You’re driving through the industrial heart of the Calumet Region, surrounded by the towering steel skeletons of BP Whiting and the massive infrastructure of Cleveland-Cliffs. Then, suddenly, you turn a corner and the world shifts. It feels like you’ve been dropped into a small English village from the 1900s. Steeply pitched roofs. Stucco walls. Narrow streets where cars park on the sidewalk because, honestly, the streets weren't built for cars at all. This is Marktown East Chicago Indiana, and it is one of the strangest, most resilient, and most threatened neighborhoods in the United States.
It’s a planned community. Specifically, it’s a "company town" that didn't quite finish its growth spurt. Created in 1917, it was the brainchild of Clayton Mark, a man who wanted to house his workers for the Mark Manufacturing Company in a place that didn't feel like a gritty industrial slum. He hired Howard Van Doren Shaw, a big-name architect known for designing estates for the wealthy in Lake Forest. Shaw took that high-end aesthetic and shrunk it down for the working class.
But here is the kicker: only about 10% of the original plan was ever built.
The Great Depression and the expansion of the nearby steel mills effectively choked off the project before it could become the sprawling garden city Mark envisioned. Today, the neighborhood is a tiny, four-block square island of history literally surrounded by the sights, sounds, and smells of heavy industry. It’s on the National Register of Historic Places, yet it feels like it’s fighting for its life every single day.
The Architectural Weirdness of Marktown East Chicago Indiana
If you walk through Marktown, the first thing you notice is the orientation. The houses don't face the street in the way you're used to. Shaw designed them to maximize space and light, creating a layout that feels intimate—some might say claustrophobic.
The streets are incredibly narrow.
People park on the sidewalks. This isn't because they are being rude; it’s because the streets were designed before the mass adoption of the automobile. If you park on the asphalt, no one else can get through. It’s a quirk that defines the visual identity of Marktown. When you see a photo of a car halfway up on a curb next to a Tudor-style cottage, you know exactly where you are.
The colors are another thing. You'll see vibrant yellows, deep reds, and crisp whites. It’s a jarring contrast to the rusted browns and industrial grays of the surrounding refineries. Historically, the houses were meant to be uniform, but over decades, owners have added their own personal touches. Some have been meticulously restored. Others look like they are holding on by a thread.
Why the British Look?
Shaw was obsessed with the English Garden City movement. He wanted to create a sense of community. The idea was that if workers lived in a beautiful, walkable environment, they would be more productive and less likely to strike. It was social engineering through architecture. He used high-quality materials—stucco over clay tile, slate roofs, and solid wood trim. Even the "small" houses felt substantial.
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Living in a Box Surrounded by Giants
Imagine waking up and the first thing you see out your bedroom window is a massive storage tank for petroleum. That is the reality for the residents of Marktown East Chicago Indiana. The neighborhood is bounded by the BP Whiting Refinery, Cleveland-Cliffs (formerly Inland Steel), and the Indiana Harbor Canal.
It’s a bizarre juxtaposition.
On one hand, you have this quaint, historic charm. On the other, you have the constant hum of industry. The air often carries the scent of sulfur or chemicals, a reminder that while Marktown is a historic landmark, it sits in one of the most heavily industrialized zones on the planet.
- The Encroachment Problem: For years, the surrounding industries have been buying up property.
- The Ghost Town Effect: When a company like BP buys a house in Marktown, they often demolish it to create a "buffer zone." This leaves literal holes in the neighborhood fabric.
- Demographics: The people who live here are a mix. Some are families who have been there for generations, descendants of the original steelworkers. Others are newcomers drawn by the dirt-cheap property taxes and the unique vibe.
There is a palpable sense of tension. You can feel it when you talk to the locals. Some are fiercely protective of their homes, viewing themselves as the last line of defense against industrial expansion. Others are tired. They’re tired of the pollution, the noise, and the feeling that their neighborhood is being erased one demolition at a time.
The Controversy of the "Buffer Zone"
Back around 2014 and 2015, the tension in Marktown hit a boiling point. BP began aggressively purchasing homes. Their stated goal was to create a green space—a buffer between the refinery and the residential area. To some, this sounded like a generous exit strategy for residents living in a polluted area. To others, it looked like a slow-motion corporate takeover aimed at wiping a historic landmark off the map.
The Marktown Revitalization Corporation and various preservation groups have fought back. They argue that Marktown is an irreplaceable piece of American labor history. If you tear down the houses, you lose the story of the people who built the Midwest’s industrial might.
