Most people have heard of Gary, Indiana. The town had a mid-century burst of fame in “The Music Man” in which it features in an eponymous song. A few decades later it achieved notoriety for a very different reason, being the country’s murder capital for a while in the 80’s. It has been synonymous with urban decay ever since.
I’ve been visiting Gary for over a decade. Contrary to its reputation, I’ve never been hassled or felt threatened there. Today, though crime and poverty are still high, the people there seem more weary than anything. And the sight of younger, mostly white photographers doesn’t raise an eyebrow; Gary has been a mecca for urbex as long as I’ve been coming here.
So I’m still surprised that I keep finding fresh stuff to shoot after all these years. Here’s a printing press from what appeared to have been the municipal print shop back in the day.
A former department store, though pretty decayed, held another couple interesting shots.
T A B U L A R A S A photography 