What to know about Michael Jackson’s Gary home

Michael Jackson’s 66th birthday is Aug. 29; and what better place for King of Pop devotees to pilgrimage that day other than 2300 Jackson St. in Gary, Indiana?

That’s the childhood home of Jackson, widely regarded as one of the world’s greatest entertainers, and the Jackson 5, as well as superstar Janet Jackson.

Here’s a look at 2300 Jackson Street, where he started from. 

About 2300 Jackson St., the Gary, Indiana, home of the Jackson 5

Joe and Katherine moved into the 672-square-foot two-bedroom bungalow in January 1950, Katherine Jackson is seen saying in a clip for the “2300 Jackson Street” video.

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It’s where the family lived when all of the nine Jackson children were born – from Rebbie Jackson (“Centipede”) to Janet Jackson (“Control,” “Rythm Nation”). (Brandon Jackson, Marlon’s twin brother, died shortly after birth.)

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Where is 2300 Jackson St.?

It’s just off of I-90, about 45 minutes southwest of Chicago.

Follow the sign for the Jackson 5 house in Gary, Indiana

Up until a few years ago, there was no signage directing visitors to 2300 Jackson St.

That changed in 2021, with the erection of a sign on I-80/94 in Gary, next to the Hard Rock Casino. 

The address was the title of an album

“2300 Jackson Street” is the name of The Jacksons’ 1989 album and its lead single.

The song, about the family’s Gary home, also features sisters Rebbie and Janet Jackson.

Don’t look for 2300 Jackson St. in the video for the song

The video for that single did not feature that tiny Gary, Indiana, structure.

Rather, it was shot at Hayvenhurst, the Jackson estate in Encino, California.

Is Jackson Street in Gary, Indiana, named for Michael Jackson’s family?

It’s not named after the musical Jackson family. The street is named for the seventh U.S. president, Andrew Jackson.

What to see at 2300 Jackson St.

The house is gated and in a residential neighborhood with many buildings that are boarded up.

Once on the property, not much distinguishes the house as the birthplace of greatness. There are some pavement markers.

After his 2009 death, a large marble plaque was placed in a corner of the yard to honor Jackson, but it was removed in 2018, according to The Detail, a Michael Jackson documentary channel on YouTube.

Are there tours at 2300 Jackson St., Gary, Indiana?

There are no tours of Michael and Janet Jackson’s childhood home in Gary.

Does 2300 Jackson St., Gary, Indiana, have a gift shop?

There is no gift shop at the boyhood home of Michael Jackson. There are no nearby stores or restaurants, either.

But there are plans through the Jackson Street of Dreams project to buy the home next door and turn it into a small museum shop. The city has asked for others to consider rehabbing homes in the area.

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When did the Jacksons leave the Gary, Indiana, home?

Joe Jackson and the Jackson 5 moved to Los Angeles in August of 1969 and the rest of the family followed them to California that December.

Contact IndyStar reporter Cheryl V. Jackson at cheryl.jackson@indystar.com or 317-444-6264. Follow her on X: @cherylvjackson.