Abandoned Ambassador Apartments in Gary, Indiana - June 2010

Abandoned luxury apartment building in Gary, Indiana.

Watch out for falling bricks! While lots of stuff is falling down here, the reinforced concrete structural beams and concrete subfloors are still quite intact.

These were once very nice apartments. Built in 1927 for newly arriving managers at U.S. Steel's Garyworks plant, the Ambassador Apartments were occupied and in decent condition as recently as 1985.
http://chicagoist.com/2010/02/16/in_the_shadow_of_chicago_ambassador.php

Gary is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The city is in the southeastern portion of the Chicago metropolitan area and is 25 miles from downtown Chicago. The population was 102,746 at the 2000 census, making it the fifth largest city in the state. Gary was once the second largest city in Indiana, behind Indianapolis, a position now held by Fort Wayne. It borders Lake Michigan and is best known for its large steel mills.

The city was founded in 1906 by the United States Steel Corporation as the home for its new plant. The city was named after the lawyer and founding chairman of U.S. Steel, Elbert H. Gary.

Among U.S. cities with a population of 100,000 or more, Gary has the highest percentage of African Americans, 84% (as of the 2000 U.S. census). Gary had one of the nation's first African-American mayors, Richard G. Hatcher, and hosted the ground-breaking 1972 National Black Political Convention. At the same time, Gary suffered from many affluent and middle-class residents leaving Gary and relocating to the surrounding towns and cities. Because of the loss of jobs in the city, many people left the area altogether for regions with employment.

Gary's fortunes have risen and fallen with those of the steel industry. In the 1960s, like many other American urban centers, Gary entered a downward spiral of decline. Gary's decline was brought on by the growing overseas competitiveness in the steel industry, which had caused U.S. Steel to layoff many workers from the Gary area. Crime increased, including use and trade in illegal drugs.

U.S. Steel continues to be a major steel producer, but with only a fraction of its former level of employment. While Gary has failed to reestablish a manufacturing base since its population peak, two casinos opened along the Gary lakeshore in the 1990s although this has been aggravated by the state closing of Rt.912 (Cline Ave.), an important access to the area. Today, Gary faces numerous difficulties, including unemployment, major economic problems, and a high rate of crime, though the city has made some progress in addressing these issues since the 1990s.

After celebrating its 100th year in 2006, the city of Gary finally shows evidence of rebound from years of economic depression. Many buildings that have been left vacant for years are now finally slated for demolition and development. Many new homes have been built through the HOPE VI grant from HUD. In 2009, the old town section of the city, still littered with deteriorating buildings and roads which have not been occupied or used for three decades, was featured in episode 2 of The History Channel's series Life After People, as an example of how quickly Chicago might deteriorate after human beings had vanished off of Earth, thanks largely to the effects of Lake Michigan on steel and reinforced concrete structures.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary,_Indiana

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• Indiana June 2010

[tarkan525201]

i am the ambassador of kickyourassador lol but great vid luv these abandoned places

[slworking2]

@tarkan525201 LOL and thanks.

[DewbieHaut]

Isnt the building leaning slightly?

[slworking2]

@DewbieHaut Lots of falling bricks, but the structure is framed out of reinforced concrete and is not in any immediate danger of collapsing.

[8232135]

The basement is awesome u guys need to check it out. its the only art i explored before cops came. i guess someone saw us enter

[slworking2]

@8232135 Nice. I'm going to visit Gary again in June. I'll definitely remember to check out the basement.

[manfocused]

What year was this building built/abandoned?

[awsomemommy71]

Wow

[onejazzy1]

i like your commentary so we know what we're looking at. i love the character in these older buildings..nice job!

[slworking2]

@PhallusKnifeFight Nice. I'm returning in June of this year for another adventure.

[slworking2]

@21PIONERO Thanks.

[slworking2]

@Hunterc1525 Good question. It definitely looks to be several decades old.