Emerson, also called Downtown East, is a neighborhood in north-central

Gary, Indiana Gary is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The city has been historically dominated by major industrial activity and is home to U.S. Steel's Gary Works, the largest steel mill complex in North America. Gary is located along the sou ...

. Emerson and Downtown West combine to form what is known as

Downtown Gary Downtown Gary is split by Broadway into two separate neighborhoods in north-central Gary, Indiana. Emerson and Downtown West combine to form what is known as Downtown Gary. It was part of the original plat built by the United States Steel Corpor ...

. It was part of the original

plat In the United States, a plat ( or ) (plan) is a cadastral map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. United States General Land Office surveyors drafted township plats of Public Lands Surveys to show the distance and bear ...

built by the

United States Steel Corporation United States Steel Corporation, more commonly known as U.S. Steel, is an American integrated steel producer headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with production operations primarily in the United States of America and in several countries ...

. Emerson is located east of

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

, south of the

Grand Calumet River The Grand Calumet River is a river that flows primarily into Lake Michigan. Originating in Miller Beach in Gary, it flows through the cities of Gary, East Chicago and Hammond, as well as Calumet City and Burnham on the Illinois side. The maj ...

, north of Ninth Avenue and west of Interstate 65. As of 2000, it had a population of 3,358. Emerson borders directly on Downtown West to the west but is separated from the

Aetna Aetna Inc. () is an American managed health care company that sells traditional and consumer directed health care insurance and related services, such as medical, pharmaceutical, dental, behavioral health, long-term care, and disability plans, ...

and Pulaski neighborhoods to the east and south by an industrial corridor. Emerson has a large number of vacant lots and abandoned buildings and the lowest number of housing units in the city. About 40% of the houses are owner-occupied. There are 44 new housing units between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. Emerson is served by the Gary Main Post Office. In the past it was served by the now decaying E.A. Spaulding Elementary School and

Emerson School for Visual and Performing Arts Wirt-Emerson Visual and Performing Arts High Ability Academy, was a seven-year (6-12) middle/high school for the visual and performing arts in the Gary Community School Corporation in Gary, Indiana. For reference to the historic closed facility t ...

; both schools now stand vacant. Emerson has two city parks, Buffington Park, Idle Hour Park, and the larger portion of Gateway Park. Gary City Hall is located in Emerson along with the Indiana Department of Social Services building and the Calumet Township Trustee’s office. In 2001 the U.S. Steel Yard baseball stadium was built in an effort to stimulate a rebirth of the downtown. It was built on what was once a blighted section of housing. Its construction was highly controversial. However, it has proven somewhat successful, drawing fans from surrounding communities. In September 2009, the one millionth fan walked into the U.S. Steel Yard. Much of the commercial property along Broadway is now vacant. But there are some newer properties along Fifth Avenue. The neighborhood is served by the

Indiana Toll Road The Indiana Toll Road, officially the Indiana East–West Toll Road, is a tolled freeway that runs for east–west across northern Indiana from the Illinois state line to the Ohio state line. It has been advertised as the "Main Street of the ...

directly to its north, which has exits at Broadway and Fifth Avenue; by Interstate 65 to the east, which has an exit on Fifth Avenue; and by

US 12 U.S. Route 12 (US 12) is an east–west United States highway, running from Aberdeen, Washington, to Detroit, Michigan, for almost . The highway has mostly been superseded by Interstate 90 (I-90) and I-94, but unlike most U.S. routes that ...

/20, also to the north. Public transportation is provided by

Gary Public Transportation Corporation The Gary Public Transportation Corporation (GPTC) is a commuter bus system in Gary, Indiana that offers service to numerous stops throughout the city and neighboring suburbs. GPTC is a public corporation owned but not directly controlled by the ...

, with buses running along Broadway and Fifth Avenue.

References

* {{Gary neighborhoods Neighborhoods in Gary, Indiana