INDIANAPOLIS – A structural engineering study completed in January 2023 quietly closed the iconic dome of the Indiana Statehouse to tours last year due to safety concerns, according to the Indiana Department of Administration (IDOA).
The dome, which has its own lapel pin, is one of the most celebrated parts of the Statehouse and includes 256 panels of colored glass, as detailed by the agency online. However, the agency didn’t indicate any plans to reopen the 19th-century structure in the coming years.
The emblematic feature atop the Statehouse includes several architectural elements, including a cupola, which is the smaller structure on top of the dome. The visually striking stained glass dome sits under this outer feature and a skylight and is just above the central rotunda.
“In 2022, IDOA conducted a structural engineering study to review the steel infrastructure of the State House dome,” said spokeswoman Erin Murphy on behalf of IDOA. “As a result of the study, IDOA determined there needed to be limited access to the dome for safety concerns and therefore ended group tours.”
Prior to the study, IDOA gave small, scheduled tours to Statehouse staff, interns, legislators, and others.
“We do not foresee the dome being reopened for tours in the near future. The structure was not designed for multiple people accessing the space at one time,” Murphy continued.
Inside the dome, visitors would use markers to sign their names on the outer walls and, on the other side of the beautiful stained glass, some would spell their names out in dust with their fingers.
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