The two-story complex, which will expand the Gary branch of the Boys and Girls Club in the former Tolleston Middle School on West 19th Avenue, will also house new YMCA facilities and a wellness center operated by Methodist Hospitals.

A new project near Gary’s Tolleston Park will be transformational and might draw national attention, said Jay Buckmaster, president and CEO at Crossroads YMCA.

Gary officials have unveiled plans for a state-of-the-art, 91,000-square-foot YMCA in the Tolleston neighborhood that they hope will serve as a community hub. The $30 million project, one of the largest recent investments in the city,