Owner to close Dean museum

A museum chronicling the short life of “Rebel Without a Cause” star James Dean will close in Gas City, Ind., on Dec. 31.

Owner David Loehr less than two years ago moved the James Dean Gallery to Gas City from Fairmount, Ind., where Dean attended high school.

Attendance had increased, but not enough to match the cost of maintaining the temperature-controlled building, Loehr said.

“The operating expenses and upkeep and payments are just more than we can handle,” he said.

The James Dean Gallery contains a dozen pieces of wardrobe worn by the actor in his three major films, school papers, paintings by Dean and original movie posters, books and magazines.

Dean, who was born in Marion, Ind., was killed in a car crash in Cholame, Calif., in 1955 at age 24.