Horace Mann School - Beloved and Abandoned in Gary, Indiana

Horace Mann School, once teeming with thousands of students, now sits abandoned and rotting, another monument to the lost prosperity of Gary, Indiana.

I parked beside a crumbling brick apartment building in downtown Gary, Indiana. In the cold autumn morning a few people were still asleep in nearby cars, a cruel irony in a city with so many abandoned homes.

Across the street a sprawling abandoned high school filled the horizon. Like the breathtaking ruins of City Methodist Church, which I had explored the previous evening, Horace Mann School was a casualty of Gary, Indiana's shrinking population.

Several middle-aged couples walked laps along the track that stretched the length of the building.

The school was enormous, with a capacity of around two and a half thousand students. It originally consisted of three main structures that were eventually joined together. The cornerstone of the central building was laid on November 8, 1926 and construction was completed in 1928.

On the large plot of land in front of the school's main entrance, an existing ravine was transformed into a pond with several pedestrian bridges and a rock garden, giving it the appearance of a beautiful park. It was a popular location for picnics, fishing, and ice skating in the winter.

Historic photo of Horace Mann School with original pond
(image courtesy of http://www.horacemann49.com)

The school was named after Horace Mann, one of the most important reformers of the public school system. He believed that a free society cannot exist without equal access to education and that schools should not be aligned with any particular religious denomination. Though controversial at the time, his ideas eventually became widely accepted throughout the United States. Many schools have been named in his honor. 

In 1929 Horace Mann School had a student body of 870. By 1937, it increased to nearly 2400 students and 80 staff members. 

When enrollment grew to nearly 2600 in 1956, exceeding Horace Mann's intended capacity, the district decided to build an additional school on the southern portion of the property. John H. Vohr Elementary School opened in in 1958. Sadly, the pond was filled in to make room for a parking lot.

When the steel industry declined in the '60s, the population of Gary began to shrink, as did the city's tax revenue.

By 2003, Horace Mann High School had only 546 students, roughly a fifth of its capacity.

The school closed in 2004 due to budgetary constraints and a greatly diminished student population. The final graduating class consisted of only 72 students. The neighboring John H Vohr Elementary School closed too in 2010.

Horace Mann School was an impressive institution in its day with many amenities including two science labs,

a pair of swimming pools,

a large auditorium,

and a robust physical education program that included two gymnasiums.

An incredible amount of materials were left behind when the school closed.

The science labs were fully stocked, though most of the artifacts have been looted or damaged.

A cursory effort was apparently made to consolidate textbooks and other supplies, some of which were gathered around one of the swimming pools.

Rows of boxes filled with textbooks lined one side of the school's newer gymnasium.

Vandals set fire to some of them. Thankfully it did not spread.

It seems unlikely that the building will ever be put to use again. Vandalism and the elements have taken a heavy toll. There is a great deal of water damage in the basement. The floor of the gym is so heavily warped from moisture that a large section of it has risen up and buckled.

Many online communities have formed, where alumni keep in touch with one another and share fond memories of their time at Horace Mann School. Please feel free to share any memories you have of this magnificent school in the comment section below.

After Horace Mann School, I stopped to appreciate the ruins of another of Gary, Indiana's magnificent historical buildings, the Gary Public Schools Memorial Auditorium.

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The Ruins of a Gothic Masterpiece: Abandoned City Methodist Church of Gary, Indiana

City Methodist Church of Gary, Indiana is arguably the most beautiful example of urban decay in the Rust Belt. The Gothic Revival structure, which stands in ruins after decades of neglect, arson and vandalism, is stunning to behold.

After exploring an abandoned power plant in the Chicago suburb of Dixmoor, IL, I continued east to Gary, Indiana. I knew it was the epitome of a Rust Belt city: a declining population, job losses, a reputation for high crime. But nothing could have prepared me for what I'd find there.

Driving into Gary, Indiana is a strange, unsettling experience. A third of the buildings there are abandoned. What were once homes and businesses are now vacant, crumbling structures, their walls tagged with graffiti and overtaken by creeping ivy and weeds. Windows are boarded up or shattered and gaping.

As someone who is fascinated by abandoned places, I was excited to explore the history of this city, but my enthusiasm was overshadowed by an unexpected and profound despair. It is hard to witness such desolation without feeling a sense of hopelessness.

The daylight was fading fast, but I was determined to explore at least one site before nightfall.

When I pulled up to the ruins of City Methodist Church, a few kids were hanging out in front of the school across the street. On the next block over stood a row of modern homes. It was strange to see the overgrown, collapsing ruins of the old church alongside a well-kept residential neighborhood. It is a common pattern throughout the City of Gary.

Gary, Indiana was founded in 1906 by the United States Steel Corporation as the home for its new Gary Works plant. In its early years, the population was fairly diverse; nearly a third of its residents were immigrants from Eastern Europe.

The city was named after Elbert Henry Gary, a lawyer and the founding chairman of the United States Steel Corporation. Gary Works, once the world's largest steel mill, is still the largest integrated mill in North America and the city's largest employer. 

In 1919 Gary was the site of a major steel strike. Rioting became such a problem that the Governor of Indiana declared martial law and over 4000 federal troops were brought in to restore order. 

Gary is also famous for being the birthplace of The Jackson 5.

As is the case with many Rust Belt cities, Gary, Indiana began to suffer from increased competition from the steel industry overseas during the 1970s. The city fell into a downward spiral of job loss, falling tax revenue, increased crime, and a shrinking population. It has still not recovered. 

Gary Works and its associated facilities employed over 30,000 people in the early 1970s, but by 1990 that number had fallen to only 6,000. 

At the time of the 2010 census, the population was 80,294, a 55 percent decrease from its peak of 178,320 in 1960.

As of 2013, the Gary Department of Redevelopment has estimated that one-third of all homes in the city are unoccupied or abandoned.

City Methodist Church is one of Gary's most recognizable landmarks. Standing abandoned since 1975, it has become a symbol of the city's decline.

Hauntingly beautiful, the old church has been featured in many movies, including the 2009 remake of "Nightmare on Elm Street" and "Transformers 3."

Construction of City Methodist Church began in 1925 at a cost of $650,000 (equivalent to over $8.8 million in 2016 dollars). The U. S. Steel Corporation contributed 50% of the building cost.

Due to rising expenses and planning errors, the church was built smaller than its original specifications, but is still an impressive structure.

The leadership of City Methodist Church was progressive for its time. During an era of segregation, people of any color were welcomed into the congregation.

By 1973, church membership dwindled to 300, down from a high of 3000. In 1975, the church closed and has remained vacant ever since.

City Methodist Church and many other historic buildings were badly damaged in the Great Gary Arson of 1997. Large portions of the ceiling have collapsed.

The sun set as I finished up exploring the old church. After an exhausting day of travel and exploring, I was ready for a good night's rest. I could hardly wait for the next morning, when I'd explore the massive abandoned Horace Mann School.

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