The Indiana World War Memorial building was modeled after the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, one of the seven wonders of the world, and was designed to house Hoosier valor and sacrifices made during World War I. Acclaimed by the American Institute of Architects as "The Most Significant Piece of Architecture in Indiana," construction began in 1926, the cornerstone was laid on July 4, 1927, by General John J. Pershing, and although it was nearly complete in 1928, funding delays kept it from being fully completed until 1965. Rising 210 feet above ground level, it features surrounding plaza and promenade-level vistas, a colonnade, statues, a stepped ziggurat roof form, and a symbolic blue-accented beacon. Its main floor includes the Grand Foyer, administrative offices, meeting rooms, and the 500-seat Pershing Auditorium, while the lower level houses a Military Museum about Indiana's veterans. The Shrine Room, considered the emotional and architectural heart of the building and the entire plaza, was designed to inspire good citizenship and expresses peace and unity following World War I; it was dedicated on Armistice Day, November 11, 1933, by Governor Paul V. McNutt. Materials from the countries of the United States' World War allies were used to reflect unity among those nations, and within the Shrine Room the American Flag hangs at the center, with the crystal Star of Destiny above and the Altar of Consecration below, symbolizing the guidance of the nation's future welfare and serving as a place for people to consecrate themselves to good citizenship and patriotism.
