Indiana State Archives Opens New Downtown Facility to Preserve State History
Indiana officials have celebrated the opening of the new Indiana State Archives building in downtown Indianapolis, marking the return of the state's historical records to a central location after a quarter-century in a temporary warehouse. The new five-story, 133,000-square-foot facility, located at 350 W. Ohio St. alongside the Central Canal, is designed to better protect and provide easier public access to Indiana's centuries-old paper trail. Governor Mike Braun highlighted the personal connection to historical records during the ribbon-cutting ceremony. The building consolidates archival storage, conservation and imaging workspaces, exhibits, and a public reading room, bringing together staff who were previously spread across four different locations. The new facility addresses long-standing concerns about the former warehouse, which suffered from extreme climate fluctuations, vulnerability to tornadoes, and roof leaks, all of which jeopardized the preservation of delicate historical documents.
