The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1917-06-30


teen years landmark of the Indiana
lake coast and in it's day a popular
summer rendezvous for vacationers. is
soon to be no more. The hotel changed
hands on Monday. passing from the
possession of the Indiana Harbor COM
pany. to the Inland Steel company. 1t
is to be torn down in the very near
future to make way for steel mill en-
croachments. Tenants have been served
with notices TO vacate by the end of
this week.
And thus vanishes the oldest land
mark in Indiana Harbor, and with it
the last vestige of a misguided enter
prise which failed to see the hand
writing on THE wall, and which
dreamed of developing Indiana Harbor
as summer resort. rather than the
center of the grea test industrial region
in the United States.
Just what the Inland Steel company
is to erect on the old hotel site. is not
made public. but there are rumors
to the effect that a modern office build
ing will be constructed here. and per-
haps a laboratory. The mill has also
acquired the property at the corner OF
Baltimore and Michigan avenues. now
occupied by the ]. L. Johnstones. and
1t is understood that this is to be
moved away or torn down.
For seventeen years the old South
Bay hotel has kept watch and ward
over Lake Michigan. A few years ago
the beach was right across the street
from. the hotel grounds. Gradually.
however, the lake has been filled in.
until the hotel now stands well back
from the shore line. The hlling-in pro-
cess was achieved first by piers, and
the accretions made by the wear of the
water against the solid piling. which
formed the piers foundations. and
then by thousands upon thousands of
tons of Stag and mill refuse being
dumped into the water, until. foot by
foot the lake receded. leaving the old
South Bay sad and gloomy structure.
forebodfng it's own destiny. as year and
year went by, and the hotel. failing to
pay interest on the investment lapsed
into gloomy decay For years ii has
apparently been on the verge of dis
solution. and why one of the big winds
that has ravaged the shores in this
vicinity. whipping the waters to fury,
wrenching out piling. and tearing away
great areas of macadam pavement,
has not long since leveled the big
hotel speaks volumes. either for it's
foundations or for the grace of the AL
mighty.
The South Bay hotel was built in
1900 as a Lake summer resort. 1t was
planned by Jarvis Hunt. the noted
Chicago architect. on generous and
palatial lines. Its original cost was
about s45.0 600. and it contained thirty
five rooms. every one of them having
bath connections. This Is unusual.
even today in the regulation summer
hotel. and it was even more unusual
in the day when the South Bay hotel
was erected. 1t was advertised as one
of the finest summer hotels in the
United States, for its size. There was
nothing tawdry abou the place. The
rooms were spacious and the ceilings
lofty. The spacious dining room
matched in character the big ball room.
The furnishings were elegant in their
day before the raVages Of time and
lack of proper upkeep caused them to
relapse into an appearance OF decayed
grandeur.
In the heydey of it's youth. the old
South Bay hotel, was the scene OF
fashionable gatherings, the shelter Of
many a notable. seeking surcease from
the heat of the city for the weekend,
at a place where il was but the matter
of an hours ride on any one of a num-
Der of railroads. to ana from town.
But as the smoke Increased and the
Inland mill grew more and more ire
mendous. it became apparent that the
South Bay hotel would never fulfill its
original purpose The mills bigness
overshadowed the hotel and its smoke
enveloped it. Mill smoke and dainty
summer fabrics are not on the best of
terms. and fashionable 'resorters.
with summer fnery display. soon
learned that the South Bay hotel was
no place for them and their fine clothes.
The hotel for while did well, how
ever. as with the growth of the mill.
came more and more superintendents
| and mill officials who required to be
put UP for night or a week. or more
or less permanently. in close proximity
to the scene OF their activities. There
were always high salaried men who
had the price and were willing to pay
it, so long as the mill was not in too
close proximity. and for time being
| the establishment houriShed fairly
we'll. But it shortly entered upon the
days of its decay. Scandal attacked the
establishment. There were few
years when it almost was worth any
bodys reputation to be caught there.
upon the establishment it's bad name
was in due course gotten out and foi
| some years the South Bay enjoyed {