Statement as distributed Thursday by the University of Saint Francis:

Sept. 20, 2012 FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The Historic Preservation Committee of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution has presented the Sisters of Saint Francis of Perpetual Adoration a Historic Preservation Recognition Award for its restoration of Brookside, the former Bass family mansion, on the University of Saint Francis campus in Fort Wayne.

The award recognizes individuals and groups for outstanding achievements in all areas of historic preservation, including buildings, monuments and landmarks, among others. The two-year-long Brookside restoration, completed in 2010, preserved the unique 1902 Richardsonian Romanesque mansion of turn-of-the-century industrialist John Bass. It now serves as a university administration building and sees use for historic tours, education and public meetings.

Supporting the nomination of the Sisters of Saint Francis of Perpetual Adoration were Kathryn Bowen Bloom, chair of the Historic Preservation Committee of the Mary Penrose Wayne DAR chapter; Allen County Historian Thomas Castaldi; and Patty Martone, retired assistant superintendent for Fort Wayne Community Schools.

“The planning, organizing, motivating and following up exemplified by the Sisters of Saint Francis of Perpetual Adoration stands as a model for any group to achieve successful historic preservation of buildings or landmarks,” Castaldi said. “A grateful community salutes the Sisters in appreciation for the benefits of conserving this site so important to our region’s heritage.”

University of Saint Francis President Sister M. Elise Kriss, OSF received the award on Sept. 8. “We are pleased to receive this recognition from the Daughters of the American Revolution for the preservation of historic Brookside,” President Kriss said. “Its heritage impacts not only the lives of our students and alumni, but our community, who can now experience it as a bridge to a fascinating past.”