Marquette Park Beach

In 1921, the United States Steel Corporation donated lakefront lands along Gary's eastern boundary to the City to provide recreational access to Lake Michigan. The Gary Parks Department developed this area into the first lakefront park in Lake County. In 1932, Lakefront Park was renamed Marquette Park in honor of the French explorer and missionary Pe're Marquette. This 241-acre park offers 1.4 miles of Lake Michigan beaches, inland ponds, tall dunes, wetlands, a lagoon, indigenous oak savanna, and two historic Prairie School structures--the stately Recreation Pavilion built in 1924 and the Gary Bathing Beach Pavilion "Aquatorium" built in 1922. An inviting beachfront playground lies just east of the Aquatorium. South of the Recreation Pavilion, a commemorative plaque recognizes French aviation pioneer Octave Chanute's glider experiments that took place nearby.