Illinois sits at the crossroads of American industry — Chicago's slaughterhouses, steel mills, and rail yards built the modern economy, while the smaller cities of the Rust Belt corridor were left behind when that economy moved on. A Gothic church in Gary where ferns now grow through the choir loft. An abandoned psychiatric hospital that once held 8,000 patients. A mid-century drive-in and a stockyards complex that once processed half of America's meat. Here are 5 of the best abandoned places in Illinois, selected from our Abandoned Places Map USA — 5,000+ GPS locations across the United States.
Why Illinois Is a Hidden Gem for Abandoned Buildings & Urban Exploration
Illinois's urbex landscape spans from Chicago's industrial South Side to the steel cities of Gary and the quiet agricultural towns of the central plains. The state's position as America's railroad and meatpacking hub created enormous industrial infrastructure that has been decaying since the 1970s — some of the largest and most photogenic abandoned industrial sites in the Midwest.
1. City Methodist Church, Gary – 1926 Gothic Church Roofless Since the 1970s, Ferns Growing in the Choir Loft, Filming Location for Transformers (Known Location)
Built in 1926 at the peak of Gary's steel boom, City Methodist Church was designed in full Gothic Revival grandeur — stone tracery, pointed arches and a tower visible across the city. When Gary's steel economy collapsed, white flight emptied the congregation and the church closed in 1975. Nearly fifty years later it stands roofless, its stone arches open to the sky, ferns and saplings growing from the choir loft floor. It served as a filming location for Transformers and A Nightmare on Elm Street: Freddy vs. Jason. A partial demolition was announced in late 2024 — making this one of the most urgent race-against-time urbex sites in the Illinois-Indiana region.
🔗 Learn more: Wikipedia – City Methodist Church, Gary
2. Tinley Park Mental Health Center – 1912 Psychiatric Campus Closed 2012, 30+ Buildings Still Standing South of Chicago (Known Location)
Opened in 1912 as the Illinois Industrial Home for the Blind, the Tinley Park Mental Health Center operated under various names for exactly a century before closing in 2012. The sprawling campus of 30+ brick buildings south of Chicago has sat largely untouched since — ward corridors with original fixtures, patient recreation rooms and the underground steam tunnel network still intact. Closed just over a decade ago, it retains an unusually fresh state of abandonment. One of the best-documented and most-visited abandoned places in Illinois for institutional urbex photography.
🔗 Also read: Top 5 Best Abandoned Places in the USA →
Abandoned Places Map USA 🇺🇸
Explore All 5000+ Locations →3. Abandoned Chicago Union Stock Yards Powerhouse – 1900s Brick Power Station with Original Turbines, Back of the Yards Neighborhood (Exclusively on Our Map)
The Chicago Union Stock Yards — which processed over half of America's meat at their peak — closed in 1971 after a century of operation. The powerhouse that generated electricity for the entire complex still stands in the Back of the Yards neighborhood: original brick construction, massive turbine housings on the generator floor and the chimney stack still visible above the roofline. One of the best abandoned places in Illinois for meatpacking era industrial archaeology. Exact location available on our Abandoned Places Map USA.
4. Abandoned Illinois Grain Elevator – 1920s Concrete Silos Standing Over the Prairie, Central Illinois (Exclusively on Our Map)
A 1920s concrete grain elevator from the era when central Illinois was the most productive agricultural region in America — cylindrical concrete silos still standing over the prairie, the elevator head house with original grain handling machinery and the rail loading infrastructure alongside the former branch line. Illinois's farm consolidation since the 1970s made hundreds of small-town grain elevators economically unviable; this complex is one of the most intact survivors. One of the best abandoned places in Illinois for prairie industrial photography. Exact location available on our Abandoned Places Map USA.
5. Abandoned Pullman Palace Car Factory – 1880s Company Town Buildings Still Standing, National Monument, South Chicago (Exclusively on Our Map)
George Pullman built his model company town in 1880 south of Chicago to manufacture luxury sleeping cars — worker housing, a church, a library, a hotel and the factory all designed as a unified urban vision. The 1894 Pullman Strike brought federal troops to the town and defined American labor history. Now a National Monument, sections of the original factory complex remain in various states of abandonment alongside the restored company town buildings — industrial brick construction from the height of the Gilded Age in a remarkable state of partial preservation. Exact location available on our Abandoned Places Map USA.
Safety Tips for Urban Exploration in Illinois
- Midwest winters: Illinois freeze-thaw cycles are severe — avoid upper floors in brick buildings after winter or prolonged rain
- Gary, Indiana: City Methodist Church and surrounding Gary sites are in an active urban environment — always go with a group and be aware of your surroundings
- Never explore alone — always bring at least one other person and let someone know your location
The urbex code applies everywhere: "Take nothing but photographs, leave nothing but footprints."
❓ FAQ – Abandoned Places in Illinois
What is the most famous abandoned place in Illinois?
City Methodist Church in Gary, Indiana — a 1926 Gothic church roofless since 1975, with ferns growing in the choir loft and stone arches open to the sky. Filmed in Transformers and Freddy vs. Jason. A partial demolition was announced in late 2024.
What is the Tinley Park Mental Health Center?
A psychiatric campus south of Chicago opened in 1912 and closed in 2012 — one of the most recently closed institutional sites in the Illinois urbex scene, with 30+ brick buildings still standing in an unusually well-preserved state of fresh abandonment.
Are there abandoned places related to Chicago's meatpacking history?
Yes — the Chicago Union Stock Yards closed in 1971 and the Back of the Yards neighborhood retains surviving infrastructure from the complex, including the powerhouse building. The Stock Yards district was the largest meatpacking operation in American history at its peak.
🎯 Summary
Illinois's abandoned buildings tell the story of American industrial supremacy — from Chicago's stockyards that fed a nation to Gary's Gothic church open to the sky and a psychiatric campus closed just a decade ago. Each of these 5 abandoned places in Illinois captures a different dimension of a state built on railroads, steel and the agricultural heartland of America.
