Who doesn’t love this place? Pierre & Wright’s design was chosen from 38 submissions, winning $2,000. The building has 171 feet frontage along Ohio Street and is 168 feet wide. Staff started moved in January 1, 1934.
Oddly, the building wasn’t dedicated until the end of the year– exactly seven years to the day before the attack on Pearl Harbor: December 7, 1934. The cost was $1,000,000 with a capacity for over 500,000 volumes relating to Indiana. The Historical Bureau was also housed here from the beginning.
One of Indiana’s sexiest exports, limestone from Bedford dazzles on the building’s exterior. The library’s interior is more impressive than the exterior–more limestone, colorful stained glass windows and art. Not only is it beautiful to behold, but it is also filled with an impressive collection of Indiana newspapers (on microfilm) and a generous collection of genealogical resources.
This is a great place to start work on your family tree, which everyone should explore at some point. Learning your own story may offer more opportunities to connect with your surroundings.
