abandoned Gary Indiana Archives - Abandoned Urban Exploring & Urbex Photography https://riddimryder.com/tag/abandoned-gary-indiana/ RiddimRyder Explores & Photographs Abandoned & Forgotten Places Mon, 03 Mar 2025 16:00:56 +0000 en-CA hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0 https://i0.wp.com/riddimryder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/cropped-websitethumb.jpg?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1 abandoned Gary Indiana Archives - Abandoned Urban Exploring & Urbex Photography https://riddimryder.com/tag/abandoned-gary-indiana/ 32 32 157258030 Abandoned American State Bank https://riddimryder.com/abandoned-american-state-bank/ https://riddimryder.com/abandoned-american-state-bank/#comments Sat, 01 Mar 2025 19:50:57 +0000 https://riddimryder.com/?p=26453 The Forgotten Treasure of Gary: American State Bank In 2020 I went on a road trip with Freaktography to Gary…

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The Forgotten Treasure of Gary: American State Bank

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? 🏛💔

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]]> https://riddimryder.com/abandoned-american-state-bank/feed/ 2 26453 Abandoned Horace Mann School https://riddimryder.com/abandoned-horace-mann-school/ https://riddimryder.com/abandoned-horace-mann-school/#comments Wed, 09 Dec 2020 22:30:00 +0000 https://riddimryder.com/?p=11199 Earlier this year I had the pleasure of exploring the Abandoned Horace Mann School.  This was the last road trip…

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Earlier this year I had the pleasure of exploring the Abandoned Horace Mann School.  This was the last road trip into the US before the borders were closed for the pandemic.  The first of several locations I explored with Freaktography & Chris Luckhardt.




The Beginning

Construction on the now Abandoned Horace Mann School in 1921 & would take a total of 7 years to complete. A creation of innovative educator William Wirt, the campus set a new standard for the area’s public schools by featuring landscaped rolling hills, multiple gyms and pools, and even a man-made pond.  Located just minutes from downtown Gary, where U.S. Steel executives & their families once lived on the tree-lined streets of the town’s upper west side.




At first Horace Mann consisted of two portable trailers near the street on the large property. The first class consisted of 45 students who had previously attended Jefferson School. Demand for the west side school was greater than initially thought, and in 1919 three more portable units were added behind the first two.

A year later it was realized that permanent structures would need to be built. In 1921 construction on the present-day Horace Mann School would begin. By 1922 the east building had been erected, and the west building followed two years later in 1924.

On November 8th, 1926, the cornerstone for the central building was finally laid.




The End

When the population of Gary dropped in the 1960s and 70s, so did the school district’s enrollment. The city’s tax base was dwindling and the school board was watching its budget shrink every year; balancing the annual cuts was challenging. A budgetary reprieve in 1985 would see the school district build a modern gym for Horace Mann High School students.

The original gym had long been unsuitable for intramural sports, and until the modern gym was opened the Horsemen had only been playing away games. That year the school also received an updated cafeteria as well as a new shop area. By now Horace Mann’s enrollment had fallen to 1,226 students with 55 teachers employed at the school.





In 2002 the schools of Gary were showing their age. The once proud buildings around town were mostly falling apart, and the city had not built a new facility in 30 years. The school board decided to restructure and update the city’s school system.  Schools with low enrollment were the first to be nominated for closure, among them Horace Mann, running at one-fifth of capacity servicing only 546 students by 2003.  In 2004 the school board voted to shutter the building which has sat ever since.




Today

15 years after closing, the school is now in ruins much like City Methodist Church & Post Office we also explored on this tour.  in 2019 there were discussions about possibly revitalizing the old school with suggestions of using it for housing.  Obviously if we were able to explore it in early 2020 then nothing has changed.





The auditorium was definitely my favourite part of the entire school! It was just so surreal being in there imagining what it would have been like when at full capacity! Definitely a memorable explore!!

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]]> https://riddimryder.com/abandoned-horace-mann-school/feed/ 1 11199 Abandoned US Post Office (Gary Indiana) https://riddimryder.com/abandoned-us-post-office/ https://riddimryder.com/abandoned-us-post-office/#comments Tue, 18 Aug 2020 21:00:00 +0000 https://riddimryder.com/?p=9662 In early 2020 I went to Gary Indiana & one of our stops was the Abandoned US Post Office. This…

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In early 2020 I went to Gary Indiana & one of our stops was the Abandoned US Post Office.





