EXCHANGE: Indiana couple to sell 1910 house with chapel

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (AP) - Dr. Alfred Allina likes to joke. But when he looks at you straight-faced and says he turned the magnificent chapel in his house into a TV room, he doesn't sound like he's joking.

Speechless, you stare at him, mouth agape. After a few seconds he breaks into a smile and you breathe a sigh of relief. It's a joke. Gotcha.

To say a home with a private chapel - complete with marble columns, pews and stained glass - is unusual is an understatement. But then so is calling Allina's home for the past 27 years "unusual."

Allina, his wife, Karen, and three daughters bought, renovated, lived in and loved the white stucco mansion at 1415 W. Washington Blvd., across from Swinney Park. Roman Catholic Bishop John F. Noll once lived there, which explains the existence of the chapel. In 1935, for the 10th anniversary of Noll's consecration, a new wing was added to the house with a chapel above and an office for the bishop below.

The home had ample space for the Allina family when the girls were younger, but they've since grown up and moved away. Karen and Alfred Allina are looking to downsize, so they've put the house up for sale.

For $899,900 it could be yours.

Long before the Allinas bought it the house was designed by architect Harry Wachter in 1910 for businessman Robert Millard. But the best-known resident was Noll, who founded the publication "Our Sunday Visitor" and lived in the house from 1925 to 1956.

After the archbishop's death in 1956, the house changed owners many times. By 1988, it was water-damaged and deteriorated, having sat empty for two years.

Then the Allins bought it in 1988. It was in such bad shape they couldn't even live in it at first. Pipes from the second floor had burst, taking down half the ceiling in the living room. Windows were broken, doors were missing and the house was littered with trash.

The basement was a dirt floor; a foundation and walls had to be poured.

Renovation became a family affair. "We put a lot of sweat equity into it," Allina said. Their daughters learned how to paint, sand floors, rebuild fireplace facades, and even were up on the roof replacing tiles. Allina said getting the girls involved in the renovations was part of making them into responsible adults.

Although the house needed many repairs, they were fortunate that it had never been remodeled or reconfigured. All the rooms except one were still intact, and the chapel was in great condition.

The Allinas took great care to keep the house true to its origins as they fixed it up. "We didn't want to see it go downhill," Allina said, noting the significance of the home and the chapel to the local diocese. "It's a landmark," he said. "It's a museum."

Occasionally throughout the years people would ask for permission to have small weddings in the chapel. Mass was said there for the family once. The family did a fair amount of entertaining in the other parts of the home.

Over the years many people would stop by out of the blue, wanting to share a story about the house.

The mansion is in a high-visibility location on a busy street. One would expect to hear the steady sound of traffic whizzing by. Instead the living room is surprisingly quiet. Allina credits that to the thick walls. He said "you won't find a 2 by 4" anywhere in the house, which is constructed with 2 by 6, 2 by 10 and 2 by 12 boards.

The family loved the location just west of downtown in the West Central neighborhood. Swinney Park was just across the street, with access to the Greenway trails. The girls could ride their bikes downtown to go to the library. And neighbors were friendly. "We love this neighborhood because it is a neighborhood," he said. Neighbors know each other and socialize.

But life has changed for the Allinas, with all three children and one grandchild scattered around the country. They hope to do more traveling to see family, and when they're in Indiana they can stay at their lake home on Round Lake.

"I'm ready to move on," Allina said.

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Information from The News-Sentinel: http://bit.ly/1SMZfEn .

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Information from: The News-Sentinel, http://www.news-sentinel.com/ns