But preservation is expensive.
Maintaining a 100-year-old stucco house is a nightmare when you're dealing with the vibrations and environmental fallout of a nearby steel mill. The stucco cracks. The wood rots. The slate tiles are hard to find and even harder to install. Many residents simply don't have the capital to keep these homes in "museum quality" condition.
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What Most People Get Wrong About Marktown
A lot of people think Marktown is a museum. It isn't. It’s a living, breathing neighborhood. When you visit, you aren't walking through a curated exhibit like Greenfield Village or Colonial Williamsburg. You’re walking past people’s living rooms. Kids are playing in the narrow alleys. Someone is probably working on a car on the sidewalk.
Another misconception is that it’s a "dangerous" area. While East Chicago has had its struggles with crime, Marktown itself is a very tight-knit community. People know their neighbors. Because the houses are so close together, there’s a natural "eyes on the street" effect that makes it feel much safer than the industrial wasteland surrounding it might suggest.
Is it actually a "Slum"?
Early in its history, some critics called it a "slum in the making" because of the density. That was unfair then and it’s unfair now. It’s a high-density urban experiment that happened to be built in the wrong place at the right time. The "slum" label often comes from people who don't understand the architectural significance of Shaw's work or the cultural grit of the people who choose to stay there.
The Environmental Reality
We have to be honest here. Living in Marktown East Chicago Indiana comes with risks. The EPA has monitored this area for decades. The soil in many parts of East Chicago has historically been contaminated with lead and arsenic due to the nearby USS Lead superfund site and other industrial activities.
While Marktown isn't the epicenter of the lead crisis that saw the demolition of the West Calumet Housing Complex nearby, it breathes the same air. The plume from the refinery is a constant companion. If you’re planning to visit or—heaven forbid—move there, you have to acknowledge that the environment is a trade-off for the history.
How to Visit Marktown Respectfully
If you’re a history buff or an urban explorer, Marktown is a must-see. But don't be a jerk.
- Don't trespass. People live here. Don't walk into backyards or peer through windows just because the house looks "cool."
- Park at the community center. There is a small park and community building. Park there rather than trying to navigate your SUV through the tiny residential streets where you’ll likely block a resident's driveway.
- Talk to people. If someone is out on their porch, say hello. Most residents are proud of their neighborhood's history and are happy to tell you a story or two if you're respectful.
- Bring a camera, but be discreet. Capturing the architecture is fine, but don't turn it into a "poverty porn" photoshoot.
The Future: Will Marktown Survive?
The honest answer? It’s a toss-up.
On one hand, the historic designation provides some protection. On the other, the economic pressure from the surrounding industries is relentless. Every time a house is demolished, the "set" becomes less complete. If you lose enough of the houses, you lose the "historic district" status, and then the floodgates really open.
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There have been talks of moving the entire neighborhood. Literally picking up the houses and relocating them to a cleaner area. It sounds crazy, but it’s been done before with historic structures. However, the cost would be astronomical, and most residents don't want to leave. Their history is tied to that specific patch of land.
Actionable Steps for the Curious
If this weird little corner of Indiana fascinates you, there are things you can actually do rather than just reading about it.
Research the Marktown Preservation Society. They are the boots-on-the-ground group trying to save the neighborhood. They often need volunteers for clean-up days or help with digital archiving of the neighborhood's history.
Visit the Indiana Room at the East Chicago Public Library. If you want the deep-cut facts—the original blueprints, the payroll records from Mark Manufacturing, the old photos of the "English Village" in its prime—this is where the real treasure is buried.
Support local legislation. Keep an eye on East Chicago zoning board meetings. Decisions about "buffer zones" and industrial expansion are made in boring public meetings that most people skip. If you care about historic preservation, that’s where the actual battle is fought.
Take the "South Shore" drive. Take a day trip. Drive through Gary, through the Indiana Dunes, and stop in Marktown. Seeing the scale of the steel mills compared to the tiny houses of Marktown is the only way to truly understand the David-vs-Goliath vibe of the place.
Marktown isn't just a collection of old buildings. It’s a reminder of a time when we believed architecture could fix social problems. It’s a monument to the American worker. And even as the refineries loom larger and the stucco begins to peel, it remains a stubborn, beautiful anomaly in the middle of the American industrial machine. It exists because the people there refuse to let it go. In a world that constantly tears down the old to make room for the "efficient," that's something worth paying attention to.