The Ambassador apartments were constructed in 1927 for newly arrived U.S. steel managers.

The building has been the subject of more than one failed attempt at rehabilitation since then. It was in apparently occupied and in reasonably good condition up until 1985. In 1993, the Jefferson Park Community Development Corporation attempted to raise $4.3 million for rehabilitation as apartments for lower and middle income senior citizens. A neighborhood cleanup that year collected thousands of pounds of trash. The building was to have 78 units for single and married seniors. Florida firm Ocwen Financial Corp. was to provide $3.2 million from tax credits, the city of Gary providing $900,000, and the rest of the project mortgaged. The renovation was to be an anchor for a renaissance for the entire neighborhood.

The groundbreaking for the renovation came in 1995, by which time the estimated cost for renovations had ballooned to $5.5 million. Workers began "demolishing the interior" that year, according to a Dec. 30, 1995 Post-Tribune article titled "Ambassador to open in a year." It is not known why this project fell through, and the building remains shuttered and deteriorating to this day.

Source: Abandoned Structures in Gary, IN

Abandoned Structures in Gary, IN
Lost but not Forgotten - Photos