Long-vacant hotel in Indiana meets its end

Work crews from Homrich Inc. Carleton, Michigan are in the final stages of dismantling a former Sheraton hotel in downtown Gary, Indiana, that has been closed for nearly three decades.

A report from WBBM Channel 2 in Chicago refers to the building as “an embarrassing symbol of blight” that “has stood brooding over City Hall” for decades.

A high-reach crane with demolition attachments has been used “to pull and twist the concrete, one chunk at a time,” according to the report.

The federal government has helped fund the demolition project, which the Gary Post-Tribune says will cost $1.77 million.

The project has created some temporary street closings in Gary, according to WTHR TV 13 of Indianapolis.

The 300-room hotel opened in 1968 as a Holiday Inn and was purchased by Sheraton, who operated it until it closed in 1985, according to WTHR.

As of mid-October, Homrich Inc. had demolished two pedestrian bridges and about half of the 14-story hotel, according to the Post-Tribune.