The Decay Devils preservationist group plans to host a Union Station and downtown Gary walking tour as it ramps its preservation project back up.
The Downtown Photo Walk and Union Station Tour will meet at 457 Massachusetts Street in downtown Gary at 10 a.m. Saturday. It will run until 1 p.m.
The group of preservationists, photographers, artists and urban explorers have been working to save Union Station, the historic but long-abandoned train station that generations of Region residents traveled through. The Decay Devils, whose name is a portmanteau of urban decay and daredevil to describe their brand of bold urban exploration, have been long been fixing up and beautifying the Beaux Arts train station outside the gates of the Gary Works steel mill.
The Decay Devils had landed a tech center project to bring new life to the historic structure, which requires a new roof. But it stalled after a new administration took over. The Decay Devils have since revived plans to turn the train station into a mixed-use community center that could include uses like a gallery, a café and a bike rental station so it would serve as a trailhead to the neighboring Indiana Dunes National Park.
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It will lead a photo tour through downtown Gary where visitors can photograph historic buildings and street art murals.
"This one's going to be a little different," Decay Devils President Tyrell Anderson said. "Normally we have a couple of tour guides. They'll go and highlight a couple buildings and talk about the history."
This time, the tour will end at Union Station. The public will be able to enter the train station and learn about the restoration.
"It's going to be a hard-hat tour," he said. "They'll be able to hear about our plans going forward. They'll be able to go into the building, take pictures and talk to us. This time, since the building's cleaned out, we'll be able to to get them in. You can go in and take pictures and have a conversation about what the future looks like. That's the main change from the last couple tours."
It potentially will include stops sites like at the Knight of Columbus Building, the City Methodist Church, the Gary Library and Cultural Center, the Post Office and the Palace.
"We're trying to keep it tight and to the downtown area," he said. "This will be a walking tour for people who want to snap pictures, whether you're a professional or with your cell phone.Â
For more information or to RSVP, visit www.decaydevils.org/photo-walk-waiver.
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