Portage Lakefront Park Pavilion

Located in Portage, IN

The Portage Park System Lakefront and Riverwalk is the first project in the implementation of the Marquette Plan transforming the Indiana Lake Michigan Lakefront from rust to environmental restoration and recreation. This unique project reclaims an industrial sewage treatment plant as a National Park Service Park which for the first time was developed with Regional Development Authority resources. It will be operated by a community park system in a public/public/public joint venture. Design Organization was retained to design the pavilion portion of the project. The pavilion itself is the physical embodiment of the project's future vision and will be a sustainable signature on the lakefront.

The Pavilion is perched on a dune bluff overlooking Lake Michigan and Burns Harbor waterway, with a spectacular view of the Chicago skyline. The design is a series of metaphors; the roof reflecting the soft forms of the dunes and waves, the wood soffit the hull of a boat and the fireplace, hearth and home. Because the project had diverse external and internal stakeholders, the project was a transparent, engaged and collaborative process to share information, receive input, create consensus in a shared vision and resolve challenges opportunities among all stakeholders

The USGBC LEED Gold Certified Pavilion now serves as a dynamic image setting the standards for the Marquette Plan and serving generations of lakeshore visitors.