Emblematic of the changes in the American urban landscape that have doomed so many grand edifices, Gary's present condition is a subject that I feel merits a great deal of consideration. Once dubbed "The City of the Century", this metropolis earns the moniker - both in its ascent and its decline. In fairness, it is not at all accurate to label the city of Gary, Indiana itself as "abandoned", as it is estimated that, as of 2014, approximately 78,000 people live there - yet at its peak in 1960 it had over 178,000 residents. This precipitous drop has led to a level of economic devastation that has left thousands of homes and buildings to rot. About 13,000 properties were considered blighted in a 2015 survey – over a third of the structures there.
