This is not your typical walking tour.

>> We're going to do a quick safety spiel, and then we'll get moving.

>> That's because it's hosted by the Decay Devils.

>> So what we're going to do today, we're going to stop in the park.

We're going to stop at Gateway.

>> And today, they're taking a group from the Duneland Photography Club on a tour of downtown Gary, including some of the city's notoriously abandoned spaces.

♪ >> Tours, for me, are kind of twofold.

I love to not just highlight the history, but invite people to step outside of the space that they might have a preconceived notion about.

So some people come on the tours, hey, I heard things about Gary, not-so-nice things, et cetera.

Can we go with you all?

And when people come out and they meet local citizens, they tend to get a different vibe.

♪ >> It's fascinating to see how it's just kind of a snapshot in time, and you see the stuffed animal on the ground or, you know, a shoe, one random shoe.

You kind of invent stories in your head about the people who lived there or the lives passing through there.

♪ >> Before their tour guiding days, the Decay Devils were a group of urban explorers.

Bound by their love of photography, the group scoured the region's forgotten spaces.

♪ Tyrell Anderson is one of the group's founders.

>> When we first started, traveling, taking pictures, everyone would just say, you guys are crazy.

You are daredevils.

Why would you go into these buildings?

And when we were trying to pick a name, Decay Devils stuck.

At our core, we're all artists.

We're all photographers, and that's how we came together.

We all got together taking pictures, traveling, trading photography tips.

What camera should I buy?

Can I borrow this equipment?

Honestly, like, it was just a group of people who just wanted to learn how to be better at this hobby.

>> I used to want to go to those spaces, abandoned spaces, not just to see what's around each corner and document, but I used to want to be an architect.

So it's like you get to see some of the roots and the bones, right?

>> These days, the group is less concerned with exploration and more concerned with conservation.

>> This park is real special.

We're in Gateway Park.

>> In 2015, the Decay Devils became a nonprofit.

Their goals were simple, advance preservation efforts and beautify Gary.

And if you scan the QR code, you can learn a little bit more about the history of the buildings we're in front of.

So we went to 11 different sites downtown, and we put these on the ground and tried to use that to encourage people to learn a little bit more about the history and about us as an organization.

>> The goal was, hey, Gary can be spruced up in certain areas.

We think we can help in these areas.

>> The group began volunteering.

They cleaned up sites downtown and sponsored numerous art projects.

♪ The tours were a way to show off their work and promote Gary.

And the abandoned buildings, including them on the tour was just a natural extension of the Devils' origins.

However, they're careful not to encourage anyone to break the law or endanger themselves.

>> You know, there are dozens and dozens of people and corporations who helped get us to this level and this point.

So we want to make sure that everything we do is respectful and tasteful.

>> But safety isn't the only concern.

>> For individuals who might look at our group and say, hey, why do you guys celebrate abandon spaces?

Why take people to abandoned spaces?

For Decay Devils, that's not really our MO.

>> We had a member who was real passionate about this train.

>> So you are not just going to come on a tour with us and just see all abandonment.

That's not what we do.

We highlight the good, the bad and the ugly, and that's life.

Nothing is super perfect.

Why do we act like it is?

>> That's the Standard Liquors Building.

It was renovated to have a college on the bottom level, apartment living on the higher levels.

>> Our vision is to -- let's talk about the history.

Let's celebrate the history and talk about what's next.

And a part of what's next is dealing with what may be abandoned.

>> Dealing with what may be abandoned is exactly what the Decay Devils are planning next.

In 2018, the city gave the group ownership of the long abandoned Gary Union Station, where Tyrell is sitting now.

He dreams of a mixed use hub for businesses and creatives, right here at the Gateway to Gary.

>> We want to restructure downtown.

We want to bring more attraction, more business.

This could be a hub to just get that conversation started, an example, a small-scale example of this is what we can do as we expand.

>> That dream may be a long way off, but Tyrell understands that embracing the past can sometimes help you move forward.

>> Each city has its own hurdles and its own obstacles, but at the end of the day, these spaces allow us to not just learn, but put together a solid game plan on how to ensure that whatever this is moving forward, we don't end back in the same spot.