In 1831, the Indiana General Assembly approved construction of a new State House.
The building was to be funded by the sale of lots of land in Indianapolis.
A commission was established and Commissioner James Blake offered a $150 prize to the architect who could design the best state house.
The firm of Ithiel Town and Alexander Jackson Davis created the winning design.
Their plans were for a structure that was inspired by the ancient Greek Parthenon.
The building looked very much like the Parthenon except for a large central dome.
Town and Davis was awarded the contract to construct the building, and completed it ahead of schedule in 1835.

The State House was built of blue limestone, two stories high.
The governor and the Supreme Court occupied the lower floor, and the legislature occupied the upper floor, with each house in its own wing.
The building was the site of many great events in its history, including a bier for Abraham Lincoln.
The building was popular after its construction but by the 1860s Greek Revival architecture had fallen out of style, and the building was beginning to become decrepit.
The building's limestone foundation began to fail, and many feared a general structural collapse of the building.
In 1867 the ceiling in the chambers of the Indiana House of Representative collapsed.
A debate was held in 1873 about how to preserve the building but no solution was found.
By the time that Governor James Williams was elected to office, the building was about to be condemned.
It was finally demolished in 1877.
In 1831, the Indiana General Assembly approved construction of a new State House. The building was to be funded by the sale of lots of land in Indianapolis. A commission was established and Commissioner James Blake offered a $150 prize to the architect who could design the best state house. The firm of Ithiel Town and Alexander Jackson Davis created the winning design. Their plans were for a structure that was inspired by the ancient Greek Parthenon. The building looked very much like the Parthenon except for a large central dome. Town and Davis was awarded the contract to construct the building, and completed it ahead of schedule in 1835.
The State House was built of blue limestone, two stories high. The governor and the Supreme Court occupied the lower floor, and the legislature occupied the upper floor, with each house in its own wing. The building was the site of many great events in its history, including a bier for Abraham Lincoln. The building was popular after its construction but by the 1860s Greek Revival architecture had fallen out of style, and the building was beginning to become decrepit. The building's limestone foundation began to fail, and many feared a general structural collapse of the building. In 1867 the ceiling in the chambers of the Indiana House of Representative collapsed. A debate was held in 1873 about how to preserve the building but no solution was found. By the time that Governor James Williams was elected to office, the building was about to be condemned. It was finally demolished in 1877.
Indiana Statehouse