This was our second in the city & our third stop of the day. This first stop was the well know City Methodist Church!  When we drove by the Abandoned US Post Office I really didn't expect much from it.  The side facing the main road was almost entirely boarded up.  I figured it would be super dark in there but much to my surprise it wasn't!





Unfortunately there really isn't that much information of the The Abandoned US Post Office in Gary Indiana but I was able to get a bit of information! Gary, which is part of the rust belt was thriving from steel production in the 1900's. Once the great depression was in the rear view, the post office was built to "gussy up" the city! It was quite an impressive building however its life span was short. From what I can find out, the post office was closed down sometime in the 1970's. This would be because of dying industry & mass exodus from the city jobs were scare.





The decay here was pretty intense.  Everything of value had been long stripped away.  It makes sense though as the city is very run down.  Plus, this has been abandoned for 40 plus years.  The building was definitely built tough but nature is fighting hard to take it back.  In all honesty I never thought I would explore an abandoned post office of this size but when a city this big hits hard times, there is just no taxes to keep it going.

Abandoned selfie

Of course when I saw a desk sitting in the middle of this decrepit place I had to take a selfie!  Looking forward to some more state side adventures but who knows when that will happen!  Be sure to check out the City Methodist Video & the Abandoned Horace Mann High School Video as well!



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]]> https://riddimryder.com/abandoned-us-post-office/feed/ 6 9662 Abandoned City Methodist Church Gary Indiana https://riddimryder.com/city-methodist-church-gary-indiana/ https://riddimryder.com/city-methodist-church-gary-indiana/#comments Thu, 19 Mar 2020 21:00:00 +0000 https://riddimryder.com/?p=7072 The Abandoned City Methodist Church located in Gary Indiana was at one time the largest of it's kind in the…

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The Abandoned City Methodist Church located in Gary Indiana was at one time the largest of it's kind in the midwest!  I recently took a trip out here with Freaktography for an annual birthday trip.  We were joined by Chris Luckhardt ion this adventure which was great as neither of us had met him & often times it is nice to network among others in this strange hobby of ours!



In 1916 a man by the name of Dr. William Grant Seaman became a pastor & wanted to have a bigger church to serve a larger amount of the community which at the time was rife with brothels & drinking establishments.  With backing from US Steel, the communities largest & primary employer, they not only donated the land in which the church was to be built but also offered up half the cost of to build it!



Construction began in 1925 on the now Abandoned City Methodist Church & took nearly two years to complete at a staggering cost of $800,000.  The first service was held on October 3rd 1925.  The church's organ was donated by Elbert Gary, the man the city was named after.  The sanctuary at the forefront of the structure is part of a much larger nine-story complex which included an adjoining theatre called Seaman Hall, which could seat 1000 people, and contained corporate offices, a gymnasium, a Sunday School and a dining hall. There were plans for a bowling alley, but this was never built. A rooftop garden on the roof of the hall was never finished. By 1927, the church had a congregation of 1,700 & a staff of six.



Within a few short years the congregation had enough of the pastor & him transferred to another church out of state.  His replacement was even more unpopular.  During the great depression parts of the church were leased out & this continued for decades to follow.  The church & its congregation peaked in the 1950's with membership in or around 3000 parishioners.



During the 1960's & 70's Gary was in heavy decline & like other similar cities, this predominately white church experienced major decline as "white flight" took place.   Crime rates soared in the depressed city causing even further decline.  With funds disappearing, the cost to keep the church up was staggering, especially in its lake front location where relentless storms would batter it.  In 1973 the church had approximately 320 members who were mostly elderly & roughly one third of the membership actually attended the services.  After numerous failed attempts at selling the church to another congregation, the church closed its doors for good in 1975.



Although the church was closed, the auditorium & other sections were used up until the late 1990s.  This was around the time the church itself suffered major damage due to a fire accelerating the decay. Th Abandoned City Methodist Church was eventually completely abandoned & left to scrappers, vandals & the elements. Despite the rough reputation the city has I have nothing but positive things to say about the people!  Everyone was curious, friendly & even offered location tips!  As with any city you should be aware of your surroundings & follow your instincts.



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