Hospice Foundation

In the architect's renderings, it looks as if it could have grown organically from the river banks - two buildings made of stone, wood and glass connected by a central entry structure. Together they rise from the green space located along the northern banks of the St. Joseph River, nestled between Cedar Street on the east and Mishawaka's picturesque Central Park on the west.

"When I first saw the site, I was immediately drawn to the extraordinary beauty of the St. Joseph River waterfront," says Jeff Helman, president of HELMAN SECHRIST Architecture, a firm that specializes in designing high-end waterfront homes. "To be privileged to have a natural amenity such as the river as our primary view contributed to the transparency of the building, allowing us to incorporate views from all spaces, and to include features such as exterior balconies and plazas. The classic, contemporary style of the building is intended to blend with the drama of the river, the adjacent neighborhood, and the park environment to form a place that is both progressive and hopeful for the future, as well as peaceful and serene at the same time."

The western building, which will be located immediately adjacent to Central Park, will become the new home to Center for Hospice Care's Life Transition Center (LTC), its art counseling program and bereavement counseling staff. The current LTC has been located in leased office space in Mishawaka's Cambridge Center Office Park since 2005. The first floor of the new building also includes a large conference area that can seat up to 165 people or be divided into three smaller, private rooms accommodating any one of a different uses, ranging from staff or board meetings to group counseling sessions and community education seminars. The Hospice Foundation offices will be located on the second floor of
the building.

An open staircase to the second floor walkway connects this building, the main entry area and the eastern building which will house the administrative, information technology, human resources, accounting, billing, marketing and community relations departments. The first floor of that structure will also include an employee fitness center and an open plan café-style gathering space, great for informal staff interactions, lunch breaks and special events.

CHC's growth has been steady for the past 10 years, as staff size has doubled in response to an increasing demand for compassionate, skilled hospice care. As a result, additional office space has been required to keep up with the growth. "We've been adding a few thousand additional square feet of office space every few years to the point that we are now leasing as much space in St. Joseph County as we own," said Karl Holderman, chief financial officer. "If you do the math, it doesn't take one long to conclude that owning makes a lot more sense for us than continuing to add more leased facilities."

In addition to the new construction, renovations will take place in two additional campus structures. A residential home will be remodeled for use as a guest house and the former Edgewater Florist will be transformed into a new Palliative Care Center. The structures, located immediately across the street from one another at the corner of Cedar and Madison Streets, were acquired last summer as part of what has become a nearly five-acre campus development.

Plans for the overall campus master plan, which include the future addition of a medical office building and new hospice house as growth and funds permit, are being closely coordinated with officials at the City of Mishawaka as they develop plans for improvements to the surrounding areas. The public side of the planned development features enhancements to Central Park, which include construction of a new access road, additional parking and new playground equipment, as well as an extension of the city's scenic Riverwalk.

With an eye toward construction completion and occupancy of initial facilities in July 2013, sitework began in August. A ground breaking ceremony was held Tuesday October 16. The ceremony was open to the public and was well attended.