The University of Saint Francis has completed an extensive fund raising campaign to restore its most legendary building on campus: The Bass Mansion or "Brookside" as it was originally named.
Want to see how things are going with this production?
Check out the progress on the video player below.
This historic structure is not only the cornerstone of the University of Saint Francis heritage, but one of the cornerstones of the history of Fort Wayne's as a center of commerce in the midwest. PBS39 is currently documenting this restoration in order to preserve the history behind this prestigious landmark.
In a cinema-verite style, PBS39 is currently recording the current renovation and restoration of the Bass Mansion. As each room is revealed, different stories unfold, taking you back to the 1880s in Fort Wayne when Brookside, the home of entrepreneur John H. Bass, was originally erected.
This documentary production will also explain why the Bass family was important to Fort Wayne and how a relationship with the Sisters of Saint Francis of Perpetual Adoration was established and, ultimately, how that relationship influences Fort Wayne and the University of Saint Francis today.
Brookside: The Bass Mansion Restoration will also feature on-camera interviews from the architects, craftsmen and historians involved in this remarkable preservation project. History will come alive with archival photos from the University of Saint Francis.
You'll also hear stories from faculty and alumni who will share their experiences with the Bass Mansion, while all the while, PBS39s cameras will be rolling, recording every phase of this project: preserving the history of those who are preserving this vital piece of our local heritage.
Projects like these, and the ability to preserve history for future generations
do not come without a price. That is why PBS39 is especially grateful to those businesses listed below who have chosen to preserve history in their own way,
by becoming underwriters of Brookside: The Bass Mansion Restoration.
Rosema Construction, Inc. / Walls & Ceilings
Fort Wayne & Muncie, Indiana
