BY JONATHAN LEIST, CULVER TOWN MANAGER

I’ve been working for the Town of Culver for 5 years now, and one of the best things about having some tenure here is getting to see some long-term projects I’ve been involved in completed. The most exciting of those projects to date has been our beach lodge renovation, fixing up this old beauty on the shores of Lake Maxinkuckee.

The project started way before my time here in Culver and has been a point of pride for so many folks who have contributed to the process. Residents and visitors of all ages have shared with us the memories they’ve made here since it opened up in 1937, and we really wanted to honor those memories, to create a place where families and friends can make new memories, and carry the building into its 100th anniversary! We tried to listen to what residents said about the building and incorporate those comments into the project as much as possible.

For example, we had a lot of suggestions to try and maximize the space and provide a larger meeting area. Pictured above, you can see the new finished lakefront porch. This area will be heated and cooled for use year-round. This new enclosure, combined with the removal of the wall in the picture below, helped us create a much larger, more functional main level.

Hopefully these renovations will make the building much more functional for the many families who have used the building for family reunions, birthday parties, and other get togethers over the decades. The new layout will open the building up for more uses as well, allowing us to host additional events like small to medium sized weddings and professional meetings. We’ve already booked an Indiana Main Street workshop in July!

Taking down the wall shown above allowed us to lengthen the main floor meeting area. The entire main level has a new layout, maximizing the use as a meeting space and creating a new warming kitchen and serving area for catered events.

This is the west end of the same room, looking to the north as the new flooring is going in. The new configuration added about 400 square feet of meeting area in the main room, plus an additional 800 square feet in the attached enclosed porch area. All combined, this will nearly double the capacity for events on the main level to a maximum capacity of 150 persons on this level, depending on the layout.

It may seem trivial, but one of the things I’m most looking forward to about the renovations is new restrooms! Look at the picture below and you’ll see why.

This was the north wall of the basement restroom a few years ago when our water infiltration in the building was at its worst. We have invested quite a bit in making sure the building stays dry, waterproofing the outside of the lower level, improving the drainage infrastructure around the building and in the parking lot, and removing an old wing wall that was retaining water on the outside of the building. Below is the same restroom now, before fixtures and flooring have gone in. We used to joke amongst our staff that the downstairs restrooms would make a great filming location for a horror film! When the building reopens this spring, that won’t be the case anymore. We will finally have a nice clean place to come in and change clothes, get a snack, and use the restroom before you hit the beach, rent a kayak, attend a concert, or use the courtesy pier to come ashore and grab some lunch when you’re out boating. The restrooms and concessions area of the building (lower level) will be open from June through early August for visitors to the park and beach. The public beach and park on Lake Maxinkuckee continues to be a budget friendly way to spend summer days for families in Marshall County and our entire region, and now we will be making the experience even better, with a building worthy of its natural surroundings.

This is the same restroom, shown above midway through renovation. It’s already much dryer and brighter! The completed remodel will have new flooring, countertops, and fixtures.

Another feature we are particularly excited about is the elevator. One of the reasons for the street side addition to the building was to add an elevator to connect all three floors, adding increased functionality and flow between the floors, and bringing us into compliance with the Americans with Disability Act, so we can begin to use all three levels of the building for public use.

Last but certainly not least, I’d have to say one of my favorite things about this building is always going to be the windows. It’s all about the view of Lake Max! My pictures don’t do it justice. Below is a picture out the window of the top floor of the new addition, looking east to the park and lake. I think people are really going to enjoy this space, it’s a nice area to have small meetings and classes for about 10 to 15 people. I can see us using it as a secondary activity area for things like yoga, fitness classes, card club and more whenever the main room is already booked.

Now if I can just convince the town council to move my office here, I’ll be set. I can’t wait for the ribbon cutting Saturday May 9th at 9:00 a.m.!

Bringing the Culver Beach Lodge Back to Life