Abandoned Gary, Indiana Is One Of The Most Fascinating Places To Explore

Gary, Indiana, was once one of America's most powerful cities. Founded in 1906 by U.S. Steel and named after the company's chairman, it boomed through the mid-20th century as a steel industry powerhouse — a city of nearly 180,000 people at its peak, flush with jobs, families, and ambition. Then the steel industry collapsed. By the 1980s, the exodus had begun, and it never really stopped.

What Happened to Gary, Indiana

The small town of Gary, Indiana, was founded on July 14, 1906, by the United States Steel Corporation, which built the city from scratch on the southern shore of Lake Michigan to house workers for its massive Gary Works plant, then the world's largest steel mill.

The city was named after Elbert H. Gary, the founding chairman of U.S. Steel. It grew fast: Gary hit 100,000 residents by 1930, and by 1960 its population had peaked at 178,000, making it Indiana's second-largest city.

Then the steel industry collapsed. Foreign competition, automation, and declining domestic demand gutted the economy through the 1970s and 80s, eliminating tens of thousands of jobs. The population has fallen by more than 60% since its peak; the 2020 census counted just under 70,000 residents, and thousands of buildings were left behind in the process.

Where Does Gary, Indiana Stand Today

Today, Gary is home to more than 13,000 abandoned buildings and structures, more than in almost any other city in the country. One-third of the city is effectively deserted. And while that's a genuine hardship for the people who still call it home, it's also created something unexpectedly compelling: a city frozen in time, slowly being reclaimed by nature and reimagined by artists, photographers, and urban explorers from around the world.

For those who find beauty in abandoned places in Indiana, Gary is the place to go. There's nowhere else quite like it in the Midwest, and once you see it, you'll understand why it draws the people it does.

Why Urban Explorers Are Drawn to Gary, Indiana

For the artists, the photographers, and the wanderers, Gary is a kind of mecca; it's a sacred holy grail in the Midwest for urban explorers and those with roaming hearts.

Urban exploration is the art of combing through long-forgotten buildings and taking photos, taking videos, or simply taking it all in. It's an entire subculture of people who find beauty in urban decay — and trust us, there's most certainly an enchanting beauty to the decay of Gary, Indiana. Walking through these structures and seeing the vibrant graffiti and public art in them is like exploring a brand-new kind of urban museum.

Abandoned Places in Gary, Indiana That Have Been Worth Exploring

• City Methodist Church — The crown jewel of Gary urbex. A Gothic church built in 1926 with partial funding from U.S. Steel, abandoned in 1975, and now one of the most-photographed abandoned buildings in the country. Permit required from the Gary Film and Television Office before visiting.
• Gary Public Schools Memorial Auditorium — A grand 1920s civic auditorium listed on the National Register of Historic Places, abandoned since the 1970s. Red brick, terra cotta floors, and limestone details still intact despite decades of decay.
• Gary Union Station — Opened in 1910, just four years after the city was founded. A Beaux-Arts building that once connected Gary to Chicago; now considered one of Indiana Landmarks' 10 Most Endangered Places.
• Horace Mann High School — One of Gary's most prestigious schools when it opened in 1928 — closed in 2004. Nature has been reclaiming the building ever since.
• The Palace Theater — A 1925 movie palace abandoned in the 1970s. The ornate façade and crumbling interior make it one of the more striking street-side views in downtown Gary.
• Gary Roosevelt High School — Built in 1930 as one of only three high schools in Indiana for Black students during segregation, it housed over 3,000 students at its peak. A significant piece of Gary's Black history and currently at risk.

In many places, old furniture still sits, not untouched by any means, but certainly forgotten by those who once cared for it. And in some cases, it feels like time has stopped completely in these spaces, like the whole population just up and left one day and this is what remains.

We don't recommend entering any of the buildings; urban exploration can be risky, even dangerous, if you're new to it (or if you make a simple miscalculation in terms of, say, if a rotting floor can hold your weight).

What's Ahead for Gary, Indiana

One thing is for sure, though: despite the poor reputation Gary has earned over the years for various (and valid) reasons, those who appreciate the beautiful sense of longing that comes with exploring abandoned places in IN will find plenty to enjoy.

And hopefully, as the town begins to be revitalized, some of the beautiful elements of these buildings (such as graffiti and public artwork) will be preserved.

How to Visit Gary, Indiana

Gary sits about 30 miles southeast of downtown Chicago, roughly a 40-minute drive via I-90. If you'd rather skip the car, the South Shore Line commuter rail runs directly from Chicago's Millennium Station to Gary Metro Center, with the trip taking under an hour. It's one of the easiest day trips from Chicago you can make.

For those who prefer to take it in from the outside, Gary's downtown streets offer plenty to see, whether by car or on foot in public areas. Daytime visits are strongly recommended. As with any city, use good judgment about where you go and when — and as we always say at Only In Your State, stay out of the buildings themselves. The structures are genuinely unstable, and no photograph is worth the risk.

A quick note: If City Methodist Church is your destination, sort your permit from the Gary Film and Television Office before you go. This can be make-or-break for whether you're able to access the building.

Frequently Asked Questions About Gary, Indiana

Why is Gary, Indiana so dangerous? Gary has historically struggled with high crime rates tied to economic decline and population loss. However, revitalization efforts are underway, and many visitors safely explore the city's famous abandoned architecture during daytime hours.

Is Gary, Indiana worth visiting? For urban explorers, photographers, and history enthusiasts, Gary offers a genuinely unique experience — a city frozen in time, with more than 13,000 abandoned structures and a haunting architectural beauty. It's not a conventional tourist destination, but it's unlike anywhere else in the Midwest.

Why was Gary, Indiana abandoned? Gary's decline traces directly to the collapse of the American steel industry. Founded as a steel company town in 1906, it thrived for decades before deindustrialization in the 1970s and 80s triggered massive job losses, population flight, and the abandonment of thousands of buildings.

How far is Gary, Indiana from Chicago? Gary is approximately 30 miles southeast of downtown Chicago — about a 40-minute drive or a short ride on the South Shore Line commuter rail.

What are your favorite abandoned places in Indiana? Do you know of any haunted places in Gary, Indiana? Tell us about them, and you might see them featured someday!

Remember: at Only In Your State, we encourage exploration, but we don't recommend entering old, dilapidated buildings where an injury is very possible should something go wrong (and it easily could — remember that many of these buildings haven't been kept up in decades), nor do we endorse trespassing of any kind.