Abandoned Methodist Church

This place is on private property. Listing for informational purposes only. Please do not visit without express permission from the land owner. At nine stories, this abandoned church one of the more impressive gothic churches. It's inspiring, and so unusual in it's slow decay that it's been used in many movies, from "Nightmare on Elm" Street to "Transformers 3." On 7-29-2012 the crew of "Chicago Rot" (Indie film) was shooting here. In 2010, 24 different movies shot in Gary, many shooting scenes at the church. The main part of the church and most impressive is the church sanctuary, the area where the congregation would worship. It's frankly amazing. Much of the stained glass remains, albeit high up and out of reach (especially from thrown objects.) The other huge open space is the theater. The chairs are gone, the stage collapsing, and it's stripped clean. But the stage remains.The bulk of the building is taken up by classrooms, offices and ground-floor commercial space. You can explore all these areas, including the roof tops and basketball court. The basketball court is one of the more unstable areas, suffering frequent collapses. A recent collapse (June 2011) saw about 25% of the roof fall-in. The roof has numerous "soft spots" and large holes.The basement is an adventure in itself. There are several staircases leading down, but either rubble choked or slick with dust, mud, or garbage. The staircase near the stage is 95% clear and an easy climb down and up. The handrails are actually safe. You can't trust the hand-rails anywhere else - or walls for that matter (some are literally paper-thin), so you have to balance on your feet. Wear gloves. Look at all the staircases and pick the best. The basement is large, damp and clammy. Much of the floor is full of ankle-breaking debris. Several rooms are solid concrete, more of a bunker than basement, and are sometimes fog-filled. Under the Sanctuary you'll see the column bases and piles of rubble. The equipment room is a giant pool, flooded. The water is so clear it's literally invisible.