Gary is planning a $5 million overhaul of the Hudson-Campbell Sport & Fitness Center to make the downtown facility more sports-focused, the NWI Times first reported on Monday, Oct. 26.
Mayor Eddie Melton wants to transform the center at 455 Massachusetts St. into a sports and health hub while keeping it open to the public, according to the NWI Times report by Joseph S. Pete.
The renovation is part of a larger wave of downtown investment. The city secured a $15 million grant in September 2025 through the state's Regional Economic Acceleration and Development Initiative (READI) 2.0 program, funded by Lilly Endowment Inc. through the Indiana Economic Development Corporation. That grant covers three components: a "Going Vertical" development in downtown Gary, the Hudson-Campbell remodel and blight removal with pedestrian infrastructure improvements.
The overall READI-funded project carries a total budget exceeding $64 million when combined with roughly $49.5 million in matching funds from private, city, federal and other state sources, according to the city's grant announcement. The project is expected to wrap up by Dec. 31, 2028.
City records show the project has been moving through procurement stages. Gary issued a request for architectural design proposals for the Hudson-Campbell center with a June 17, 2025, deadline, according to the city's public notices archive. A subsequent public notice called for sealed bids on interior renovations, due by 9 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026, with bids to be opened at a Public Works and Safety Meeting at the center that same morning.
The Hudson-Campbell project fits into a broader downtown vision that includes the demolition of the Genesis Convention Center and the former Gordon's Department Store complex. A planned civic plaza would connect the Lake County Courthouse and the Hudson-Campbell center, according to the city.
"When you look across downtown Gary today, I don't want our community to only see what is coming down, I want you to see what is coming next," Melton said in an Oct. 13 news release about the demolition work.
The city is also collaborating with the University of Notre Dame School of Architecture on citywide redevelopment plans. Incoming projects include a new public safety facility, mixed-use housing and commercial development, and a central civic plaza, the Chicago Tribune reported.
The Hudson-Campbell center, directed by Jon'Vea Johnson, currently operates Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mattiee Fitzgerald serves as director of parks, recreation and aquatics for the city.
