Union Station (Gary, Indiana)

Union Station in Gary, Indiana was built in 1910, just four years after the city was founded. The station is located between the elevated lines of the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway and Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. Built in a Beaux-Arts style utilizing the new cast-in-place concrete methods in which, after pouring, the concrete was scored to resemble stone. Indiana Landmarks has placed the building on its 10 Most Endangered Places in Indiana list.LocationThe building faces west on Broadway. Because it sits between two raised rail lines, it is nearly invisible until one is next to it. The only sign still visible inside or outside the building is a painted notice on the front pillar that says “No Parking Cabs Only”. The method of construction has retained its integrity after 50 years of abandonment.InteriorThe main room is a two stories hall. At the east end of the hall is a staircase to the loading platform on the upper level. Built into a hill, the building is only a single story in the back. A door on the south side leads from a cobblestone driveway. Across the drive is a staircase built up to track level along the south side. On the north there is a tunnel under the tracks to a stairway up to the loading platform.Popular cultureGary's Union Station was used as an example for what could happen to a Chicago building in 30 years without humans providing maintenance and upkeep on Life After People: The Series (Season 1, Episode 2).