GARY, Ind. — A $47 million campus on the old Tolleston High and Middle School grounds is moving into daily use. The old Tolleston High site now puts a YMCA wing, a CareFirst clinic, a Wintrust Bank desk, and a Best Buy Teen Tech Center under one roof.
Key facts
| At a glance | |
|---|---|
| Cost | $47 million |
| Partners | Crossroads YMCA; Boys & Girls Club of Greater Northwest Indiana; Methodist Hospitals |
| Site | Former Tolleston High (1938–1969) / middle school (closed 2010) |
| Membership | Open now (Gary ZIP) |
| Public building use | Late September (planned) |
What’s on campus
Crossroads YMCA, the Boys & Girls Club, and Methodist Hospitals rebuilt the Tolleston Opportunity Campus as a place to exercise, learn, and get basic health and financial help under one roof, The Times of Northwest Indiana reported Sept. 2.
The new YMCA wing includes:
- Zero-entry pool
- Gym and three full-size basketball courts
- Child development center
- 1/8-mile indoor track
- Indoor turf and training center
- Massage chairs and other fitness spaces
Lobby amenities include a Juice Jung cafe for smoothies and healthy snacks and a CareFirst clinic for immediate, non-emergency care linked to Methodist Hospitals. A Wintrust Bank desk is meant to help residents with mortgages, loans, and financial wellness, Crossroads YMCA CEO Jay Buckmaster told the Times.
The renovated Boys & Girls Club side has new flooring, lighting, furniture, fixtures, and security. The lobby admits only people buzzed in through the front desk. It also houses a Best Buy Teen Tech Center with music production, 3D printing, and related gear.
Neighborhood history
The building was Tolleston High School from 1938 to 1969, later a middle school that closed in 2010, then a Boys & Girls Club after a 2011 Community School Corp. deal, according to the Times.
“It’s an incredible opportunity for the Gary community to really use this place as a community hub, as a place to belong, as a place to be healthy and active and connected,” Buckmaster told the Times. “Every community needs that.”
Mike Jessen, president and CEO of the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Northwest Indiana, told the Times the project renews a deep local attachment to Tolleston: “When people think of the Tolleston community or the Tolleston neighborhood, this school was at the center of it all. We’re proud of the fact that we were able to work within the space that we had, and even though it’s part of history, it’s effectively like a brand new facility.”
Who paid — and how to join
Campus redevelopment began securing funding in early 2024. The Dean and Barbara White Family Foundation, the City of Gary, and the State of Indiana donated $10 million, the Times reported. Crossroads YMCA then built the new Y attached to the standing Boys & Girls Club.
Former Boys & Girls Club president and Times Media Co. publisher Bill Masterson Jr. said early fundraising raised about $7.1 million from private investors for the original Club renovation and later helped attract more investment into a Gary area that “needs to be invested in.”
Crossroads held community engagement studies before building so members could say what they wanted in a Gary YMCA. Leadership said those sessions shaped amenities as each new building went up.
Members can visit the Gary location with a Gary ZIP code, Buckmaster said. Before Tolleston, Crossroads members could use sites in Crown Point, Schererville, Hammond, Hobart, Whiting, Griffith, and Shelby.
Residents seeking hours, membership rates, or late-September opening details should check Crossroads YMCA’s Tolleston Opportunity Campus page or call Crossroads directly. Region N3 will update when the public opening date is locked.