Gary, Indiana has seen both the highs and the lows of life throughout the city’s history. The city was built in 1906 around the United States Steel Corporation’s Gary Works. The Steel Strike of 1919 brewed civil unrest in the city, which flared up into a full-fledged riot between the striking steel workers and strikebreakers that forced Governor James P. Goodrich to declare martial law.

Despite the early conflicts, the steel industry provided ample job opportunities and Gary’s population boomed…then busted. The fortunes and failures of the city are reflective of the steel industry; the rapid expansion of the early years was bolstered by the steel needs during WWII, but the declining demand and growth of international competition dragged Gary into a downward spiral.

In 2013, the Gary Department of Redevelopment reported that a whopping one-third of homes within city limits were empty or abandoned. Unlike other abandoned towns in the USA, Gary is still alive with a population of over 80,000 – a “modern ghost town” unlike any other.

Editor’s note: Some of the places listed below have since been demolished; this article is merely a snapshot of a few abandoned buildings in Gary’s history.

The Palace Theater

Flickr / Timothy Neesam The Palace was one of the finest buildings in the city and served as a grand venue and focal point of the community.

Flickr / Timothy Neesam

Flickr / Nick Forslund

Flickr / ChristopherTitzer When Gary Works steel plant began massive layoffs, the dwindling population no longer had use for such an elaborate space.

Flickr / ChristopherTitzer The Palace Theater was shut down in 1972.

  1. The Abandoned Union Station

Flickr / Nick Forslund This station was built in 1910 to serve several of the major railway lines. The old Gary Union Station has seen decades of destructive weathering.

  1. City Methodist Church

Flickr / Mike Boening Photography From the inside, you would think you were standing in an epic European cathedral, and even as nature slowly reclaims the structure, which was abandoned in 1975, the place still feels somewhat sacred.

Flickr / Vail Marston

Flickr / Michael Kappel This enormous gothic revival church was built in the 1920s and held a congregation of nearly 3,000 people.

Flickr / Rachel The empty building survived surprisingly safe from vandals and many of the original stained glass windows remain untouched; however, an increasing number of trespassers has led the city to securely gate and patrol the property.

Flickr / Nick Forslund The City of Gary does offer permits for photographers to poke around inside, and their pictures are both sad and stunning.

  1. The Abandoned US Post Office

Flickr / ken fager This downtown Post Office designed by architect Howard Lovewell Cheney and built in 1936 as a part of the New Deal Program.

Flickr / ken fager The original floors were made of wood bricks, which have become warped over time from water damage.

Flickr / ken fager The Post Office closed in the mid-1970s. The decay in parts of the building has allowed nature to begin taking back the space.

Flickr / ken fager The collapsed ceiling has allowed natural growth to take over and the interior floors are now green with moss.

  1. Gary Public Schools Memorial Auditorium

Flickr / Samuel Love Built in 1927, the Memorial Auditorium was large enough to seat 5,000 people.

Flickr / Samuel A. Love Its red brick walls, terra cotta floor, and limestone features are still standing, though in disrepair.

Flickr / Shannon O’Toole

Flickr / Shannon O’Toole The Gary Public Schools Memorial Auditorium is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

The tumultuous history was devastating for many Gary Indiana residents and the deserted buildings left behind are an inescapable reminder of the city’s former glory. These slowly decaying structures provide a melancholy snapshot of history, but we also see something hauntingly beautiful in their breakdown.

Flickr / Timothy Neesam

The Palace was one of the finest buildings in the city and served as a grand venue and focal point of the community.

Flickr / Nick Forslund

Flickr / ChristopherTitzer

When Gary Works steel plant began massive layoffs, the dwindling population no longer had use for such an elaborate space.

The Palace Theater was shut down in 1972.

This station was built in 1910 to serve several of the major railway lines. The old Gary Union Station has seen decades of destructive weathering.

Flickr / Mike Boening Photography

From the inside, you would think you were standing in an epic European cathedral, and even as nature slowly reclaims the structure, which was abandoned in 1975, the place still feels somewhat sacred.

Flickr / Vail Marston

Flickr / Michael Kappel

This enormous gothic revival church was built in the 1920s and held a congregation of nearly 3,000 people.

Flickr / Rachel

The empty building survived surprisingly safe from vandals and many of the original stained glass windows remain untouched; however, an increasing number of trespassers has led the city to securely gate and patrol the property.

The City of Gary does offer permits for photographers to poke around inside, and their pictures are both sad and stunning.

Flickr / ken fager

This downtown Post Office designed by architect Howard Lovewell Cheney and built in 1936 as a part of the New Deal Program.

The original floors were made of wood bricks, which have become warped over time from water damage.

The Post Office closed in the mid-1970s. The decay in parts of the building has allowed nature to begin taking back the space.

The collapsed ceiling has allowed natural growth to take over and the interior floors are now green with moss.

Flickr / Samuel Love

Built in 1927, the Memorial Auditorium was large enough to seat 5,000 people.

