The 33,000 square-foot structure was constructed of brick and cinder block, faced with limestone, in a mixture of Tudor Revival, Colonial Revival, and Medieval architectural styles.
In the early 1940's, the Coronado Lodge was advertised as offering 14 rooms, air conditioning and mineral spring water, and catered to proms, banquets, and wedding receptions. It was used later as an unofficial retreat for Lithuanian priests. Both during and after the second World War, the lodge was used to house Lithuanian refugees.
In 1974, the National Park Service purchased the property for $100,000 for its Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore unit. The National Park Service leased the lodge to the American Youth Hostel. This ended in 1978 when the deteriorating structure made it unsafe for use, being unable to meet fire codes.
There were attempts to place the structure on the National Register of Historic Places. Unfortunately, the building did not meet all of the criteria.
The estimated cost to bring the building back to code was $2,000,000. In 1998 the National Lakeshore offered the Coronado Lodge up for auction, with a $1 minimum bid. The highest bidder would have 360 days to remove the building. Even with a tour of 60 prospective buyers, there were no bidders. As a result, the building was scheduled to be razed at a cost of $50,000.
The Coronado Lodge was demolished in March of 1999.
Other information, based on the demolition bid sheet: "13,363 square feet, three stories, 27 rooms. Exterior Construction: Masonry and frame construction with flagstone veneer. Interior Construction: Steel Bar joist with plaster and lathe. Additional considerations: 7,510 ft. of gravel driveways, 804 sq. ft of flagstone walks, 1,341 sq. ft. of stone wall made from field stone, 63x24 ft. garage of masonry construction with poured concrete ceiling forming a patio."
Click here for additional photographs, taken in June of 1998.
This three-story, 27-room lodge was constructed in 1933 along the banks of the Little Calumet River in the heart of the Indiana Dunes country. It was built by a Gary businessman whose idea was to intercept traffic between Chicago and the Indiana Dunes. It was located along the north side of U.S. Highway 20, between Mineral Springs Road and Howe Road near the town of Porter, Indiana. See the map at the bottom of this page.
