Indiana Landmarks has acquired the historic mid-century ranch house of Gary entrepreneur Geter Means and has started stabilizing it. The nonprofit organization will rehabilitate the exterior and make other repairs before seeking a preservation-minded buyer for the property.

When the house landed on Indiana Landmarks’ 10 Most Endangered list in 2022, it was barely visible, deteriorating behind overgrown vegetation. Today, the appearance—and the property’s outlook—is much improved, as workers replace the failing roof and make other repairs.

Built in 1954, the home plays an important role in telling the story of the Means Manor neighborhood and the legacy of brothers Andrew and Geter Means. In the 1920s, discouraged by the lack of quality housing options for Gary’s Black community, the Means brothers launched their own home-building business. By the 1950s, Means Brothers, Inc., had become one of the largest Black-owned real estate companies in the Midwest, constructing almost 2,000 homes and rental units in Gary alone.

The centerpiece of their contributions to the community was Means Manor, a development of bungalows, ranches and other houses—including their own—that became the preferred neighborhood for Gary’s Black middle class. Where African American homebuyers were denied mortgage loans, Andrew Means supplied promissory notes and let potential homebuyers offset some costs for their houses by helping to build them.

Yejide Ekunkonye’s grandparents were among those original homebuyers. In 2020 during the pandemic, Ekunkonye became more deeply connected with her family’s heritage by helping care for the Means Manor house built by her grandfather, the place where her father was born and raised and which she recalls visiting as a child. Today, she sees Means Manor still mostly living up to the ideals of its founders, with well-kept houses and well-tended lawns. “It’s a strong community of neighbors helping neighbors,” says Ekunkonye. “There’s a pride of place that stems from the neighborhood’s inception.”

Ekunkonye founded the non-profit SayYestoMeans to help preserve the neighborhood and tell its story, inviting others to share their memories on its website, sayyestomeans.org. She and other neighbors partnered with Indiana Landmarks to raise awareness of the Geter Means House and help with cleaning up the exterior of the neglected property.

“We’re so grateful Indiana Landmarks took on the project, knowing their past record,” says Ekunkonye. “We hope whoever purchases the house will appreciate its history.”

The exterior rehab is expected to be complete and the property listed for sale by summer 2024.

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Media contacts:
Blake Swihart, Director, Indiana Landmarks Northwest Field Office, 219-947-2657, 734-330-0166 (cell), bswihart@indianalandmarks.org

Mindi Woolman, Director of Marketing and Communications, Indiana Landmarks, 317-639-4534, 317-417-1204 (cell), mwoolman@indianalandmarks.org.

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Indiana Landmarks revitalizes communities, strengthens connections to our diverse heritage, and saves meaningful places. With nine offices located throughout the state, Indiana Landmarks helps people rescue endangered landmarks and restore historic neighborhoods and downtowns. People who join Indiana Landmarks receive its bimonthly magazine, Indiana Preservation. For more information on the not-for-profit organization, call 317-639-4534, 800-450-4534, or visit www.indianalandmarks.org.