Monday, December 19, 2016

Gary Union Station

The old Gary Union Station lived a very short life. It was constructed in 1910 by architecture M.A. Lang. It is in the Neoclassical architecture style. The outer shell is made from concrete that was meant to look like stone when it settled an dried. It served the B & O and Michigan Southern railways. The building is almost invisible until one rolls right up on it because it has two tracks on each side, and they are elevated.

The station was abandoned around 1950. Because of the exterior being concrete, it has held up well. Of course the windows have been busted out. The once-grand two-story lobby now sits unrecognizable. It is not safe to go in. The only remnants of its past is a message painted on a column in the front that reads "No parking, cabs only". The old station is now on Indiana's "10 Most Endangered" list. Today, Norfolk Southern trains fly on by on the elevated tracks, not even giving the old station a second look.

Since its abandonment, the station has been used in the filming of two movies. The first was the 1951 crime film "Appointment With Danger". The station was shut down for only months when it was used for the filming of this movie, so it was still in near perfect condition. It was also used the 1996 film "Original Gangstas". It was pretty much destroyed by then, so it served as a hideout and drug den for a gang. It was also featured on the History Channel show "Life After People".

Gary Union Station lived a very short life and it is quite sad to see a grand piece of Indiana, American, industrial, and railway history ingloriously crumble away.

I would love to see this place, but Gary is not a city I have any desire visiting, so I will stick to the photographs I see on other sites.

CHECK OUT:
https://lostindiana.net/2001/05/01/union-station-gary/




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