The Council of Independent Colleges: Historic Campus Architecture Project

Mirror Lake

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Mirror Lake (1906), University of Saint Francis

Institution Name: University of Saint Francis
Original/Historic Place Name: Mirror Lake
Location on Campus: 2701 Spring St.
Date(s) of Construction:

1892	original construction

Designer:
Type of Place: Landscape site
Style: (Glossary)
Significance: history, landscape
Narrative: see below
References: see below

Function:

1892-present (2006)

other (lake)

Narrative:
Bass Mansion, the icon of the University of Saint Francis, overlooks Mirror Lake at the center of campus. Mirror Lake was created in 1892 when a small creek was dammed and the area to the north, east, and south sides of the Bass Mansion was dug out, enhancing the setting for the building by encircling it with water. This 20-plus acre lake is the picturesque setting for the university's twenty-two buildings. It sits in the middle of a 70-acre park with more than 100 species of trees and bushes.

References:

Morrison, Kattman, and Menze, Inc. Brookside II, The Bass Mansion. [Fort Wayne, IN: Morrison, Kattman, and Menze, Inc., n.d.].

The Story of the Bass Mansion. [s.l.: s.n.:] 1985.