Marathon Pundit: The abandoned stores of Gary, Indiana

John Ruberry describes the former "city of the century" in the first paragraph of his recent post:

Gary is Indiana's reply to Detroit. After its population peaked at 175,000 in 1960, now only about 75,000 people live in what was once the Hoosier State's second largest city.

Palace Theater, Gary, IN

 In November 2017, when Ruberry returned from Motown - for those of you who don't know Detroit, Michigan - he made a stop in Gary. This post takes a look at the old commercial buildings along Broadway in Gary.  One of his pics shows the Palace Theater which are one of the buildings on Broadway that Ruberry documents:

Probably every town in America in the 1920s with 50,000 or more residents had a movie palace that doubled as a vaudeville theater. Gary's showplace was the Palace Theater, which opened in 1925. It closed in 1972. To be fair, many, perhaps most of these theaters went dark after television sets became the focal point of most living rooms, so Gary shouldn't be clobbered over the demise of the Palace.

But hang in there, I'll start slapping Gary around soon.

Donald Trump, when he was a real estate mogul, also owned the Miss USA pageant, which amazingly was held in Gary at the Genesis Convention Center in 2001 and 2002. For the latter beauty display, the future president fixed up the front of the Palace and placed "Jackson Five Tonite" on the marquee. The Jacksons of course were from Gary but moved away shortly after signing with Motown in the late 1960s. After Michael Jackson's death in 2009, according to Wikipedia, new placards declaring "Jackson Five Forever" were placed on the marquee. As you can see none of those signs remain.

I didn't know about our current President's forays into Gary in the early 2000s. He even tried to dress up Gary for one of his pageants.

As I've said Gary could be a very wonderful opportunity for someone with deep pockets and a good plan. If I was such a person my first concern would be issues with bad gov't. For example, would I get heavily taxed for my real estate  or would someone come out the woodworks and say I must hire from within Gary. I'm sure there are other roadblocks so to speak that could be contrived by a politician or an uscrupulous activist. Bottom line is Gary is a blank slate waiting for investment.

The future investment of Gary, Indiana could begin not only with the revitalization of Broadway it could certainly begin with capitalizing on it's connect with the Michael Jackson and the Jackson family. Of course in light of the "King of Pop" untimely demise this was the plan though it's hard to say what has come of those plans since then.

A few days ago I posted a documentary about Gary from 2013, if you're curious about what happened with Gary give it a watch. Certainly go read Ruberry's post about Gary's Broadway.

Speaking of political dynasties....

Kind of what was mentioned in last night's post about corruption in Illinois one may start to emerge in the City of Gary thanks to this report from Chicago Public Radio. The daughter of former Mayor Richard Hatcher is seeking Gary's Mayoralty:

Right now, [Ragen Hatcher is] an at-large member of the Gary City Council. Instead of making a bid for another four-year term, she wants another position in the city: mayor. If she wins May’s Democratic primary, and then the general election in November, she would be the first woman to hold that seat.and, of course, she would be the second Hatcher at the city’s helm.

Gary’s next mayor, regardless of whether it’s a Hatcher or not, will face serious problems. The next mayor will have to reduce crime, improve the city’s failing schools and find ways to attract economic investment.  Plus, the city’s nearly broke, thanks in large part to Indiana’s new property tax cap system and major reductions in U.S. Steel’s tax obligations.
...
However it’s not a foregone conclusion that Ragen Hatcher will actually get an electoral boost by being associated with her father. After all, not everyone views the name ‘Hatcher’ through the rosy glow of the civil rights movement—some actually associate the name with the city’s deterioration during Richard Hatcher’s 20 year tenure the city saw a mass exodus of the city’s white population.

“Out in the suburbs, Hatcher’s name has a negative connotation,” said James Lane, history professor at Indiana University Northwest in Gary and co-founder of the Calumet Regional Archives at IUN. “Many blame (Hatcher) for having to loose their homes or sell their homes at bargain basement prices but that trend might have been hurried by Hatcher’s election but that trend was going on.”

