The Beverly Shores Museum and Art Gallery Mission
Sometimes, lost in the fundraising appeals to repair The Depot, it’s easy to lose sight of our non-profit organization’s mission and its importance to our community. Now seems like a good time to acquaint everyone with the stated mission of The Beverly Shores Museum and Art Gallery, Inc.(“BSMAG”).
This BSMAG was created by Carol Ruzic in 1998 concurrent with the grand re-opening of the Beverly Shores train station, or what is now known as The Depot. Her outstanding efforts to save the building, coupled with that of the townspeople’s, was the first of many projects BSMAG adopted to preserve the history of the region.
The historic depot gives BSMAG a physical presence and serves as a vehicle allowing this organization to:
Preserve and tell the story of Beverly Shores – an area rich in history from the Potawatomi Indians and fur traders to our establishment as a second-home community by Robert Bartlett, to a town that featured World’s Fair homes from the Columbian Exposition and the entire Colonial Village that was installed along Broadway, to the establishment of the National Lakeshore and then the National Park. We established The Heritage Trail with markers about town designating where historical structures stood. On our website you can find more information about The Heritage Trail as well as a plethora of historical documents and photos. Visit: www.bsdepot.org.
Feature exhibits by artists in our region – a community rich with artistic talent. The BSMAG showcases a variety of different works of art from local and regional artists such as watercolorist Julie Kasniunas, abstract painters Nancy Natow-Cassidy and Bob Stanley, as well as works by the late Joel DeGrand, a photographer and mixed-media artist; and Kristina Knowski, a dedicated birder whose watercolors portray stunning birds. A recent exhibit from photographer Sharon Hoogstraten, a Potawatomi native, featured beautiful photographs of present-day Potawatomi Indians in their native dress.
Host museum and gallery events that provide opportunities for people to gather and connect. The Second Friday of each month, Beverly Shores’ residents and others gather to view new exhibits and to reconnect with each other. Our May 5x5 fundraiser allows artists and budding artists to donate a 5” x 5” work of art to sell for $55 and our Holiday Show & Sale features one-of-a-kind artisan works and is a major revenue source, allowing the BSMAG to continue operations. Both events are important traditions in the community and region.
The BSMAG is so much more than a building, though in our mission to preserve history, we do our best to preserve The Depot, which we consider the gateway to Beverly Shores. As the Board of Directors of the BSMAG, we are proud of the work we do to “keep the past present” and consider it an honor to be a part of this mission.
Thank you for your support and enthusiasm for what we do.
Our Hours:
Mid-April - Mid-December
Fridays 1pm - 5pm CST (through Labor Day weekend)
Saturdays 10am - 5pm CST
Sundays 11am - 3pm CST
New exhibits open on Second Fridays 5pm - 7pm CST April - October
Gift Shop open during regular hours AND online throughout the year ANYTIME.
Admission is FREE
Our Location
525 South Broadway
Beverly Shores, IN 46301
Contact Us
bsdmaag@gmail.com
The Depot Building
In 1929 Chicago architect, Arthur L. Gerber designed the station, along with others on the South Shore Line, in the Mediterranean Spanish style. This train depot was one of two stations serving Beverly Shores. It also served as the residence of the Station Master. When the last Station Master retired, this building slid into disrepair. In 1988, like its sister station at Central Street, it was headed for demolition.
Thanks to a gift from Ann Carlson, daughter of the original builder of residences in town, many photos of original buildings in Beverly Shores were preserved and donated to the town in the interest of preserving history. This gift triggered the curiosity and creativity of a number of courageous, inventive, and determined people. Over the course of 10 years they set about the task of saving this station from demolition.
A group of Beverly Shores residents, along with others like the Superintendent of the Indiana Dunes National Park at the time, NIPSCO, and Save the Dunes, and others banded together to preserve this building. With a major effort, they obtained a designation for the building on the National Register for Historical places. These tenacious residents then collected funds totaling some $500,000.00 from residents, organizations, companies, grants, and anywhere else they were able. Restoration of the structure then began.
In 1998, the South Shore Train Depot opened its doors once again, and, in February of 1999, the Beverly Shores Museum and Art Gallery, Inc. was born. Today, the building, the single South Shore station of its kind remaining on the line, continues to serve visitors and commuters. The building is owned by NICTD, the Northern Indiana Commuter Train District. Half of the building serves as a train station. An agreement between the town and NICTD provides that the other half serves as our town’s history museum, a regional art gallery, and a gift shop attracting both residents and others from Northwest Indiana. These are managed by The Beverly Shores Museum and Art Gallery, Inc., a 501(c) (3) non-profit governed by a wholly volunteer board of directors. Any commissions from sales in the Gallery or Gift Shop go directly to supporting programming at The Depot.
You can learn more about Beverly Shores at the Town of Beverly Shores website or read our Wikipedia article on the South Shore station. We also invite you to follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Youtube.
The Beverly Shores Depot Museum and Art Gallery provided administrative assistance to help make the Bird Town Indiana mural a reality. The mural is just one of the projects that The Depot supports to further enhance our community and celebrate the natural beauty that surrounds us.
Find the mural on the back wall of the Virk’s Gas Station at the corner of Broadway and Route 12, facing the tracks.
The mural was designed by part-time resident, Geoff Bevington.
Watch the mural painting process in the video.
Video by Mike Schwab
