Additional cameras are being installed at the Gary Genesis Center out of vandalism concerns stemming from recent incidents at the shuttered building at 5th Avenue and Broadway.

Redevelopment director Chris Harris called the additional monitoring “critical. We need additional support to reduce our liability and risk,” he told the redevelopment commission during Wednesday’s meeting as it approved a $9,000 contract for cameras.

Built in 1981 to usher in a new era of commerce by then-mayor Richard G. Hatcher, the Genesis Center had a 7,000-seat convention and sports arena and adjacent meeting rooms and banquet facilities.

It fell into mismanagement, infrastructure problems and infrequent bookings, closing in 2020. It once hosted concerts by Whitney Houston and Prince and held the Miss USA

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