63rd Street Beach
History
The 63rd Street Beach is located in Jackson Park, one of Chicago’s oldest and most significant parks. The renowned designers of New York’s Central Park, Olmsted & Vaux, laid out Jackson Park along with the adjacent Midway Plaisance and Washington Park in 1871. The area had a paved beach made from granite bricks, which was extended to cover the entire lakefront in Jackson Park by 1888. Considering that raw sewage was dumped into Lake Michigan at that time, it is not surprising that the beaches were used as paved drives for strolling or promenading, rather than wading or bathing. In 1899, when the completion of Chicago’s innovative Drainage Canal began diverting the sewage to other locations, the lakefront became a desirable place for public bathing.
After the turn of the century, the South Park Commissioners decided that they wanted to extend the beach sand area. They developed a new plan for the landfill in 1914, and the ten-acre beach extension was completed three years later. This plan also included an elaborate bathing pavilion, which was constructed adjacent to the beach by 1919. The bathing pavilion, known today as the 63rd Street Beach House, was rehabilitated by the park district in recent years.