Passion for Preservation

In Gary’s Marquette Park, the 1921 Gary Bathing Beach Aquatorium rises like a Roman temple on the shore of Lake Michigan, a restored columned pavilion with spectacular views of the Chicago skyline. But every time she drives past it, Sue Rutsen imagines how the park would have looked had her partner, Gary native George Rogge, not spearheaded the restoration and preservation of the Aquatorium after it was shuttered and threatened with demolition.

Gary Bathing Beach Aquatorium (Photo: Lee Lewellen)

“It’s critical to remember what would have happened if no one had taken care of it,” says Rutsen. “There would be a hulk of a ghost building in the middle of beautiful Marquette Park.”

Rutsen dates her interest in architecture to the 1980s when she worked at the Chicago Board of Trade Building, an Art Deco standout she credits with opening her eyes to historic buildings. Among other interests, a shared passion for architecture and preservation drew her and Rogge together in 2005. Rutsen had just purchased a Mid-Century Modern home in Gary’s Miller Beach neighborhood as a retreat from her job in Chicago. Rogge holds long ties to the area, where he continues to help run his family’s century-old insurance business in Merrillville.

The couple have been steadfast supporters of Indiana Landmarks’ work in the region. Rogge served on Indiana Landmarks’ board of directors, and Rutsen has donated overnights at her downtown Chicago condo for our annual Rescue Party’s fundraising auction. In 2015, the pair partnered with Indiana Landmarks to open the Nelson Algren Museum of Miller Beach in the 1928 telephone building housing our northwest office. A Chicago writer best known for his novel The Man with the Golden Arm, Algren maintained a cottage in Gary, and the museum contains an extensive collection of artifacts including his desk, typewriter, manuscripts, and archives, as well as an Algren pocket park next door.

They’ve been excited to see exterior restoration begin at the House of Tomorrow in Indiana Dunes National Park, after decades of work by Indiana Landmarks and the National Park Service to save the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair home. Confidence in Indiana Landmarks prompted Rutsen to leave her home on Lake Michigan to Indiana Landmarks in her estate plans.

“We want important places in Indiana to be restored and preserved, and the management of Indiana Landmarks gives me faith my money will be used well,” says Rutsen.

This article first appeared in the March/April 2025 issue of Indiana Preservation, Indiana Landmarks’ member magazine.