In 2020 I went on a road trip with Freaktography to Gary Indiana.  One of the locations we explored was thi old abandoned bank!  Standing as a silent witness to Gary, Indiana’s rise and fall, the Abandoned American State Bank is a hauntingly beautiful relic of the city’s past. Built in 1926, this grand neoclassical building was once a symbol of prosperity, reflecting Gary’s booming steel industry. The bank served as a financial hub for the rapidly growing city, catering to steelworkers, business owners, and residents who believed in a bright future.

However, like much of Gary, the bank’s fate was tied to the steel industry’s decline. The Great Depression hit hard, and the American State Bank closed its doors in 1931, just five years after opening. Since then, the building has stood abandoned, its ornate columns and intricate stonework slowly succumbing to time and neglect.

Over the decades, the bank has been a magnet for urban explorers and photographers, drawn to its decayed elegance. Inside, remnants of teller windows, grand chandeliers, and marble floors still whisper stories of a bygone era. Despite various proposals to restore it, the building remains a ghost of Gary’s golden days—an eerie yet captivating monument to the city’s economic shifts.

Would you like to see the Abandoned American State Bank restored, or do you think it should remain a piece of Gary’s forgotten past?