Forgotten Cities | Gary, Indiana

Feb 2011

By Hank Jarz — Filed under: Featured ,Heritage , David Tribby Photography, Gary, Indiana, USA

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David Tribby, of David Tribby Photography has spent the past few years documenting the abandoned and decaying architecture of Gary, Indiana and has shared his collection of work with us. Considering his work, Gary’s past and Gary’s present allows us to discuss a broader topic, the possible outcomes for abandoned architecture and their role in today’s urban centers. More of David Tribby’s photographs and a brief narrative after the break.

Urban disinvestment and subsequent urban renewal is an unfortunate American reality that many rust belt cities have struggled with over the last fifty years. The current state of Gary, Indiana is an all too familiar one, sharing a fate similar to much of its larger neighbors. Tying themselves too closely to specific industries sealed their regression, with only the varying levels of devastation left behind for those who attempt to rebuild. David Tribby , has built a volume of work from his photography of Gary, Indiana’s historic (and abandoned) architecture.

Much like many individuals with strong ties to Gary, David comes from a family of steel workers whose profession has been the city’s economic driver since its inception as a company town over one hundred years ago. During the height of steel production in Northwest Indiana, Gary reached a peak population exceeding 200,000 and was a bustling urban center just twenty five miles from downtown Chicago.

However, as international competitiveness in the steel market raised in the 1960s, the manufacturing sector of Gary began to down size and force much of its blue collar workforce to search elsewhere for jobs. The result was a 50% population loss within thirty years and a density loss that dis joined many neighborhoods, underfunded city services and forced the shuttering of many prominent destinations within Gary.

While the attraction of many of David’s subjects is caused by his family’s relationships with the now abandoned structures, he has developed a connection between the historic decaying architecture littering Gary with the city’s current identity loss.

“I believe architecture is a strong way a community identifies itself. Other countries use their buildings for hundreds of years, they seem to care more for their history. Simple preservation techniques could of kept these buildings viable, but now most are too far gone to renovate or too expensive to tear down. …I believe if preserved several of these buildings could still play a key role in Gary’s revitalization.”

This connection leads us to an interesting set of questions to ponder. What role should abandoned architecture play in the reinvestment and rebuilding of today’s decaying urban centers? Should these pieces of architecture be preserved in their current state as monuments to the past? Modern day ruins? Or does the future of urban environments such as Gary necessitate the costly restoration of these community icons to their former glories? Such an image would surely do wonders for the community, but how can cities with so many pressing concerns viably place costly preservation and restoration projects ahead of basic infrastructure or basic city services? Or are abandoned works of architecture like these in Gary too damaging to the rebuilding efforts to warrant their protection? Would demolishing them and starting with a clean slate allow the city to move on and rewrite its own history?

From: Gary Indiana | A City’s Ruins, David Tribby Photography – FULL GALLERY HERE

: © David Tribby Photography

: © David Tribby Photography

: © David Tribby Photography

: © David Tribby Photography

: © David Tribby Photography

: © David Tribby Photography

: © David Tribby Photography

: © David Tribby Photography

: © David Tribby Photography

: © David Tribby Photography

: © David Tribby Photography

: © David Tribby Photography

: © David Tribby Photography

* Location to be used only as a reference. It could indicate city/country but not exact address.

Cite:
Jarz , Hank . "Forgotten Cities | Gary, Indiana" 09 Feb 2011. ArchDaily. Accessed 21 May 2012. <http://www.archdaily.com/109891>

Comments (8)
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Links to this entry (2)

Duarte says:

This is Michael Jakson home town!

# February 9, 2011 at 18:01

munter roe says:

The future of amer-ika in a few quick snaps.

# February 10, 2011 at 05:30

jim smith says:

I have seen David’s work before. Excellent capture of the sadness of once great buildings in a town struggling against many problems.

# February 10, 2011 at 08:48

freud says:

Pictures look like CGI because of the terrible over-processing… If you want to show hard reality, don’t make it look like a fantasy blockbuster.

# February 10, 2011 at 11:51

Hank Jarz says:

I filed information about each building photographed under “description”, but unfortunately that is not accessible once published, I apologize. For all of those interested here is the break down of the buildings listed.

1. City Methodist Church, 575 Washington St.

architect: Lowe & Bollenbacher
style: Gothic
built: 1925-6
closed: 1975

2. U.S. Post Office, 109 East 6th Ave.

architect: Howard Cheney
style: Art Deco
built: 1936
closed: late-1970s

3. Ambassador Apartments, 574 Monroe St.

architect: William Stern
style: Renaissance Revival
built: 1928
closed: mid-1980s

4. Paintball

5. Industrial Warehouse

6. Gary Depot, 301 Broadway Ave.

a.k.a.:
Union Station
Lake Shore and Baltimore & Ohio Depot

architect: M.A. Lang
style: Neoclassical
built: 1908-10
closed: 1950s

7. Gary Depot, 301 Broadway Ave.

8. Gary Public Schools Memorial Auditorium, E. 7th Ave. & Massachusetts St.

architect: Joseph Wildermuth
masonry: John Largura
style: Mission / Spanish Revival
built: 1925-7
closed: late-1970s

9. Gary Bathing House, Miller Beach, 1 Marquette Dr., Marquette Park

architect: George W. Maher & Son
style: Prairie / Classical Revival
built: 1921
closed: 1971
reopened: 1991

10. City Methodist Church, 575 Washington St.

11. City Methodist Church, 575 Washington St.

12. City Methodist Church, 575 Washington St.

13. Ambassador Apartments, 574 Monroe St.

Once again, sorry for the inconvenience.

# February 10, 2011 at 15:26

Gary says:

Hi, check out the Gary awareness foundation blog at http://thegaryawarenessfoundation.blogspot.com/
cheers

# May 3, 2011 at 22:59

Abandoned says:

It’s truly a great and helpful piece of info. I am satisfied that you shared this helpful information with us. Please stay us up to date like this. Thank you for sharing.

# February 4, 2012 at 11:26

Frank Hocza says: