There are so many abandoned places in Indiana! This is a list of the top three abandoned places in Indiana. Browse through all abandoned places in Indiana
The now abandoned Horace Mann school in Gary adds to the many other monuments that have been left to rot by the city of Gary. The school whose construction began in the early 1900s and took seven years to complete operated for 76 years after which it was closed and deserted.
Horace Mann High School’s existence began in 1920 when residents of Gary appealed to William Wirt for a school. This was brought about by the increasing population of the town. Being one of the most trusted and invested investors, Wirt who spearheaded the construction of Emerson School (one of the best-built schools in Indiana state) was the best fit. At this time, Mann School was operational but had less than 50 students due to a lack of funding to complete other buildings in the school. After consultation, William Wirt began the renovation of Mann High School into a complex high-end public school. As if that was not enough, Wirt went further and landscaped the whole property making Mann unique from other schools. Many confused Mann to be a private school after the facelift. The main building was the largest of all the structures, the central building featured 48 classrooms as well as offices, gyms (2), swimming pools (2), a man-made pond, and many others. These grand finishes attracted many in Gary and beyond. First enrollment in 1929 recorded a population of more than 800 students. By 1940, Horace Mann High School had a population of 2600 students.
Over the years that the school was operational, racial segregation was the order of the day. Many of the students (about 99%) were all whites. This was an issue as most parents and the administration were not ready to accept negros. This did not only cause conflict and strikes among the community tainting the school’s name but years later led to its downfall. Years later, the population of the school began to diminish. This was brought by white flight that came about when a black man took office as the new Mayor of Gary. By 2003, the school was made up of 98% negros and 2% Latinos. Due to the low number of students, the government cut down funding at the institution. This in turn forced the school board to close the school since it was becoming increasingly expensive to manage.
Today, Horace Mann High School is in total ruin. Furniture in the building has been broken and the rest scattered all over the floor. Books, trophies, lab equipment lie on the floor of what looks like a storage room. Graffiti has colored the walls of the building giving it an archaic and modern chaotic building of today. Inspectors declared the building a safety and structural problem. The plan to demolish the building has not been made clear by the managing body. The old school is out of bounds to the general public.
Ambassador apartments are the best example of how rich Gary is when it comes to abandoned architectural structures. Built in the early 1920s, these world-class apartments meant for the flamboyant residents of Gary began operations in 1928, shortly after its completion. Having features like a rooftop garden and many others, the housing complex was one of the best and most preferred in Indiana State. After nearly a century in operations, the complex building proved to be difficult to maintain leading to its closure and abandonment.
In the 1920s, most of the states in the U.S.A were growing up at a rapid rate, both in population and development. Indiana was one of the elephant states that started on the right foot having Gary as one of their most developed towns. More people coming into Indiana and Gary meant that more organized housing facilities were required. Having more corporates coming into the town both for work and investments, the residential market had to be top-notch than those substandard and obsolete buildings that were already there. That is how a proposal to build a mega housing complex in the middle of the town where most offices and blue-collar workers liked. Ambassador Apartments’ construction, therefore, began in 1921.
The Ambassador Apartments did well for over 50 years when white flight drastically caused both economic and population decline in the city. Many of the residents were white settlers and when the only black mayor of the city was elected, they were agitated to the point of relocating to other towns. This reduced the number of tenants in the building which in turn reduced revenue collected by the management. Low profit forced the managers of the housing complex to ignore routine maintenance taking the building to a slow death. By the 1970s, the building had not only reduced in the number of occupants but also in terms of structural beauty too. Its beauty had faded over the years of no maintenance. Most residents left when an inspection done by city authorities declared the apartment complex unsafe. 1985 was the final year of operations of the housing complex.
After the closure of the apartment complex, it went into further deterioration and local gangs made it their favorite spot. Many of the homeless also claimed territories in the building. You would rarely get a room that had not been claimed. Windows, doors, and furniture were broken or looted and the walls colored by vandals and graffiti artists. Some sections of the walls have given up and collapsed. Ambassador Apartments is currently under the management of Jefferson Park Community but is still in total ruin. Efforts to restore the building by the new managing body were not futile. The building is in bad shape and locals are discouraged from exploring.
Palace Theater in Gary, Indiana, USA is an abandoned 1900 atmospheric theater. It operated for four and half decades, as one of the grandest theaters in Gary. Palace theater slowly declined to close in 1972.
Palace theater was a brainchild of Young and Wolf Enterprise (a legendary entertainment company). The company had several theaters not only in Indiana but in the whole of the USA. In 1924, the company decided to build one more theater at 791 Broadway in Gary. The theater which would later be called Place Theater groundbreaking therefore began. Uniquely designed from all the other theaters, it was designed by John Ebberson with an atmospheric finishing that had never been seen in Indiana state. It was the only atmospheric-style theater in Gary. A year later, Palace Theater was opened for business taking almost all movie enthusiasts in Gary. Live performance, dances, and ballet were some of the other activities that were performed in the theater.
Palace theater did well for the first 3 decades having the highest number of customers than any other theater in town. Though competition was stiff, no theater had the resources that it did, giving it an upper hand in every way. The turbulence began between 1950 and 1960 when there was an economic decline in Indiana State. The economic decline escalated unemployment in Gary which in turn increased violence and crime in the neighborhoods. Palace theater being centrally located in the most depressed region of the state, frequent violence and crime followed it like a shadow. Attacks and muggings were reported in and out of the theater. This discouraged many locals who were afraid of setting foot in or around the theater. Two crimes that would lead to its permanent closure were in 1968 and 1972. A 15-year-old teenager was stabbed to death in the crowded lobby of the theater. Four years later a lady was attacked and sexually assaulted while in the theater’s washrooms. These two incidents forced the theater to be shut down permanently in 1972.
Shortly after closure, the theater changed hands and use. William Carl purchased it in 1975 and turned it into a residential building and offices. The business failed and it was again purchased by a group of doctors, Gandhi King Corp. They too abandoned the building after it became expensive to restore. Today, the building is in complete ruin. The roof has since collapsed exposing the interior to rainwater and sunshine. Graffiti covers a major section of the looted interior. Currently, it is a haven for drug dealers and other illegalities. Extremely contaminated and dirty, locals are discouraged from exploring the property.