Law office of Elizabeth Fletcher and J. Chester Allen, 115 South Lafayette Boulevard
Downtown office of two important figures in the local movement for justice.
Anyone looking to understand South Bend, Indiana’s recent history—particular the histories of African American people and the civil rights movement—will frequently see the names of Elizabeth Fletcher Allen and J. Chester Allen.
Both lawyers, the couple lived on the east side of South Bend but worked in an office building downtown.
In 2020, local author Gabrielle Robinson (whose 2015 book Better Homes of South Bend inspired another state landmark marker in the neighborhood where the Allens provided legal support against housing discrimination) led the research and installation of another state marker honoring the Allens and their legacy.
You can learn more about the Allens by following their east side home as an official stop on this Landmark Tour.
Read more about the Allens and this historic landmark at the Indiana Historical Bureau