A Center of Civic Life
Indiana's State House, a building of outstanding architectural beauty, has served as a center of civic life in Indiana since 1888.
Elected and appointed representatives of all three branches of government work at the State House. The governor's office is here. The Indiana General Assembly, our citizen legislature, has chambers here for the Senate and for the House of Representatives. The State Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals are also located in this building. When the State House was constructed in 1888, it housed all the governmental offices. However, as the size of government increased, some offices were moved off-site. Today many governmental offices are located in a complex to the west of the State House. 
The State House itself has undergone many alterations since it was built. Some renovations were undertaken in an effort to accommodate the growth of government, others to enable a nineteenth-century building to meet modern needs, and still others for cosmetic reasons. In 1988 the most substantive restoration/renovation returned many of the public areas of the State House to their original Victorian era appearance.
The State House has witnessed many debates affecting the course of Hoosier history. For example, women lobbied here in pursuit of the vote, and labor and racial issues have motivated people to rally here in protest.
This is a place, too, where people come to commemorate individuals and events from our past, as well as to celebrate the present and the future. Indeed, the State House is a symbol not just of government but of the Hoosier State and its people.
