Ruins of an abandoned church - Gary, Indiana
Published February 25th, 2008 in Adventure, Photography Tags: No Tags.CMC was shut down in the 70’s due to a lack of attendance and suffered a fire in ‘97 (thanks to Corby for the correction!). To this day, stands in the streets of Gary, Indiana as a relic of the past - the vast sanctuary, shadowy hallways, and decaying innards a testament to the ravages of time.
After about three minutes of driving around a bit aimlessly, I saw a spire above a few old looking buildings about a street away from me. I navigated my way over and found myself at the base of one of the biggest and most beautiful abandoned buildings that I’d ever seen. The second I ducked into a side door, I knew that I’d found it. To the left, a stage littered with all sorts of clothing and wreckage. To the right, a small room leading into a huge sanctuary.
I left after snapping a few photos and returned later with Elise. Here are the results:
I plan on getting back there as soon as possible to take more photos - we had to give up eventually because the sun was quickly fading and our fingers were completely numb from the cold. I plan on exploring more of Gary with my camera soon in the future, as well as the surrounding areas.
Technorati Tags: urban exploration,abandoned,adventure,building,decay,photography,color,snow,rubble
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Great pictures…and I’ve seen 1000’s of City Methodist. One point of clarification, though… The church closed in 1975 after declining membership forced the congregation to abandon its mission. It went from 3,000 members in the 1950s to less than 200 at the time it offered its final service on October 5, 1975. The few people remaining could not afford the basic maintenance costs of the structure. The fire came much later, in 1997. Which makes me wonder… Does anyone have pictures of this place from 1975 to 1997?
Thanks for the comments and corrections! Do you study Gary history or did you just take an interest in the building? It does have quite a history.
omg.. good work, dude
I am constantly amazed at folk who brave all the Gary is today to tour these ruins. Having been born, raised and educated in Gary, I would love to do so myself, someday. I would fear for my safety, I must admit.
All who are interested can take a safe, virtual tour of Gary by visiting the Dave’s Den web site. There is a lot, and I do mean alot, of “Steel City” info there.
Thanks for the visit, Dave. Yeah, I fear for my safety,but I also travel in groups (usually four, sometimes more). I also carry with me mace and a giant club of a flashlight just in case.
So far, I haven’t run into anything horrible at all. Personable people interested in what I’m doing and other explorers for the most part. I guess I’ve gotten lucky so far - that’s why I’m looking into some insurance for my camera.
Sorry for the late reply… I just recently became interested in City Methodist and Gary after having read a book by James Lewis, ‘The Protestant Experience in Gary, Indiana, 1906-1975: At Home in the City.’ Although I have a church background both academically and in practice, my interest is more in how a community can rise and fall as quickly as Gary. The first pastor of City Methodist, William Seaman, sought to bring an inclusive ministry into the city by offering a church that went beyond just Sunday morning preaching. The design of the campus bears this out. The gym, the education/commercial wing, and the sanctuary were all meant to feed more than just the soul. Looking at the structure now, some may argue that his experiment which lasted only 49 years failed, and miserably. Nevertheless, Seaman’s mission was noble and is worthy of reconsideration, not only in Gary, but in every community.
I keep wondering what purpose this space serves now. Sure, it’s an awesome spot to photograph. But why does this sanctuary stir the soul more than any well-lit, air-conditioned, meticulously maintained cathedral I can find in almost any city in America?
As it stands now — City Methodist represents the future if we do not reexamine what it means to be authentically human and in search of something better for all. I would love to be a part of an ongoing conversation about this place. In one sense, it may have been abandoned decades ago, but there is something powerful there worth rediscovering.
Anyone interested?
Heading to Chicago on Verizon’s gps (a mistake I am so happy we made) we were directed to SR12 and when existing we found no SR 12 sign so we decided turn around making circle around the city’s block and we came across the same church and we quickly pulled out the camera with my daughter shouted let’s get out and go in and take pictures. Of course being older and thinking we are wiser we kept going but were able to take one picture. Of course having captured the beauty and not the sadness that over came us that day (4/5/08).
The mystery of those few seconds has been embedded in all four of our minds as long as we have the privilege to remember. I personally can not stop thinking about going back nor about why we didn’t stop (besides the fact that we had to pick our son up from the airport) that day. We knew instantly that that church had impacted us.
Corby expresses what has been going through our minds since that day. I think it stirs our souls because it does represent the possible future of our country, the chaos in our present time. My husband I recently went to New Orleans to visit our son who is working south of the city (Bursas and Venice) in environmental clean up and we can honestly say that the city looked just like Gary but they have a reason, KATRINA. What natural disaster hurt Gary? Was it man?
It tore our hearts to see the disaster left behind from Katrina still today and now seeing Gary we are even more confused. Do we wonder why we spend so much money abroad when we have so much hurt here…?
Kyle thanks for the pictures!!! Corby thanks for the history. I plan to return, this a history lesson for my children for them to share with theirs…
Lynette
Where exactly is this church? I’m planning a Gary exploration, but I’ve never been there.