William Bruns' dance pavilion, beach, and picnic grounds established Rye Beach Park as a popular summer resort. It was not until 1904 that he began subdividing lots. Within a short time, summer cottages began to spring up. During the time that William Bruns owned Rye Beach Park, some fifty cottages were built by Ohio residents from the cities of Sandusky, Shelby, Mansfield, Marion, Delaware, Bucyrus, and Columbus.