Flickr / Samuel A. Love

Its red brick walls, terra cotta floor, and limestone features are still standing, though in disrepair.

Flickr / Shannon O’Toole

The Gary Public Schools Memorial Auditorium is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Want to see what Gary looked like in its heyday during the 1950s? Check out this fascinating archival footage:

Have you explored any of these abandoned places in Indiana? Do you know of other eerie places in Gary Indiana we should check out? Tell us about them in the comments – we love hearing from you!

If you find you just can’t get enough of the spooky and often mysterious abandoned places in Indiana, you might want to check out some of the other notable abandoned ruins in Indiana while you’re at it. You wouldn’t believe how many amazing places are out there just waiting to be discovered.

OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article.

The OIYS Visitor Center

Gary Indiana January 31, 2023 Tori Jane

What are some interesting, abandoned ruins in Indiana?

There are an amazing number of abandoned places in Indiana, including abandoned ruins in IN that not a lot of folks really know about. Some of our favorite abandoned ruins in Indiana are places like:

City Methodist Church, Gary Bush Stadium, Indianapolis The Muscatatuck State Development Center

There are many more amazing abandoned places in Indiana, too, that are worthy of strange admiration. 2. What are some fascinating places in abandoned Gary Indiana? Gary Indiana is home to more than 13,000 abandoned buildings and decaying structures, including homes, schools, churches, theatres, apartment complexes, and more. Some of the most famous abandoned buildings in Gary IN are:

The Horace Mann School https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/indiana/abandoned-eerie-in/ The Palace Theatre https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/indiana/most-haunted-place-on-earth-in/ The Gary Post Office

But enough of the negative – check out some of the reasons why Gary Indiana isn’t really the worst. 3. Why was Gary Indiana once called the “murder capital” of the United States? Gary Indiana has certainly received a rough reputation over the years, but unfortunately, it’s not for no reason. Once upon a time, in the 1990s, Gary was the “murder capital” of the United States thanks to an outrageously high murder rate compared to the population. There were 110 murders in Gary in 1993; with a population of 119,125, that means this rate was a staggering 91 murders per 100,000 residents. You might want to check out Why Is Gary Indiana So Dangerous for more information about the town and its downslide.

The OIYS Visitor Center

Gary Indiana

January 31, 2023

Tori Jane

What are some interesting, abandoned ruins in Indiana?

There are an amazing number of abandoned places in Indiana, including abandoned ruins in IN that not a lot of folks really know about. Some of our favorite abandoned ruins in Indiana are places like:

City Methodist Church, Gary Bush Stadium, Indianapolis The Muscatatuck State Development Center

There are many more amazing abandoned places in Indiana, too, that are worthy of strange admiration. 2. What are some fascinating places in abandoned Gary Indiana? Gary Indiana is home to more than 13,000 abandoned buildings and decaying structures, including homes, schools, churches, theatres, apartment complexes, and more. Some of the most famous abandoned buildings in Gary IN are:

The Horace Mann School https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/indiana/abandoned-eerie-in/ The Palace Theatre https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/indiana/most-haunted-place-on-earth-in/ The Gary Post Office

But enough of the negative – check out some of the reasons why Gary Indiana isn’t really the worst. 3. Why was Gary Indiana once called the “murder capital” of the United States? Gary Indiana has certainly received a rough reputation over the years, but unfortunately, it’s not for no reason. Once upon a time, in the 1990s, Gary was the “murder capital” of the United States thanks to an outrageously high murder rate compared to the population. There were 110 murders in Gary in 1993; with a population of 119,125, that means this rate was a staggering 91 murders per 100,000 residents. You might want to check out Why Is Gary Indiana So Dangerous for more information about the town and its downslide.

The OIYS Visitor Center

The OIYS Visitor Center

There are an amazing number of abandoned places in Indiana, including abandoned ruins in IN that not a lot of folks really know about. Some of our favorite abandoned ruins in Indiana are places like:

  • City Methodist Church, Gary
  • Bush Stadium, Indianapolis
  • The Muscatatuck State Development Center

There are many more amazing abandoned places in Indiana, too, that are worthy of strange admiration.

  1. What are some fascinating places in abandoned Gary Indiana?

Gary Indiana is home to more than 13,000 abandoned buildings and decaying structures, including homes, schools, churches, theatres, apartment complexes, and more. Some of the most famous abandoned buildings in Gary IN are:

But enough of the negative – check out some of the reasons why Gary Indiana isn’t really the worst.

  1. Why was Gary Indiana once called the “murder capital” of the United States?

Gary Indiana has certainly received a rough reputation over the years, but unfortunately, it’s not for no reason. Once upon a time, in the 1990s, Gary was the “murder capital” of the United States thanks to an outrageously high murder rate compared to the population.

There were 110 murders in Gary in 1993; with a population of 119,125, that means this rate was a staggering 91 murders per 100,000 residents.

You might want to check out Why Is Gary Indiana So Dangerous for more information about the town and its downslide.