Indiana’s new state archives building, which houses 200 years of the state’s history, founding documents and historic records, is now open to the public.
Thursday’s ribbon-cutting ceremony officially marked the opening of the new 130,000-square-foot building for the State Archives Department in downtown Indianapolis.
For years the collection has been spread out across four locations in the city. Now the department can operate and house the state’s founding documents in one central location.
Executive Director of the Indiana Archives and Records Administration, Chandler Lighty, said that the new building has all the necessary climate control technology and other archival storage needs for documents. He also hopes the central location will enable the public to better use the archives as a resource.
“People just weren’t visiting us out on 30th street,” Lighty told WFYI. “Being downtown, being open to the public during hours when they can come in, when possibly convention-goers can pop in, is going to be you know crucial for access and people interacting with the documents and heightening our public service.”
Previously, many state documents were housed in the former RCA record-stamping warehouse on E. 30th St. That facility lacked the climate control needed to properly preserve the historic documents.
The new building sits alongside the canal, just across from the Indiana Historical Society building and north of the Government Center buildings. The total project is estimated to have cost over $100 million.
The move involved transporting more than 80,000 cubic feet of archival records, which included boxes filled with ledgers, microfilm reels, glass negatives, maps and more.
The building will house the state’s historical records, which include collections on government, court, military and land records, along with maps, photographs and other materials relating to Indiana.
A current exhibit on display showcases documents that connect Indiana’s early history and founding as a state to the nation’s founding as the United States, commemorating the country’s 250th anniversary.
The building also features a large reading room, where anyone from the public can request certain documents and view them, and a large terrace on the fourth floor.
Building the new facility has been in the works since 2023 but lawmakers authorized funding for the during the 2021 budget session.
People who want to use the reading room or search for a specific document should schedule an appointment ahead of time. The reading room is open Tuesday - Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Contact Government Reporter Caroline Beck at cbeck@wfyi.org
