GARY, Ind. (AP) _ The new owner of a century-old Gary office tower is planning a $2.5 million renovation that will include bringing the beleaguered city's downtown its first bank in six years.
Hobart-based developer Gateway Partners LLC recently purchased the 10-story Gary State Bank building for an undisclosed sum.
Gateway managing partner Vance Kenney tells The Times that a community bank in northwestern Indiana has agreed to move into the building's first floor, and will get naming rights for the renovated tower.
Chase Bank had most recently occupied the building's stately interior but it vacated the site in 2008.
Kenney says plans call for tearing down three adjoining buildings south of the tower to make room for a two-lane bank drive-thru, an off-street parking lot and park-like green space.
