A Night at The Hibberd
On Monday, March 25th we kicked off Season 3 of South Bend on Purpose with the first in a series of live events to tell the stories of people who are betting on South Bend by investing new purpose into old spaces, whether that's an old industrial building or a once lively plot of land; people whose internal purpose has manifested itself into a physical part of our city – the streets, parks, buildings, and restaurants of South Bend.
People like Mark and Kathleen Neal, Deirdre Mylod, Paul Worland, and Kyle and Marghi Copelin, partners of The Hibberd, who recently transformed the historic printing plant into a mixed use apartment and retail space.
Our night began in the basement as we interviewed Kyle, Mark and Deirdre about their decision to risk time and money on a restoration project, The Hibberd’s contribution to South Bend’s resurgent narrative, and their vision of a vibrant, walkable downtown. Afterwards, we (guests included) enjoyed drinks on the building’s rooftop terrace.
Audio of this conversation will come out on South Bend on Purpose in the coming weeks (Spotify, iTunes, Google Play). For today, enjoy photographs of the night shot by Helen Cramer:
We’re grateful to Kyle, Mark, Deirdre, and the other members of this partnership for their eagerness to share this story and, most importantly, their concern for our city’s future. As mentioned in our story during the building’s construction, there may soon come a day when it’s commonplace for people to invest in costly restoration projects downtown. But today, the continued growth of our downtown relies on people bent on willing the city forward by investing their purpose. We’re following their lead.
South Bend on Purpose is a podcast hosted by Jacob Titus, the founder of West.SB, and Dustin Mix a Co-Founder of INVANTI. Subscribe on Spotify, iTunes, Google Play and visit WestSB.com/onpurpose to sign up for early access to live recording events.