INDIANAPOLIS – Could the yearslong discussion surrounding a new Indiana judicial center finally be coming to fruition?
Proposals to construct a new building to house the state’s courts have been tossed around for decades – and was even a topic of controversy in the 1980s — but project plans have never developed enough to gain traction.
Now, state officials want to restart the conversation. To get the ball rolling, Indiana budget regulators this week approved a $5 million request for pre-design funds.
Matt Kent, chief financial officer for the Indiana Department of Administration, said those state dollars will be used to reevaluate the size and layout possibilities of a new building. State officials said they do not expect to spend the full appropriation on the study.
Whether any final structure plans will be approved is yet to be decided.
Legislation from 1971 first authorized the State Office Building Commission to construct a new judicial building. At the time, lawmakers intended for the building to house the Indiana Supreme Court, Appellate Court, “and other related agencies.” Enthusiasm for the project soon cooled, in light of other, more pressing state-funded endeavors.
The proposed judicial building regained traction in the late 1980s, and architectural plans were drawn up for a $50 million new building. The plans called for an elaborate, five-story limestone and granite structure north of the statehouse. Groundbreaking was originally anticipated to take place in 1989.
But as projected construction costs ballooned, the building became a controversial topic during the 1988 governor’s race. Once elected, Democratic Gov. Evan Bayh ditched the plans.
No request for proposals related to the judicial building study has been published yet, according to state procurement records. State officials did not provide a timeline for proposals, study completion, or desired date to begin construction on a possible building.
Read more of the Casey Smith story for the Indiana Capital Chronicle, here.