Historical state park building may be getting an extreme makeover

CHESTERTON, Ind. -- It was built before the Great Depression, and now this Indiana Dunes landmark may be getting an extreme makeover. 

The state wants a developer to come in and partner to revamp the pavillion.  Some ideas that have been thrown around are a restaurant and a conference center.

Assistant Property Manager Doug Stukey says the pavillion at the Indiana Dunes State Park was built in the 1920's and used to be a prime tourist destination.

"There was fine dining and up on the roof was like a promenade deck," said Stukey.

There is not fine dining in the pavillion anymore.  The only serve concession stand food now, but the state of Indiana would like that to change.

"It's evolved over the decades to where it is now and the state park is trying to go back to some of that grandeur it had before," said Stukey.

The state does not have the money to revamp the building to it's grandeur state, so it has invited developers to partner to give the place a makeover.  Stukey said with the prime location of the pavillion overlooking the waves of Lake Michigan, he thinks a business in the pavillion would do well.



"It is one of the most heavily visited buildings in the State of Indiana. The state park gets well over 1 million people in the summer, and it's very known by people," said Stukey.

He hopes a developer will see the potential that he sees in the building.



"This is a real sandy and windy environment and this building has withstood the test of time, through all the decades, through all the wars, so many people come back here, but this building is still here," said Stukey.

The state just started looking for buyers about three weeks ago.  Whoever does buy the pavillion will have to adhere to strict guidelines, because the building is historical.