Austin & Shambleau
# Austin & Shambleau

Austin & Shambleau was an American architectural partnership in South Bend, Indiana, in the United States. It was founded by Ennis R. Austin and N. Roy Shambleau and operated from 1909 to 1942. It has been described as "the most distinguished architectural firm in Northern Indiana" of the early twentieth century.

## Partner biographies

Ennis Raymond Austin was born August 30, 1863, in Owasco, New York, to John R. Austin. He attended public schools before entering Cornell University, graduating in 1886. For a year after his graduation he worked for Napoleon LeBrun & Sons, and then moved to the Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company, working under the supervision of John du Fais for four years. In 1892 he and a Tiffany colleague, Wilson B. Parker, moved west to South Bend to establish an architectural firm, Parker & Austin. In 1896 Austin became a member of the American Institute of Architects. Austin's partnership was dissolved in 1900 when he received an appointment as a construction superintendent in the Office of the Supervising Architect for the United States Treasury. In 1906 he returned to South Bend and formed the firm of Schneider & Austin with Walter W. Schneider. This partnership was dissolved in 1909, when he formed Austin & Shambleau with N. Roy Shambleau. This continued until its dissolution in 1942. He maintained a small private practice until his retirement in 1949. He died January 15, 1951, and was buried in his native town.

Norman Roy Shambleau was born in 1888 in London, Ontario, to the carriage-maker P. E. Shambleau. At the age of eleven the family moved to Detroit, and at the age of seventeen Shambleau came to South Bend, entering the office of Wilson B. Parker. He worked for Parker and other South Bend architects until 1909, when he formed the partnership with Austin. After the firm was dissolved in 1942, Shambleau succeeded to the practice. He practiced independently at least through the late 1950s. He died in 1975.

## Legacy

A number of the firm's works are listed on the United States National Register of Historic Places, and others contribute to listed historic districts.

## Architectural works

| Year | Building | Address | City | State | Notes |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1909 | House for George L. Hager | 415 W Wayne St | South Bend | Indiana | Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. |
| 1910 | House for John M. Studebaker | 904 E Jefferson Blvd | South Bend | Indiana | Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999 as part of the Howard Park Historic District. |
| 1910 | Indiana and Michigan Electric Company Power Station | 401 E Colfax Ave | South Bend | Indiana | Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999. |
| 1912 | House for Dr. Merritt J. Keightley | 1021 E Wayne St | South Bend | Indiana | Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999 as part of the Howard Park Historic District. |
| 1916 | House for Joseph de Lorenzi | 812 E Jefferson Blvd | South Bend | Indiana | Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999 as part of the Howard Park Historic District. |
| 1917 | Mishawaka Trust and Savings Company Building | N Main St and Lincolnway W | Mishawaka | Indiana | Demolished. |
| 1919 | Newman Building | 127 E Main St | Niles | Michigan | Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2007 as part of the Niles Downtown Historic District. |
| 1919 | South Bend Tribune Building | 225 W Colfax Ave | South Bend | Indiana | |
| 1919 | "Twyckenham Park" for Albert Russel Erskine | 1204 Honan Dr | South Bend | Indiana | Also known as Erskine Manor. |
| 1921 | House for William C. Sibley | 231 S Eddy St | South Bend | Indiana | Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999 as part of the Howard Park Historic District. |
| 1922 | House for Charles A. Lippincott | 103 S Eddy St | South Bend | Indiana | Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999 as part of the East Washington Street Historic District. |
| 1922 | Knights of Pythias Lodge | 224 W Jefferson Blvd | South Bend | Indiana | Designed in association with Austin's former partner, Walter W. Schneider. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. |
| 1923 | James Whitcomb Riley High School (former) | Fellows and Ewing Sts | South Bend | Indiana | Demolished. |
| 1927 | Jefferson School | 528 S Eddy St | South Bend | Indiana | |
| 1928 | Madison School | 832 N Lafayette Blvd | South Bend | Indiana | |
| 1929 | House for Frederick G. Eberhart | 536 Miami Club Ct | Mishawaka | Indiana | |
| 1929 | Indiana and Michigan Electric Company Building | 220 W Colfax Ave | South Bend | Indiana | Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. |
| 1929 | Tower Building | 216 W Washington St | South Bend | Indiana | Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. |
| 1930 | House for James A. Judie | 1515 E Jefferson Blvd | South Bend | Indiana | Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. |
| 1932 | United States Post Office and Courthouse | 204 S Main St | South Bend | Indiana | Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2015. |
| 1936 | Marquette School | 1905 College St | South Bend | Indiana | Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2013. |
