50 years later, South Bend aims to respect the past while building anew.
"When Studebaker closed in 1963, it left a gaping hole in the town, where unemployment is at 10.4 percent, according to the latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Now, the city is working hard to create a second act for the commercial life of South Bend."
Hear the full article on NPR.org.
My two favorites: Studebakers and pizza.
"Young chefs discover the schedule of a brick-and-mortar restaurant is not conducive to new families, so the benefits of a food truck were enticing: low overhead, flexible schedule, mobility, interaction with customers, and oh ... no laws in their town prohibiting it." (source: The Chicago Tribune)
Click here for the Rolling Stonebaker website.
I happened upon two impressive photos today. One is of the interior of Studebaker Foundry Building 85 in 2006. The other is of Building 85 in 2007. This building was demolished in order to make way for Ignition Park, a tech hub. The scale of the building as well as the soft light within the dire environment is striking.
Links:
- 2007 Building 85 photo
- 2006 Building 85 photo
South Bend, Indiana understandably wants to create new industry and tax streams. That said, one must not forget its past ... and in this case, its soul.
"SASCO is a parts business for Studebaker automobiles, which took over for Newman & Altman Inc. several years ago. Its inventory includes parts such as fenders, hoods, chrome bumpers and engines. It is considered the last remaining supplier of Studebaker parts for cars made by the automaker, which closed in 1963."
Read the full article.
Bob Coolidge publishes a one-of-a-kind website about Studebaker racing. Here's an excerpt and image.
"Frank Gise from New Point, Indiana raced in two NASCAR events. He raced a 1951 Studebaker V8 Commander Starlight Coupe in the Southern 500 at Darlington, South Carolina on September 3, 1951. He started 9th but finished 65th out of 82 starters after the right front wheel broke on lap 215. On September 8, 1951 Frank raced the Central city Speedway in Macon, Georgia."
See the full Studebaker Racing website.
"The name Bendix Woods originates from the Bendix Corporation, which donated the land to the county for the creation of a park. The park's historical significance, however, dates to its establishment by the Studebaker Corporation, formerly of nearby South Bend, Indiana as the first model test facility for an American automobile company.
Studebaker developed the 840 acres of land in 1926 as the first ever controlled automotive testing grounds for their product lines. Studebaker heavily promoted the grounds as a "Million Dollar Outdoor Testing Laboratory" in advertisements.
The test track that ran through the grounds simulated a variety of terrains and road conditions. Studebaker landscaped the park by keeping natural features; in 1937 the company planted more than 5,000 pine trees in a pattern that when viewed from a plane spelled STUDEBAKER."
See more about this article at Wikipedia.
Google released Google Insights, a statistics package that shows search requests (searches) for particular categories and topics.
Top 10 state populations searching for Studebaker:
1. Indiana
2. Idaho
3. Oregon
4. Nebraska
5. Washington
6. Oklahoma
7. Iowa
8. Kansas
9. Ohio
10. Kentucky
Top 10 city populations searching for Studebaker:
1. South Bend
2. Portland
3. Phoenix
4. Seattle
5. Chicago
6. Los Angeles
7. Minneapolis
8. Denver
9. Tampa
10. Atlanta
And what are folks searching for?
1. studebaker hawk
2. studebaker for sale
3. studebaker truck
4. studebaker car
5. studebaker parts
6. studebaker cars
7. avanti studebaker
8. avanti
9. studebaker lark
10. studebaker club
...
#12 "1950 Studebaker" and #16... of course, the venerated "Studebaker Champion!"
View Google Insights statistics about Studebaker here. Or, see the chart below (click to enlarge).
Another piece of Studebaker history will be lost as one of the remaining Studebaker buildings is demolished.
"The building that once housed the engine plant of the Studebaker Corp. in South Bend will start to come down in the next few months. The building is the most visible remnant of the Studebaker complex and was built in 1917. Studebaker went out of business in 1965, and that's when South Bend Lathe moved into the structure."
Read the news article about the Studebaker building demolition.
See pictures of the Studebaker complex.
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