GARY, Ind. (AP) — The city of Gary is getting a $46,000 federal loan to move along its plans to turn a ruined church into a tourist attraction.
The loan through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will be used for asbestos abatement on the dilapidated City Methodist Church.
The Times reports that the Gothic-style church dating to the 1920s closed in 1975 after years of declining membership.
Most of its roof has collapsed, but Gary officials are working to create a park-like "ruins garden" incorporating parts of the church as a dramatic backdrop.
The Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority approved the asbestos abatement loan. The authority's CEO, Sherri Ziller, says the loan will be used as leverage for more funding from Indiana's Office of Community and Rural Affairs.
