Birch Bayh Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse

46 E. Ohio St.
Indianapolis, IN 46204
View map [nongovernment website]

The 550,000-square-foot Birch Bayh Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse, located one block north of Monument Circle in downtown Indianapolis, is named for former Indiana State Legislator and U.S. Senator Birch Evans Bayh.

Property Manager: Jason Hoffmann

Public Hours: 8 a.m.– 5 p.m. Monday through Friday (except federal holidays)

For more building information or service calls, see contact box. For other federal government information, call toll-free 1-844-USA-GOV1.

Parking and Public Transportation

No public parking is available on site. The courthouse's indoor and outdoor lots are reserved for tenants. Street parking and nearby garages are available nearby. Public transportation is available via IndyGo [nongovernment website].

Key Tenants

Major tenants are the U.S. District and Bankruptcy Courts for the Southern District of Indiana, U.S. Marshal Service and U.S. Probation Office. Other tenants include the U.S. Trustees, U.S. Tax Court, various Department of Labor agencies, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and Corporation for National & Community Services.

Recent Renovations

During a project completed in 2012, several pieces of the courthouse's Fine Arts Collection were restored, including the exterior sculptures by John Massey Rhind (read more and view additional photos). The project replaced the courthouse's roof, installed a vegetative green roof in the central courtyard and a rainwater harvesting system, restored exterior windows, renovated restrooms to meet accessibility standards, and upgraded the fire protection system, heating and air conditioning, temperature controls, plumbing, electrical service, and lighting. The building received Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) Gold Certification for New Construction in August 2013 and is a certified ENERGY STAR® building.

History & Architecture

Built in the Beaux Arts style in 1905 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974, the Bayh U.S. Courthouse is a steel-framed, flat-roofed structure clad with Indiana Limestone, resting on a gray granite foundation. The original richly ornamented interior design elements remain intact, including mosaic tile ceilings, a cantilevered marble staircase, stained glass windows, and decorative artwork and furnishings. The major historic interior spaces of the building are the first-floor lobbies and connecting corridor and the original courtrooms in the southeast and southwest corners of the second floor.

Art in Architecture

Sculptures by John Massey Rhind titled Industry, Science, Agriculture, and Literature welcome visitors to the south façade of the building. Inside the courthouse, 33 individual paintings by Grant Christian make up a series of murals in the Honorable William E. Steckler Ceremonial Courtroom and on the third floor. For more information about GSA's stewardship of fine arts, visit the Fine Arts Collection page.

The shortcut for this page is www.gsa.gov/bayhct.