GARY, Ind. — A worker inspected fencing around the Genesis Convention Center on Wednesday afternoon, according to photos posted by Gary411. In June, the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority accepted a $2.87 million bid from McDonagh Demolition to raze the arena, its parking garage and the former Gordon's Department Store buildings, according to the authority.
Key facts
- The RDA accepted a $2.87 million McDonagh Demolition bid to tear down the Genesis Center, its parking garage, and the former Gordon's Department Store and annex, according to the authority's June 15 release.
- The authority received 10 bids, and McDonagh is based in Chicago, the Post-Tribune reported.
- The arena opened in 1981 and has been closed since 2020, the Post-Tribune reported; it was designed by Wendell Campbell and could hold up to 7,000 people, according to Wikipedia.
- The teardown is part of Gary's $12 million Blight Elimination Program, in which the RDA is providing $6 million in matching funds and co-funding the work with the city, according to PanoramaNOW.
- The RDA board also approved an $894,740 contract extension for EGIS, the program's project manager, per the RDA release.
The arena that anchored downtown
Built by the city, the Genesis Center was meant in part to revitalize Gary's economy after the decline of the steel industry, according to Wikipedia. It hosted the Miss USA pageant in 2001 and 2002, a rally by President Barack Obama, and concerts by Prince and Whitney Houston, as well as the Gary Steelheads and Gary Splash semipro basketball teams, the Post-Tribune reported. The funerals of former mayors Rudy Clay and Richard Hatcher were held there.
The demolition package extends beyond the arena. It also includes the former Gordon's Department Store and its annex, according to the RDA. The store stands at Eighth Avenue and Broadway; the Genesis Center is at Fifth and Broadway, the Post-Tribune reported. The work is funded by the Blight Elimination Program that Mayor Eddie Melton created as a state senator, according to PanoramaNOW.
This is not the program's first demolition. Work began Aug. 19, 2025, at 700-716-22 E. Fifth Ave., the former site of Lovell's barbershop, with a former ambulance repair shop at 1700-1704 Broadway set to follow, both under an initial contract with Gary-based C. Lee Construction Services, according to PanoramaNOW.
What comes next
"This is another step forward in our commitment to transforming Gary's landscape and creating new opportunities for growth," Melton said in the RDA's June announcement. In June, RDA President and CEO Sherri Ziller said the authority expected to finalize a contract and begin demolition within weeks. On Aug. 1, city redevelopment director Christopher Harris told the Post-Tribune that the parking area around the Genesis Center had been closed off and that demolition should begin in the coming weeks.
The city's plans for a new convention center lie elsewhere. In May 2025, Lake County commissioners chose a proposal from Gary and Hard Rock Northern Indiana for a 145,000-square-foot convention center, which would be built near the Hard Rock casino rather than on the downtown Genesis site, the Post-Tribune reported.
Gary411's post drew more than 150 comments, many from residents recalling concerts, dances and graduations at the arena.
Photo credit
¹ Hero: File photo: The Genesis Convention Center in downtown Gary in 2022. Photo by WeaponizingArchitecture, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. ² Inline: File photo: The downtown Gary skyline in 2010. Photo by Takingactioningary, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0. ³ Inline: File photo: The Genesis Convention Center and Gary Metro Center in 2011. Photo by Takingactioningary, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.