the building "weather-tight" before
interior renovations can begin.
"This summer, we're reglazing windows on the first floor, renovating the
main entrance and vestibule area and putting in stone steps," said Heidbreder,
a longtime Crown Point resident.
"In about a month, we'll replace a portion of the roof with a new slate
roof," he said.
It was the building's architecture that piqued Heidbreder's interest and
lead to his position on the foundation.
The building's Second Empire design is marked by an ornate, heavy
modification of the Empire style popular in early 19th century France.
The home/jail includes a tower. And contrary to imaginations run awry, the
tower was not used by sheriffs to search for or gun down escapees - not even
infamous bank robber John Dillinger, who escaped in 1934.
"The tower was purely ornamental," Heidbreder said. "It allows light into
the attic."
The home's residential area was separated from the jail cells by a steel
door in the parlor and another in the pantry. Heidbreder said there were enough
jail cells to hold 150 inmates.
Only a few of the jail cells will be retained, he said. The rest will be
demolished to make room for a parking lot.
Ultimately, the foundation hopes to rent office space in the building.
The foundation bought the tax-delinquent building in 1990 for $14,300, but
it was not until the group received the title to the property in 1991 that it
could begin renovations.
With the foundation buried under details of the work needed to restore the
building, little time has been left to delve into the history of its occupants,
prisoners and sheriffs.
But it is known that until 1958, sheriffs were required to live in the home
attached to the jail. Sheriff Peter Mandich, who took office in 1959, declined
the offer. He later was elected mayor of Gary.
From 1959 until 1974, when the Lake County Government Center and its jail
were built on the town's north side, the residential portion of the old
sheriff's house was used for office space.
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