Famous for being the birthplace of Michael Jackson, Gary, Indiana, also happens to be the site of one of the prettiest (and eeriest) abandoned churches in the country.
Originally built in 1926 with money donated by U.S. Steel, the City Methodist Church is a nine-story marvel complete with Gothic architecture, stone pillars, and stained glass windows. Over the next several decades, the steel industry continued to falter and Gary’s population dwindled, and the church was completely shut down in 1975. The structure is crumbling but still beautiful today, and is a popular spot for film directors—you might recognize it from movies like A Nightmare on Elm Street, or, less likely, Transformers: Dark of the Moon (that’s the third one).
