NEWS

Tours Introduce Historic Downtown Gary

This summer, tours invite visitors to learn Gary’s story and help reimagine the city as a vibrant destination. The tour includes downtown landmarks previously inaccessible to the public. At the same time, a crowdfunding campaign is underway to secure some of the city’s key landmarks.

This summer, tours invite visitors to hear Gary's story and see its architecture, including City Methodist Church - one of the targets of a challenge grant raising money for preservation in the city. Watch for more information about tour dates to be announced this spring.

See the City Steel Built

While Gary has lost many of its early twentieth-century landmarks, the city retains many handsome structures from the building boom that accompanied the swift development of the steel industry. This summer, Gary’s department of redevelopment will host tours of the historic downtown that invite participants to learn Gary’s story, hear about historic preservation’s role in its resurgence, and help to reimagine the city as a vibrant, walkable environment.

Historic downtown Gary stretches from the gates of U.S. Steel on the shore of Lake Michigan to 9th Avenue. From its founding in 1906, the city saw steady commercial development into the 1930s. Notable landmarks of the period include Gary City Hall, Lake Superior Courthouse, City Methodist Church and the Knights of Columbus Building, all still standing. The downtown won listing as a district in the National Register of Historic Places in 1994. Take the tour to see these sites and other downtown landmarks previously inaccessible by the public. Tour dates and specific sites will be announced in the spring.

In addition to the summer tours, Gary is partnering with the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority (IHCDA), to preserve a number of Gary historic sites. IHCDA has issued a challenge grant to the city of Gary to help secure City Methodist Church and the former U.S. Post Office, as well as increase promotion of the downtown.

U.S. Post Office, Gary

The City of Gary must raise $7,500 in matching dollars through private donations and new partnerships, with a crowdfunding campaign that began on February 15. To help Gary meet the match, visit patronicity.com/preservegary or send a check to the Gary Redevelopment Commission, care of the Gary Preservation Tour, 504 Broadway, Gary, IN, 46402. The campaign will run from Wednesday, February 15 through Wednesday, March 15, 2017.

For more information on the summer tours and funding campaign, contact the Gary Redevelopment Commission, 219-886-1531 or vista@ci.gary.in.us.

 

Sign up for our e-newsletter.

Stay up to date on the latest news, stories, and events from Indiana Landmarks, around the state or in your area.