FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WPTA) — Sister Elise Kriss has fond memories of the time she spent in the 24,000-square-foot Bass Mansion. For more than eight decades, it has been the centerpiece of the University of St. Francis, where she served as president.

Businessman John Henry Bass originally built the mansion in 1889 as the family’s “summer cottage.” It was located on a 225-acre working farm named “Brookside.” Just three years later, a gas explosion destroyed most of the home, and Bass had it rebuilt.

“This time it was built, though, so that it was not going to burn down again. It was very structurally sound brick and mortar and steel and whatever. So it was built so as not to be able to burn again,” Sister Kriss said.

The three-story Romanesque-style home had 10 bedrooms - six for family memb

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