The Genesis Convention Center has been closed since 2020, but if you’re of a certain age, you can almost hear the crowds that once gathered there.

Built in 1981, there was plenty to cheer about during the heyday of the futuristic-looking Gary, Indiana, landmark: George Clinton, Public Enemy and Whitney Houston performed there. Prince hit the stage in 1982, bringing with him his girl group Vanity 6 and the baddest band in all the land, The Time.

Indiana resident Paula DeBois saw former President Barack Obama speak there in November 2018, before a packed house of 7,000 Democratic Party voters attending a get-out-the-vote rally .

But by then, the aging Genesis was nearing its end.

“The acoustics were great, and Obama electrified the crowd,” Debois said. “Several local groups entertained t

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