The city of Gary announced updates for its demolition of several blighted city structures, including the Genesis Convention Center and City Methodist Church.
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“When you look across downtown Gary today, I don’t want our community to only see what is coming down, I want you to see what is coming next,” Mayor Eddie Melton said in a Tuesday news release. “… We honor our history, and the generations of memories made here, but real revitalization requires courage and decisive action. By removing these barriers, we are protecting downtown and public safety, and making room for new housing, local businesses, and modern civil spaces.”
The city gave more details about the demolition of several sites, including the Genesis center, former Gordon’s Department Store Complex, City Methodist Church and St. Mary’s Mercy Hospital.
“From the Genesis Center and Gordon’s to long-standing safety hazards like St. Mary’s Hospital and City Methodist, holding onto unsalvageable buildings has cost our taxpayers millions and stalled our progress,” Melton said in the release.
According to an email to the Post-Tribune, exterior demolition of the Genesis center is scheduled to begin Friday. The on-site parking garage’s demolition is scheduled for early November.
City documents from January and February said the city planned to fund the demolition of the convention center and garage.
In its news release, Gary unveiled that the convention center ran “deep deficits for years,” costing taxpayers $8 million “in operational shortfalls over five years alone.” Gary-based Powers and Sons Construction estimated repairs and stabilization costs would exceed $10 million.
At the Gordon’s complex, the city said “severely compromised masonry, collapsed roof profiles, and prolonged water intrusion” turned the facility into a public safety hazard. Structural demolition is scheduled for late October and November.
The demolition of the Genesis center and Gordon’s complex are the first phase of blight elimination work for some of the city’s iconic buildings.
City leadership are finishing engineering surveys, environmental assessments and procurement schedules for the second phase, which includes City Methodist Church and St. Mary’s Mercy Hospital.
In his State of the City address this year, Melton said they tried to save the church, but it was too much of a safety risk.
“These structures have been dangerous to the community,” Melton previously said. “I know the history. … However, we have to make way for the future.”
According to an email to the Post-Tribune, a demolition schedule for the church hasn’t been scheduled, but officials anticipate a beginning in late October or early November.
The city expects complete demolition and site restoration by Aug. 24, 2027.
Gary officials and the University of Notre Dame School of Architecture are working together for citywide redevelopment. Incoming developments include a new public safety facility, mixed-use housing and commercial development, a new metro center and a central civic plaza.
At 5th Avenue and Broadway, the city plans to add 150 residential units, ground-floor retail, a mini-grocer and dining options, complemented by 90 units at 504 Broadway.
The plaza will be an open gathering corridor that connects the Lake County Courthouse and Hudson-Campbell Sports and Fitness Center, “permanently commemorating the cultural history of the Genesis site.”