The City of Gary, Indiana, and national telecommunications development firm Digital Equity, LLC announced the development of an $8 million Fiber Smart House in Gary’s Union Station building, kick-starting a multi-phase effort to create a tech community in Northwest Indiana.
The 10,000-square-foot Fiber Smart House will usher in the city’s tech revival with an Aug. 23 groundbreaking ceremony.
“Our city has a proud history and a bright future, and this development is as symbolic as it is significant,” said Gary Mayor Jerome Prince. “Choosing the iconic Gary Union Station as the home for this project is emblematic of where we have been and our vision for where we will go next.”
Opened in 1910, Gary Union Station was formerly designated one of the 10 Most Endangered Places in Indiana and was named to the National Register of Historic Places in 2019. The rehabilitation of the once bustling depot has been the vision of Tyrell Anderson, local real estate renovator, preservationist and President of the Decay Devils, which owns the building.
Set to open its doors in the fall of 2024, the Fiber Smart House will be available to the public as a state-of-the-art technology workforce and educational training hub for residents and will serve as a network operations center and fiber access point for large networks. It will offer business owners the opportunity to incubate and obtain resources to grow, create a community of nonprofits and partner with higher education institutions to build pipelines for job placement in the tech sector.
The Fiber Smart House will also offer a variety of critical services for Gary residents, including security and public safety emergency services.
The Aug. 23 groundbreaking event will take place at 10:30 a.m. Central time with remarks from Lt. Governor Crouch, Mayor Prince, State Senator and incoming Gary Mayor Eddie Melton and Gary Common Council President, William Godwin.
