Downtown Gary

Last updated
Downtown Gary
Neighborhood
City Hall and Superior Courthouse in Gary.jpg
City Hall and the Lake County Superior Courthouse
US-IN-Gary-Downtown.png
Location within the city of Gary
Coordinates: 41°36′14″N87°20′14″W / 41.6039°N 87.33717°W / 41.6039; -87.33717
Country Flag of the United States.svg  United States
State Indiana
County Lake County
City Gary
Founded1906
Population
 (2000) [1]
  Total8,042
Time zone UTC-6 (CST)
  Summer (DST) UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code
46402
Area code 219

Downtown Gary is split by Broadway into two separate neighborhoods in north-central Gary, Indiana, United States. Emerson and Downtown West combine to form what is known as Downtown Gary. It was part of the original plat built by the United States Steel Corporation. It is located east of Grant Street, south of the Grand Calumet River, north of 9th Avenue, and west of Interstate 65. Downtown West borders Ambridge Mann to the west and Midtown to the south, [2] but it is separated from the Aetna and Pulaski neighborhoods to the east and south by an industrial corridor. [2]

Contents

Governmental

Gary City Hall and Lake County Superior Courthouse are located at the north end of Downtown Gary. The two domed structures stand across Broadway from each other along 4th Avenue. Further south along Broadway are the Indiana Department of Social Services building and the Gary Housing Authority offices. Along 5th Avenue are the Calumet Township Trustee's office, the Gary Police Department, and the main branch of the Gary Public Library.

Commercial

Much of the commercial property along Broadway and Washington Street is now vacant. There is some new development along 5th Avenue. A large area of the downtown neighborhood (including City Methodist) was devastated by fire on October 12, 1997. [3] [4] The Genesis Convention Center was built in 1981 in a failed effort to stimulate a rebirth of the downtown. It is located along Broadway and 5th Avenue. It formerly hosted professional basketball, but now hosts only events and concerts. In 2001 the U.S. Steel Yard baseball stadium was built in another effort to stimulate development. Built on what was once a fairly blighted section of housing, its construction was highly controversial. However, it has proven somewhat successful drawing fans from surrounding communities. [5] In September 2009, the one-millionth fan walked into the U.S. Steel Yard. [6]

Residential

The Downtown neighborhood suffers from extensive vacant lots and abandoned buildings. [7] As of 2000, Downtown Gary had a population of 8,042. [1] About 38% of the housing stock is owner-occupied. [8] However, there were 44 new housing units built between 5th and 6th Avenue east of Broadway. [9]

Transportation

The neighborhood is served by the Indiana Toll Road directly to its north, which has exits at Broadway, Grant Street, and 5th Avenue, by Interstate 65 to the east, which has an exit on 5th Avenue, and by US 12 /20 also to the north. The Adam Benjamin Metro Center is located just north of 4th Avenue. It is operated by the Gary Public Transportation Corporation and acts as a multimodal hub. [10] Public transportation is provided by the buses of the Gary Public Transportation Corporation, which run along Broadway and 5th Avenue.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gary, Indiana</span> City in Indiana, United States

Gary is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The city has been historically dominated by major industrial activity and is home to U.S. Steel's Gary Works, the largest steel mill complex in North America. Gary is located along the southern shore of Lake Michigan about 25 miles (40 km) southeast of downtown Chicago, Illinois. The city is adjacent to the Indiana Dunes National Park, and is within the Chicago metropolitan area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake County, Indiana</span> County in Indiana, United States

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miller Beach</span> Neighborhood in Lake County, Indiana, United States

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">U.S. Route 20 in Indiana</span> Highway in Indiana

U.S. Route 20 (US 20) in Indiana is a main east–west highway that is parallel to the Indiana Toll Road. The western terminus of US 20 is at the Illinois state line and the eastern terminus is at the Ohio state line. US 20 through Whiting, East Chicago, and Gary is concurrent with US 12 twice. The route varies between one-way, two-lane, and four-lane streets, in Northwest Indiana. From the east side of Gary to west of South Bend, US 20 is a four-lane undivided highway. The route then heads around the west and south sides of South Bend and Elkhart as a four-lane limited access divided highway. East of State Road 15 (SR 15), US 20 is two-lane rural highway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tolleston</span> Neighborhood in Lake County, Indiana, United States

Tolleston is a neighborhood and former town in west-central Gary, Indiana. It is situated south of Ambridge, west of Midtown, east of Westside and north of Black Oak. Tolleston is the site of two large city parks, a historic cemetery, and the oldest church north of the Little Calumet River. The neighborhood's borders are defined by the Norfolk Southern tracks on the north, Grant Street on the east, 25th Avenue on the south, and Clark Road on the west. As of 2000, Tolleston had a population of 14,289, and was 97.5% African-American.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aetna (Gary)</span> Neighborhood in Lake County, Indiana, United States

Aetna is a neighborhood in northeastern Gary, Indiana, south of Miller Beach and east of Interstate 65. As of 2000, the neighborhood had a population of 4,942, which was 83% black and 11% white.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ambridge Mann</span> Neighborhood in Lake County, Indiana, United States

