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| A Year of Indiana History - 2016 |
At a ceremony on September 27, 1880, workers laid the ten-ton limestone cornerstone for the new, fifth, Indiana Statehouse. Designed by Indianapolis architect Edwin May, his assistant Adolph Scherrer finished the building in 1888.
The Fifth Capitol Building
The first capitol building, called the Red House, met in Vincennes from 1805 until 1813, when it moved to Corydon, Indiana to the new territorial capital. The legislature used the Corydon building until it moved to Indianapolis in 1825. The Legislature used the Marion County Courthouse as the third state capitol until workers completed construction of the fourth capitol building in 1835. The legislature met in this building until it became unsafe in 1877. Engineers deemed this building unsafe in 1867 after a ceiling collapse and the foundation began to fail. The legislature met in State Office buildings for ten years, until the new capitol building became ready.
Edwin May (1823 - 1880)
Native of Boston, Massachusetts, May moved to Indiana and worked as an architect. His work includes several courthouses and public buildings in Indiana. May received the commission to design the new Indiana State House in 1878. During this, his final project he became incapacitated and died after traveling to Florida to recuperate.
Adolph Scherrer (1847–1925)
A native of Switzerland, Scherrer studied architecture in Vienna and Budapest. He came to the United States in 1873, first practicing in New York and then Chicago. About 1873 he took a position as draftsman working for Edwin May. Scherrer finished construction on the project in 1888. He went on to design several other prominent buildings around Indianapolis and Indiana.
The Capitol
May and Scherrer used Indiana limestone from quarries in Lawrence, Owen, and Monroe Counties to veneer the building and Indiana oak throughout the building. The designers used a classical Renaissance Revival style, influenced by the United States Capitol in Washington. Design features include a stained glass dome, marble floors and steps, granite columns, an ornate balcony. Visitors will see many beautiful designs on the ceiling. Historic monuments depicting famous events and people inhabit the beautifully landscaped lawn outside the building.
The Ceremony
Indiana governor James “Blue Jeans” Williams chaired the cornerstone laying ceremony which was also attended by many other dignitaries that included former governor and future Vice President, Thomas Hendricks and women's suffragist Sarah Bolton. The legislature would move into the new capitol in 1887, before construction officially concluded in 1888.
Visitors may tour the structure on their own, or take a guided tour. For more a brochure or to schedule a tour, contact:
Indiana State Capitol
200 W. Washington St.
Indianapolis, IN 46204
317-233-5293
touroffice@idoa.state.in.us
A Year of Indiana History - 2016
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