Crusader staff report
If you plan on going to the inaugural Gary Preservation Tour, you may be out of luck.
Two May 27 tours are fully booked and a waiting list has been established for guests who are willing to hold out for a spot on the walking tour. One tour takes place at 10 a.m. and the other at 1 p.m. The tour is free. Guests can reserve a spot by going online to the preservegary.eventbrite.com website.
If a ticket becomes available, guests who are on the waiting list will be contacted and given the opportunity to join the tour.
While May 27 tours are fully booked, tickets are still available for the two other Gary Preservation Tours on July 15 at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.
As of Wednesday, April 26, 24 tickets were available for the July 10 a.m. tour; 23 spots were still open for the 1 p.m. tour.
Redevelopment Executive Director Joseph Van Dyk didn’t give the total number of tickets available on each tour.
On Saturday, June 17th, there will be three different free events going on within the City of Gary, including the Gary Preservation Tour. The Open House will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. CST.
There is no reservation needed for the date and no limit on the number of participants. All the buildings will be open for visitors to enjoy at their leisure. Volunteers at each site will explain the building’s history and architecture.
The other event will be the 2017 Gospel Music and Arts Festival.
Billed as the Gary Preservation Tour, guests will visit some of Gary’s historic landmarks, where they will learn the history and background of the city from a tour guide. Some of the stops include City Hall, the former U.S. Post Office at 600 Massachusetts St. and the Gary Land Company building, the first and oldest building in Gary, built when Gary became a city in 1906.
The 107-year Union Station, the City Methodist Church and the former Hotel Gary – now the Genesis Tower – are also on the tour. A program pamphlet explaining the structures’ historical significance will be available at ArtHouse: A Social Kitchen, located at 411 E. 5th Ave.
The Gary Preservation Tour is sponsored by the Gary Redevelopment Commission. Along with the AmeriCorps VISTA group, the Commission raised over $16,000 in private donations and a matching state grant from the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority.
Gary officials hope the tours will help spark interest in the city and attract national tourism.
