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Mayor says Gabbard High School should be demolished after unsafe-building hearing
Summary
Hammond’s mayor told the city council the Board of Public Works and Safety recently reviewed an order under the Indiana Unsafe Building Act to repair or demolish Gabbard High School, which the mayor said has sat vacant since 2021 and remains unsafe; the city urged the school district to act.
Mayor (speaker 7) told the Hammond City Council the city recently participated in a Board of Public Works and Safety hearing to consider affirming an order issued by the Inspections Department under the Indiana Unsafe Building Act requiring repair or demolition of Gabbard High School.
"Gabbard High School needs to come down," the mayor said, adding that the building has been vacant and unused since 2021 and that the city’s case, prosecuted by the law department with corporate counsel Kevin Smith and supported by inspection and code-enforcement staff, shows the structure has deteriorated. The mayor disputed a school-district statement that the police department had been using the building for SWAT training, saying the city police have used other buildings for that purpose.
The mayor said he personally met earlier this year with the school board president, Carlotta Blake King, and the board’s lawyer, Jewel Harris, and told them the city cannot wait indefinitely for corrective action. "Since that time, they have done nothing," he said, listing water turnoffs, open windows, peeling paint and failing masonry as evidence of ongoing degradation.
Why it matters: The mayor framed the matter as a public-safety and blight issue, saying extended vacancy raises the risk of vandalism and health hazards. Under the Indiana Unsafe Building Act, local inspections and the Board of Public Works and Safety can seek demolition if a structure is unsafe and owners do not remediate it. The mayor said the city believes its legal position under that statute is strong.
What happens next: The mayor informed council that the Board of Public Works and Safety has already held the hearing to consider the inspection order. He encouraged attendance at a similar hearing for Clark High School scheduled for July 30. He did not announce a final demolition date; the council did not vote on any formal action during the meeting.
Sources and limits: Reporting in this article is based solely on the mayor’s remarks to the council (July 13, 2026). The council and the mayor identified the statute invoked as the Indiana Unsafe Building Act and named school board officials in attendance, but the transcript does not record a final Board of Public Works and Safety ruling or a formal demolition order date.
