Union Station used to be the gateway to the region, and one Gary organization wants to give residents a look at the past. But first, they have fundraising to do — starting with a Friday ice cream social.
“The outreach and support has been monumental,” said Tyrell Anderson, president of Decay Devils, a Gary nonprofit organization aiming to restore Union Station. “Just having community support is helping so much.”
Decay Devils on Friday is hosting Scoops for the Union, a fundraiser for the train station’s restoration. The event will feature live music, entertainment, a silent auction and Italian ice.
Tickets for Scoops for the Union are $75, according to Decay Devils’ website.
Lori Gonzalez, vice president of Decay Devils, said the organization has done small ice cream socials, so they wanted to do something similar for a larger event.
“We were like, ‘What can we do that’s not too fancy?’” Gonzalez said. “We wanted something that was a little more down to earth, so this just made sense.”
Proceeds from Scoops for the Union will go to the Decay Devils’ first phase of the restoration project. The organization plans to raise $2 million to transform the station into a mixed-use community space, with dining and offices, according to Decay Devils’ website.
The project is $6 million in total, and the organization has received funding from private donors, grants and tax credits.
Decay Devils split funding into five phases: investigation and design; design, construction documents and development planning; roof replacement and stabilization; complete restoration; and site expansion.
As of Thursday morning, Decay Devils had raised $175,000. The first and second phases are expected to cost $533,588 in total, according to the organization’s website.
Decay Devils doesn’t have a fundraising goal for Scoops for the Union, Anderson said.
In August 2023, the city of Gary broke ground on an $8 million project that would turn Union Station into a fiber optic network hub and job training facility, according to Post-Tribune archives. Anderson said the restoration was on hold after Digital Equity, the station’s tenant, pulled out of the project.
Scoops for the Union is Decay Devils’ first large fundraiser since Digital Equity pulled out of the project, Anderson said. He’s optimistic that the fundraiser will be a success and believes the Gary community wants this project to thrive.
“It was a little bit of a reset for everybody,” Anderson said. “But having the support from the community and other organizations has just been so helpful.”
Gonzalez enjoys seeing the community support Decay Devils’ Union Station project. The group started as photographers and urban explorers, but through this project, Gonzalez said they turned into preservationists.
“It became more of a big deal because we’re not just running around taking pictures,” she said. “We’re trying to save our buildings and be strong for our community. … It’s special to see. (Union Station) is our baby, and I would love to see it restored.”
When it was operating, Union Station was how most people arrived in Northwest Indiana and the Chicago area, Anderson said. He works for U.S. Steel, which is located near the station.
Gregory Ott, member of Decay Devils, said he thinks Anderson’s connection to the station helped the group’s decision to preserve it.
“It has so much history,” Ott said, “but a lot of people in the group are really too young to ever remember going to the station because it closed in the early 1970’s.”
Ott is excited for Scoops for the Union because he likes seeing the Decay Devils group together, adding that the 28-member organization doesn’t see everyone much. He also likes seeing people support a good cause.
“What we’re doing is good,” he said. “I like when people show up to these events because they get to see what we do and what we’re up to.”
mwilkins@chicagotribune.com
