Gary Methodist Church

Constructed in 1925, Gary Methodist Church once towered as the largest Methodist Church in the Midwest.[1] Originally named City Church, the impressive structure is located on 6th Avenue and Washington Street.[2] Development of the church was headed by Dr. William Grant Seaman, who had served as the pastor of Gary Methodist Church since 1916. Pastor Seaman intended the new building to serve as a place of religious revival for Gary’s citizens. Disliking the prominence of brothels and bars in the area, he hoped that the church would be the first step in shifting the community’s focus back to Christian culture and religion and building a larger congregation. U.S. Steel, the primary provider of jobs in Gary at the time, donated the plot of land and half the money needed for construction, approximately $400,000 of the $800,000 total cost. A well-known and reputable company, Lowe and Bollenbacher constructed the building in 21 months.[3] Once completed, the Gothic nine-story church contained stained glass windows, a magnificent vaulted sanctuary, oak-carved chancel and altar, and four-manual Skinner organ donated by Elbert Gary.[4] Seaman Hall, the second building on the property, included a fellowship hall, staff offices, a kitchen and dining area, a gymnasium, Sunday school rooms, a theater-sized screen, and a stage for concerts and community productions.[5]

The first service was held in the newly constructed Gary Methodist Church on October 3, 1926. After only a year, the congregation at Gary Methodist Church had grown to include over 1,700 individuals. The congregation reached its peak in the 1950s with over 3,000 members.[6] Despite Gary Methodist Church’s location in the heart of Gary’s industrial community, the congregation remained largely middle-class and white for its entire existence. Pastor Seaman sought integration and claimed that the church had the responsibility to minister to the immigrant populations and African American residents of Gary. He encouraged diverse civil and religious gatherings and hosted a race relations service in 1927, where members of nearby African American churches visited Gary Methodist Church to share services. Pastor Seaman’s beliefs about race were paternalistic however, and he believed that only white citizens should serve as leaders in the church. Although Pastor Seaman held racist beliefs himself, his admonishment of the Ku Klux Klan and aims to promote diversity provoked disdain in many white church members. As a result, Pastor Seaman was forced from Gary Methodist Church and transferred to an Ohio ministry in 1929.[7]

After Pastor Seaman’s expulsion, Gary Methodist Church ministered less to the city’s African American and immigrant populations. While few African Americans had actually attended church at Gary Methodist Church when Seaman was pastor, Seaman Hall had been utilized as a place for social gatherings and events. As the challenging years of the Great Depression and World War II threw Gary’s citizens into turmoil, churches became instrumental support services. Gary Methodist Church provided public relief and entertainment, such as theater shows and musical performances on Seaman Hall’s beautiful stage, but the events were likely restricted to white workers of Gary.[8]

While Gary Methodist Church made a few half-hearted attempts to promote membership among immigrant and African American families through events like Race Relations Sundays, the church did not come close to fulfilling Pastor Seaman’s mission of diversity until Reverend S. Walton Cole took over leadership. Under Reverend Cole’s pastorship, church members were encouraged to confront their own prejudices and welcome new members from diverse backgrounds. Reverend Cole was awarded the first Roy Wilkins award by the NAACP for his work promoting civil rights.[9]

The push to expand and revitalize Gary Methodist Church did not last long, however. For decades, the church had been dwindling in attendance. Following World War II, there were large number of layoffs in the steel working industry.[10] By 1973, most white families had moved to suburbs outside of Gary, and only around 320 members remained a part of the congregation. As the neighborhoods around Gary Methodist Church started being occupied by African American families, the church was unable to draw new members. Segregated since its construction in 1926, the church could not escape its history of discrimination. In addition to its shrinking congregation, the church became unable to foot the great cost of maintaining the massive building. After only 50 years of use, the Gary Methodist Church finally closed its doors in 1975.[11]

Gary Methodist Church, once the most magnificent church building in the Midwest, now stands in ruins. Seaman Hall was used as a satellite campus of Indiana University for a time, but the sanctuary was completely abandoned. Unattended, weathering the elements, the church quickly fell into disrepair. The damage was made worse when a fire destroyed parts of the building in 1997. In 2008, a large section of the roof caved, leaving only the shell of the structure.[12] Only as recently as 2019 was the church site granted a historical marker, signifying the great mark it left on the city of Gary.[13] Currently, the city is planning to transform the area around the church into a park and keep Gary Methodist Church as a historical centerpiece.[14]

[1] “Gary's Abandoned City Methodist Church,” Architectural Afterlife, last modified October 24, 2018, https://architecturalafterlife.com/2018/10/24/garys-abandoned-city-methodist-church/
[2] “City United Methodist Church of Gary, Indiana,” Sometimes Interesting, last modified June 16, 2013, https://sometimes-interesting.com/2013/06/16/city-united-methodist-church-of-gary-indiana/
[3] “Gary’s Abandoned City Methodist Church.”
[4] “City United Methodist Church of Gary, Indiana.” “City Methodist Church,” Atlas Obscura, accessed June 10, 2020, https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/city-methodist-church.
[5] “City United Methodist Church of Gary, Indiana.”
[6] “Gary’s Abandoned City Methodist Church.”
[7] Nicole Poletika, “City Church: Spirituality and Segregation in Gary,” Indiana History Blog, May 13, 2019, https://blog.history.in.gov/city-church-spirituality-and-segregation-in-gary/
[8] Ibid.
[9] Ibid.
[10] “Welcome to City Methodist Church: About the Church,” City Methodist Church, accessed June 10, 2020, http://www.citymethodistchurch.com/CityMethodistChurch-about.htm
[11] Poletika, “City Church: Spirituality and Segregation in Gary.”
[12] “Gary’s Abandoned City Methodist Church.”
[13] Pete S. Joseph, “Gary's City Methodist Church gets historical marker.” The Times of Northwest Indiana, September 18, 2019, https://www.nwitimes.com/business/local/garys-city-methodist-church-gets-historical-marker/article_c606c730-f210-584a-a098-6315a504cca8.html
[14] “Gary’s Abandoned City Methodist Church.”

Student Authors: Mary Swartz and Natalie Bradshaw
Faculty/Staff Editors: Dr. Ronald V. Morris, Dr. Kevin C. Nolan, and Christine Thompson
Graduate Assistant Researchers: Carrie Vachon and JB Bilbrey

PHOTO & VIDEO:
Gary City Methodist Church, attributed to Takingactioningary, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gary_City_Methodist_Church.JPG