Ambridge Mann, sometimes called Ambridge-Horace Mann or Horace Mann-Ambridge, is a neighborhood in northwestern Gary, Indiana. It is bounded by the Grand Calumet River on the north, by Grant Street on the east, by Chase Street on the west, and by the Norfolk Southern railroad on the south. Adjacent areas include an industrial district to the north, Downtown West to the east, Tolleston to the south, and Brunswick to the west. As of 2000, Ambridge Mann had a population of 6,236, which was 96.3% African-American. Located just south of Interstate 90, the neighborhood can be seen while passing Buchanan Street.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glen Park (Gary)</span> Neighborhood in Lake County, Indiana, United States

Glen Park, also sometimes called University Park, is the most populous neighborhood in Gary, Indiana. It is situated on the city's far south side, south of the Little Calumet River and Borman Expressway. The neighborhood is often divided into Glen Park East and Glen Park West, on the respective sides of Broadway. Within Gary, Glen Park borders on Black Oak to the west and Midtown and Pulaski to the north; beyond Gary, it adjoins Hobart, Merrillville, and unincorporated Calumet Township. As of 2000, the neighborhood had a population of 25,454, approximately a third of Gary's total population. In terms of race, as of 2000 Glen Park was 86% African-American, 9% white, and 5.5% Hispanic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Midtown (Gary)</span> Neighborhood in Lake County, Indiana, United States

Midtown, also called Central, is a neighborhood in central Gary, Indiana. For many decades it was the only African-American neighborhood in the city. It is located south of Downtown West and north of Glen Park along Broadway, Gary's principal thoroughfare. It adjoins the neighborhoods of Tolleston to the west and Pulaski to the east. As of 2000, Midtown had a population of 12,056.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black Oak (Gary)</span> Neighborhood in Lake County, Indiana, United States

Black Oak is a neighborhood located on the far southwest side of Gary, Indiana. As of 2000, Black Oak had a population of 4,216, which was 84.7% white. It is Gary's only majority-white neighborhood, and the most recent neighborhood added to the city. Black Oak was annexed in 1976, under the administration of mayor Richard Hatcher. Prior to that, Black Oak had been an unincorporated area informally associated with nearby Hammond, and the area has Hammond telephone numbers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brunswick (Gary)</span> Neighborhood in Lake County, Indiana, United States

Brunswick is a neighborhood in northwestern Gary, Indiana, just south of Gary Chicago Airport. It borders Hammond and East Chicago to the west, and the Gary neighborhoods of Ambridge Mann to the east and Westside to the south. The borders are defined by the Indiana Toll Road on the north, Chase Street on the east, the Norfolk Southern railway on the south and Cline Avenue on the west. As of 2000, Brunswick had a population of 4,442 people, which was 84.6% African-American and 7.7% white. Like many Gary neighborhoods, Brunswick was a segregated white community until the early 1970s, when a massive white flight occurred.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Westside (Gary)</span> Neighborhood in Lake County, Indiana, United States

Westside is a neighborhood in west-central Gary, Indiana, USA, bounded by the Cline Avenue expressway on the west, the Norfolk Southern railroad on the north, Clark Road on the east and 25th Avenue on the south. It lies directly east of the Hessville neighborhood of Hammond. Within Gary, it adjoins the neighborhoods of Brunswick, Tolleston and Black Oak. In 2000, Westside had a population of 6,153, which was 63.3% African-American and 31.9% white, with 10.1% Hispanic ethnicity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emerson (Gary)</span> Neighborhood in Lake County, Indiana, United States

Emerson, also called Downtown East, is a neighborhood in north-central Gary, Indiana. Emerson and Downtown West combine to form what is known as Downtown Gary. It was part of the original plat built by the United States Steel Corporation. Emerson is located east of Broadway, south of the Grand Calumet River, north of Ninth Avenue and west of Interstate 65. As of 2000, it had a population of 3,358. Emerson borders directly on Downtown West to the west but is separated from the Aetna and Pulaski neighborhoods to the east and south by an industrial corridor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Downtown West (Gary)</span> Neighborhood in Lake County, Indiana, United States

Downtown West, is a neighborhood in north-central Gary, Indiana. Emerson and Downtown West combine to form what is known as Downtown Gary. It was part of the original plat built by the United States Steel Corporation. It is located East of Grant Street, south of the Grand Calumet River, north of 9th Avenue and west of Broadway. As of 2000, Downtown West had a population of 4,684. Downtown West borders Emerson to the east, Ambridge Mann to the west, and Midtown to the south.

References

  1. 1 2 City of Gary 2008, p. 142,145.
  2. 1 2 City of Gary 2008, p. 134.
  3. "Indiana Historic Architecture Editorials". Preserveindiana.com. Retrieved 2012-04-25.
  4. "Blaze Hits Downtown Gary". Chicago Tribune. October 13, 1997. Retrieved 24 April 2012.
  5. City of Gary 2008, p. 146.
  6. Steinberg, Neil (2009-09-13). "Gary shows signs of hope, revival". Chicago Sun Times. Archived from the original on 2009-09-22. Retrieved 2009-10-01.
  7. City of Gary 2008, p. 143.
  8. City of Gary 2008, p. 143,145.
  9. City of Gary 2008, p. 145.
  10. City of Gary 2008, p. 141.