Gary Union Station, Gary

A 1910 Gateway On Broadway

Union Station belongs to the first generation of Gary's steel-era urban buildout, when passenger rail still shaped how a city announced itself. Its presence on Broadway placed the station inside the same public geography that carried banks, office buildings, churches, and civic life.

That location gives the building more force than a generic depot would have. The station was part of downtown Gary's original claim to metropolitan stature, not a leftover structure stranded after the fact.

From Preservation Cleanup To Reuse Plan

Indiana Landmarks' 2017 Gary preservation update treated Union Station as one of the downtown buildings that local advocates were actively making visible again. The Decay Devils cleaned the station so tours and public attention could reach it more directly, helping frame the site as a candidate for reuse rather than as a sealed-off relic.

That campaign eventually fed into a newer redevelopment phase. Indiana Landmarks reported on January 18, 2024 that the city, Decay Devils, and Digital Equity LLC had broken ground in August 2023 on a plan to adapt the station as a Fiber Smart House, job training center, and public space.

How The Station Still Shapes Downtown Imagination

Union Station remains useful even while it is not operating as a passenger terminal. The building still sits inside the downtown study area of the Gary Livable Centers Plan, which keeps it tied to larger discussions about walkability, investment, and historic fabric near Broadway and the South Shore corridor.

That continuing relevance is what makes the station an anchor rather than a curiosity. It still helps define how people picture downtown Gary's past and how they argue about its future.