Aug. 20—For the first time in years, the Decay Devils preservationist group is doing a fundraiser to save the historic Union Station in downtown Gary.
The collective of urban explorers, photographers and preservationists has been working with a developer to turn the historic train station into a tech campus, but those plans fell through.
So now the Decay Devils will host the Scoops for the Station fundraiser from 5-8 p.m. Aug. 30 in the Portage Open Air Pavilion at 6090 U.S. 12 in Portage.
The fundraiser will include lunch, Italian Ice, entertainment and a silent auction.
"Scoops for the Station is our first fundraiser in eight years," she said. "It's our first fundraiser since 2016. We kind of shied away from it and said, 'let's just write grants.' We've been doing ice cream socials for the last two years and decided to keep that theme this time."
The Decay Devils has earmarked $150,000 for architectural studies.
"About $130,000 of it has to be matched so we're trying to raise the funds to match this grant so that we actually get our project back in motion," he said. "That's the thought process behind the fundraiser."
The fundraiser will feature desserts and food from Jodi's Italian Ice.
"Jodi's will do all our scoops, so they can be enjoyed by the people who can't enjoy dairy," he said. "We're just trying to be mindful and as inclusive as possible."
Decay Devils members will auction off custom art pieces in the silent auction.
"That's how we showcase our art and our travels, at our events," he said. "They can be in someone's home or office or gifts. It gives us a chance to showcase some of the work of our artists who are out there shooting wherever their travels take them."
Union Station is a neoclassical Beaux Arts-style train station that was built on Broadway in downtown Gary in 1910. The two-story-tall train station built onto the side of a hill long served as a passenger rail hub for Northwest Indiana but began to decline after the interstate system was developed in the 1950s. It's been closed for decades.
The stately building in on the National Register of Historic Places and has been featured in many films, including "Original Gangstas" and Alan Ladd's noir film "Appointment with Danger."
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