Montrose Beach

History

Lincoln Park is one of the oldest and largest parks, and it is surprising to discover that over 1,000 acres of this park and its beaches are completely made from landfill. By 1929, Lincoln Park had 300 acres of landfill extending as far north as Irving Park Road. The Lincoln Park Commissioners had intended to keep landfill operations moving northbound, but work slowed because of the Depression. In 1934, all of Chicago’s 22 separate park commissions were consolidated into the Chicago Park District. With extensive funding available through Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal, the park district began many park improvements, including the Montrose to Foster landfill extension. The plan for the extension included several buildings; all were designed by E.V. Buchsbaum, one of which was the beach house. It was modeled after the North Avenue Beach House, and looks like a lake steamer. Unfortunately, in the 1950’s, the east wing of the beach house burned in a fire, which was not rebuilt. Instead, the park district constructed an open-air changing addition to the south side of the building.