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| Photo © 2013 Tim Arends Used with Permission*. |
A photo by Tim Arends, of Preserve Indiana, shows the Sanctuary wing from outside in the early 80s.
Twas a Grand House of Worship Indeed.
Opening in 1926, City Methodist was one of the first racially integrated churches of the time.
And retail space at street level, below the educational wing that generated additional revenue for the church through the good times. Another historic photo from Preserve Indiana focuses us on this space, long ago;
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Re-purposed throughout their life, the litter and ephemera within the retail spaces today obscure most clues to what enterprises operated here through the years.
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Rubble pile within a storefront along Washington Street An auditorium suited to host film and staged productions was included in the design. 
Five lonely chairs survive the vandals and elements the church has endured
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Creating an evening and weekend community center, just blocks from the heart of downtown.
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| Though the house is quiet, a visit to the Seaman Auditorium sets ones imagination afire |
The church was a credit to the Rev Seaman, his networking and fund-raising made this church possible, but this was no small feat. Some corners had been cut to meet budget, others were misplaced by oversight or accident.
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| The columns lining the sanctuary are one of the engineering oversights. One pair, larger than intended, their size prohibited the quantity of seating inside the church. |
Important amenities were made possible through the good Reverend's works. A rooftop garden was included in the design, accessible from either wing via this bridge.
Wandering through the school levels we found a gymnasium on the 4th floor.
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| Rusty Metal screens fall slowly away from panels devoid of glass in the old gym doors |
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| Or remain propped upon the load bearing external wall |
Above the gym a sketchy looking walkway connects the educational wing with the locker room areas.
The home and visitor locker rooms are up a small and winding stairway. The stairs tucked into a secluded corner, and lead to the highest accessible areas of the remaining structure.
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| Snow and Winter clouds clung to Northern IN this day |
From the upper most locker/restroom, little of the roof remains to hinder views of the belfry, reaching nine stories into the Gary skyline.
If you can find and summon the courage to test the catwalk, you're reward; that skyline view.
And majestic views into the sanctuary as well.
Opaque glass was used in lieu of stained glass in some portions of the cathedral windows as a way to keep costs under control.
The remains of a stairway central to the church, rectory, school, and auditorium lie hidden deep within the building's ruins. Little light reaches this corner, but with patience one finds the colors as magnificent as any leaded glass piece you might commission.
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Like most churches, this one has many side passages and stairways to explore.
Following them often leads to dead ends whether by design or decay, but the views most always astounding.
Which is not to say this house of worship was not adequately ornate, there were many unique decorations designed and crafted into this church.
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| Grapes and other signs of artistry decorate the stone and masonry |
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| On a quiet Sunday morning Jezebel kneels in the ruins of the sanctuary as your Garrulous Sherpa provides overwatch |
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| The scars of the abandoned life are unlikely to heal here though |
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| A fire-side study for the parson perhaps? Interior walls have been removed by vandals while wooden doors have swollen tight into their frames. |
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| After a few hours touring the upper levels of City Methodist in early December, the team returned to the ground floor to find the decorations had been hung with care in this room pictured as we exited below the view as we'd entered only hours earlier. |
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| This visit in March, a few months is an eternity to a ruin exposed to the elements, atmospheric and human, and the subsequent disquiet that follow them, seems eternal at times |
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| Vagrants, addicts, those otherwise homeless, and Urbexers posing for their Facebook friends help the remaining fixtures migrate around the ruins in this old church |
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| Ephemera from original use co-mingles with eclectic odds-n-ends brought into these ruins in this old cabinet space |
For more history and pictures of the City Methodist Church through the years visit the following links, and see more of Jezebel Marie's photography at AmericanRuins on Facebook.
http://www.faithfabric.com/tbh/gary/images/67directory/03began.jpg
http://www.faithfabric.com/tbh/gary/67directory.htm
http://www.preserveindiana.com/pixpages/nw_ind/garypix.html
http://chicagoist.com/2009/09/02/in_the_shadow_of_chicago_city_metho.php#photo-14
Links and citations below for the Preserve Indiana pictures used in this article. Visit Tim's page, and see how you can help to preserve sites such as this one for future generations to witness and study and appreciate. As Utah Phillips said, 'Time is an enormous long river, and I am standing in it just as you are standing in it." We're all in this together, help out those whom you find worthy toward a better tomorrow!
Until next time, Stay off the Radar...
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| The Garrulous Sherpa marvels at the Neo-Gothic architectural details around the Sanctuary space |
** Arends, Timothy. "City Methodist Church, Gary, Indiana - commercial office space." Photo. preserveindiana.com undated, 28 Jan 2013 <http://www.preserveindiana.com/pixpages/nw_ind/garypix.html>
* Arends, Timothy. "City Methodist Church, Gary, Indiana." Photo. preserveindiana.com undated, 28 Jan 2013 <http://www.preserveindiana.com/images/downtowngary/methchur.jpg>
Many Thanks Tim Arends for the permission to use the images and your reminiscences of Gary through your years.
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