Here's is who she will likely be facing well in next years Gary municipal elections:

One is another woman: Karen Freeman Wilson, a graduate of Harvard law school. Freeman Wilson has done a little of everything. She served as Gary City Court judge and was appointed as Indiana attorney general by Indiana Gov. Frank O’Bannon in 2000.  Another opponent, and perhaps the toughest to beat, is Rudy Clay. He’s held the office since 2006. Clay is also a veteran of Lake County, Indiana’s rough and tumble political game.

“Her name is only going to help her in the fact that she’s in opposition to the incumbent,” [Gary resident Derric Price] said. “Other than that, people are going to look for ideas. What are you going to do different?”

You should read the whole article. I'm going to assume Gary's municipal elections are next year. Of course Chicago's municipal elections will commence on February 22, 2011.

You can check out Ms. Ragen Hatcher's campaign website here.

Trying to Ignite Spark of Revival in a Grim Gary

Let's hope this struggling Indiana city, a suburb of Chicago, can be revitalized by this man's efforts:

Anthony Broadnax clambered up the stairs of a vacant brick building in Gary, Ind., on Thursday, stepping through rubble left by thieves who had ransacked the structure for copper. The thick burgundy carpet was littered with trophies, microwave popcorn and plastic flowers.

Mr. Broadnax, 43, hopes to transform the building into the headquarters of a company that oversees revitalization projects. An engineer and Gary native who returned to the area from Houston four years ago eager to help transform his home town, he has big dreams: to turn an old library with a tree growing through its floor into a recycling center; to remake a towering apartment building with holes in its brick walls into a Hilton.

But the view from the building reveals the challenges that must be overcome. To the north are the belching smokestacks of U.S. Steel’s Gary Works, one of the few economic engines left in the city, but also a source of air pollution. Vacant lots and slumping abandoned houses line the road outside. The building itself was the headquarters of a company whose director pleaded guilty to 13 felony fraud-related counts, and stands as a symbol of the persistent corruption that is often blamed for failed efforts to revitalize the city.

Now, two unlikely partners — the Chicago-based Metropolitan Planning Council and The Times Media Company, publisher of the Northwest Indiana Times — have taken the lead in a planning process that they hope will ignite lasting changes and save Gary.

Another interesting piece about Gary can be found at Chicagoist. They basically take a look at this piece from a BBC reporter about how stimulus funds haven't benefitted Gary.

5-year-old bound, tortured, killed

Got wind of this story yesterday and I'm greatful for the follow-up. This boy's own father is charged with his death!

A Gary, Indiana man is charged with the murder of his 5-year-old son.

Leon Burns was questioned by police Thursday. He is now charged with one count of murder as well as battery and neglect of a dependent.

Investigators say his son, Leon Walker, had been tied up and tortured in their home.

The boy would have turned 6 years old on Monday.

The next thing I want to know is what possessed him to tie up and torture his own son?

Even sadder is that his mother wasn't there. She's in drug rehab. Surely there was someone out there in that little boy's family who could've fought for him!

Gary's mayor has big hopes for Michael Jackson boyhood home

Jackson's modest home to become like "Graceland":

The mayor is calling Jackson's modest boyhood home the new Graceland, and others hope to use Jackson's name to raise funds for a museum.

But Jackson and his family, like so many others, left the northwest Indiana city behind a long time ago.

...

But Clay shook his head when asked if Neverland might be a better location for die hard fans to connect to the singer's legacy.

"No. No. No," Clay said. "If you're going to build a museum to Michael Jackson you should build it where the true love for him is."

The Jacksons moved from Gary after the Jackson 5 recorded their first album in 1969.

By that time, the steel industry, in which Jackson's father had worked, had started to decline. Over the following decades, the city's unemployment and poverty soared, crime increased and the population dwindled.

Nearly 200,000 people lived in Gary in the 1960s. By 2007, that dropped to 96,000 and one-third of residents lived below the poverty line, according to recent U.S. Census data.

Clay said he hopes Jackson's death will help energize officials to push for building a memorial, which could include arts center and museum, to the singer in his childhood hometown. Proposals also include moving the Jackson home near an interstate that serves as a main route for commuters heading to and from Chicago, Clay said.

I compiled some video links from my local CBS affiliate over at my other blog, The Sixth Ward. As for Gary, trying to get tourists to come is a great idea, but I think Gary needs more than strong love for a favorite son!

Pic of the Jackson family home is from Flickr!