The Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority is seeking bids to raze City Methodist Church and St. Mary’s Hospital in Gary.
A pre-bid meeting is set for 10 a.m. Thursday at 549 Washington St. to visit each of the sites so bidders can get a sense of the scope of the two projects.
Both buildings, vacant for decades, have been in disrepair.
City Methodist Church, a historic landmark, has a marker in front that briefly tells the structure’s history.
Rev. William Seaman founded the church in 1926 to serve as a “Christianizing influence” on the diverse population of the young city. “The ornate Methodist cathedral, founded in part by U.S. Steel, houses a gym, theater, music studio, cafeteria and commercial unit,” the marker said.
In 1927, the church had a congregation of about 1,700 and a staff of six. By the 1950s, its membership was more than 3,000. As Gary lost population in the 1960s and 1970s, the church’s primarily white congregation shrank until it closed in 1975.
The church has been popular with urban explorers photographing the decayed interior.
At one time, Gary officials had talked about creating a ruins garden, preserving iconic portions of the building, but the demolition now includes the sanctuary, fellowship hall, theater and bell tower, RDA Communications Director David Wellman said Tuesday.
The St. Mary’s Hospital demolition includes the hospital, heating plant and converted shop, as well as the adjacent paint and carpentry building, Wellman said. The public safety building is still in use.
The hospital has also seen urban explorers investigating the ruins.
The buildings are both falling apart, Wellman said. The roof at City Methodist Church caved in years ago.
Bids will be opened Aug. 3.
The demolition projects are part of the Gary Blight Elimination Program, authorized by the Indiana General Assembly in 2023 and managed jointly by the RDA and the city. The first $12 million for the program – half from Gary and half from the RDA – has been boosted by an additional $15 million from the Indiana Economic Development Corp.’s READI 2.0 program to fund additional demolition work, renovations to the Hudson & Campbell Center and incentives for new development.
Doug Ross is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
