20″x30″ Take Me To Church – City Methodist Gary, Indiana

20″ x 30″ Long Exposure Photograph of City Methodist, a mammoth church built in 1926, to the tune of what would be about $7M today (half of which was donated by US Steel) and closed up shop in 1975. Because of the demise of the steel industry and white flight away from Gary’s city center, a once bustling congregation of over 2000 dwindled to mere hundreds. Care for this gem proved too difficult a task for so few, so now it sits open to the elements, adventure seekers, party people, graffiti artists, and all the animals you can think of. A hospital for sinners, just trying to get a taste of sweet decay to fill up our imaginations. Will part of City Methodist be saved and turned into a “ruins garden” by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation grant? Will it be completely demolished? Or will it continue to sit as a gnarly blank canvas for creativity? As it stoically stands now, City Methodist is a testament to how our difficult historical past returns, again and again, to play with us in strange, sad, and, yet, beautiful ways. There’s hope though. The city and its people continue to work hard to reclaim their home and re-imagine what the future holds. Have faith. Keep going. That’s the spirit of Gary, Indiana.